"We're in an AI race with China" okay why aren't we in a solar race or high-speed rail race or healthcare race or quality of life race or some shit.

[pockets@lgbtqia.space]

@Elizafox
What was that thing in "Oppenheimer" where he took the math to Einstein because there was a concern that it would ignite our atmosphere?

That's where we're at.
How many groups have said that AI is likely to kill us all, but they're *still* racing towards it?

I guess people are more concerned about *which* AI kills us than *whether* AI kills us. I mean, we'll be dead either way, so why does it matter?

[thenovemberman@bookstodon.com]

@Elizafox Because the oligarchs running Trump have decided they can make money on it, and now they're too far down the hole to pull back.
#EatTheRich

[moira@mastodon.murkworks.net]

@Elizafox Because Shitstain and his family have massive investments in AI.

[canleaf@mastodon.social]

@Elizafox they are rather doing the 996race

[pat@social.patmulcahy.com]

@Elizafox Exaaaaactly!

[bunny_jane@plush.city]

@Elizafox could we at least have a car race? Races are often done with cars! I'd love to be able to buy a $15k electric hatchback in bubblegum pink with 500 miles of range that fast charges in 5 minutes, has solar panels on the roof, and was made with safety regulations that ensure I won't be trapped inside if it crashes. But no because capitalism hates competition.

[ghostonthehalfshell@masto.ai]

@Elizafox

This you’ve got to see how it’s appropriate. We need two data centers in every garage 30 alpr per corner and 20 cameras shoved up our respective bodily orifices then smother the entire economy in AI in order to beat China.

The US was made great by smothering its military with so much money that it doesn’t know what to do with it.

Look where it got us!

[dragonfrog@mastodon.sdf.org]

@ariadne @Elizafox I can't remember where, but I heard it recently pointed out - the only part of the AI industry that's close to profitable is bulk inference computation. And that's something that just needs a big building and cheap electricity - so the advantage there goes to the country with the greatest efficiencies of scale in construction and solar panel installation. Which is China.

[whitecattamer@mastodon.online]

@pockets @Elizafox Because the people who think that AI will destroy us out of a conscious, willful decision are influenced by the Roko’s basilisk thought experiment, also known as “what if we made Pascal’s wager even dumber but made it about computers because that’s cool”.

[ttskyhammer@mastodon.social]

@Elizafox because people aren't abominable intelligence

[mwt@mastodon.nz]

@tym @Elizafox kei cars like they have in Japan! Only, sold to the rest of the world.

[nilz@norden.social]

@Elizafox

[zdl@mstdn.social]

@Elizafox Because the USA has lost those already. The first two to China, the latter two to a whole bunch of nations.

[fella@defcon.social]

@Elizafox @ariadne
The US peaked in high school

[canleaf@mastodon.social]

@Elizafox meanwhile cage homes are a thing in China, too.

[jaaphuib@mastodon.nl]

@Elizafox
Because the few in power expect to get even more money out of the AI race.
And they do not need solar, high speed rail, improved health care or whatever, since they can already always buy their way to the best service for themselves.

[pinecone460@social.seattle.wa.us]

@Elizafox various explanations in the replies but i think the real reason is because AI is a weapon, or can be used as one

the AI race is another arms race

[grayrattus@mastodon.social]

@Elizafox because if USA looses AI race you will all discover why socialism was actually not that bad of an idea.

[martenson@mastodon.world]

@Elizafox oil is still too cheap; no money in transporting people; muricans don't have more to spend on health; qol is EU propaganda -- we da best

[purrfectlyhorny@kinkycats.org]

@Elizafox summary: because capitalism.