Seductive AI

AI has always been thought of in one of two ways: violent overlord, or benevolent savior in a world moving faster than humans can keep up with. However, while we've been concerned with ferocious domination, we've already started along a path of soft oppression. It's not about domination, but seduction. There is no doubt that AI is useful, but "being highly useful is the subtlest form of seduction there is. ”

In this Broadside, Glenn Harlan Reynolds explores how AI need only take advantage of innate human characteristics - exactly as we programmed it to do - to wreak havoc on society as the most subtle of overlords: anticipating our needs, pleasuring us with tailored "sex bots, ” isolating us through convenience, and ultimately thinking for us. Eventually, we may not be able to do - nor even imagine doing - anything without AI. To avoid this trap, we must understand what AI is doing to us, even as it does things for us.