He suggested that everyone read Iain Banks for a vision of the future, and Beddoes pointed out that Banks was a socialist. Musk insisted he wasn’t.
Criticizing a thing as socialism when it’s actually capitalism. Describing a socialist utopia and insisting it’s not socialism. This isn’t a thing unique to Musk. Why are people like this?
As someone who has read all the books in Culture series I would (and will if provoked) argue that, as most books about utopias, it’s actually describing a dystopia. No idea if it’s socialist or not, but in the society Banks is describing people are reduced to the role of pets, not equal partners of AI.
Not really, human agents are still highly valued, hence the combo of human+drone team. If what you said was correct then they’re have just used avatars for everything. Djan Seriy Anaplian for example was a fucking badass.
Straight out in the first book Culture is shown as the bad guy, civilization that is not alive and has to be destroyed. It wins eventually but the point stands: Culture kind of like the Borg, absorbing humanoid species and growing without limits.
No other civilization relies on AI as much. In Hydrogen Sonata you have good description of other civilization that uses digital constructs that are still based on humans, not pure AI. There’s clear distinction between AI controlled Culture and other civilizations. Why other civilizations don’t use AI as much? Because they don’t want be controlled by it.
It’s clear AI likes to use people so it manipulates them to do what it wants. Player of Games is clear example of that. In State of the Art AI straight out assassinates a guy who doesn’t want to follow its orders.
In State of the Art Culture is also shows as sterile and boring. Everyone behaves because they don’t have a choice, their actions are meaningless, they don’t really control or anything or advance the civilization.
People have more of a sentimental value for AI. It does recognize human as intelligent the same way we recognize that animals are alive. People are sure taken care of but everything is run by AI. People are just pets.
Some interesting points! Not sure why you’re being downvoted for having an opinion, even if it’s not the same as some others, but I appreciate you taking the time to discuss the series. Such a shame he didn’t get to write more.
Criticizing a thing as socialism when it’s actually capitalism. Describing a socialist utopia and insisting it’s not socialism. This isn’t a thing unique to Musk. Why are people like this?
As someone who has read all the books in Culture series I would (and will if provoked) argue that, as most books about utopias, it’s actually describing a dystopia. No idea if it’s socialist or not, but in the society Banks is describing people are reduced to the role of pets, not equal partners of AI.
Not really, human agents are still highly valued, hence the combo of human+drone team. If what you said was correct then they’re have just used avatars for everything. Djan Seriy Anaplian for example was a fucking badass.
Yes really.
Straight out in the first book Culture is shown as the bad guy, civilization that is not alive and has to be destroyed. It wins eventually but the point stands: Culture kind of like the Borg, absorbing humanoid species and growing without limits.
No other civilization relies on AI as much. In Hydrogen Sonata you have good description of other civilization that uses digital constructs that are still based on humans, not pure AI. There’s clear distinction between AI controlled Culture and other civilizations. Why other civilizations don’t use AI as much? Because they don’t want be controlled by it.
It’s clear AI likes to use people so it manipulates them to do what it wants. Player of Games is clear example of that. In State of the Art AI straight out assassinates a guy who doesn’t want to follow its orders.
In State of the Art Culture is also shows as sterile and boring. Everyone behaves because they don’t have a choice, their actions are meaningless, they don’t really control or anything or advance the civilization.
People have more of a sentimental value for AI. It does recognize human as intelligent the same way we recognize that animals are alive. People are sure taken care of but everything is run by AI. People are just pets.
Some interesting points! Not sure why you’re being downvoted for having an opinion, even if it’s not the same as some others, but I appreciate you taking the time to discuss the series. Such a shame he didn’t get to write more.