• @WoodScientist
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    74 days ago

    Our cursed future:

    We will figure out how to create a VR system that can continuously simulate a truly immersive reality. We create something like the Holodeck in Star Trek or the Matrix from…the Matrix.

    Unfortunately it will take 10 GW of power to maintain such a simulation. 10 GW…per person.

    In the end, all our grand techno dreams will come true. We’ll figure out how to build deuterium-based fusion reactors, and we’ll use godlike robotics to rapidly expand our infrastructure and power production. We’ll even imagine a social utopia. Everyone gets access to the tech, and 10 GW of power just isn’t that expensive anymore.

    We create the perfect power source, able to be fueled from the deuterium, that can be easily drawn from any natural source of water. We create a virtual paradise world of ultimate bliss, a cyberpunk post-scarcity utopia built on unparalleled robotics and abundant fusion energy.

    Then in a century, we drink the oceans dry. If 10 GW isn’t enough to do it, our per-capita energy demand will only continue its exponential rise. The reason we don’t see any other civilizations out there amongst the stars is that technological civilizations are like firecrackers in the night. Wants are infinite. And as soon as the pool of available resources grows, new uses are found for these resources. Build a Dyson sphere around the Sun to capture its entire output, and there will be some bastard arguing that we need to disassemble the damn Sun to optimize total lifetime energy output.

    Civilizations like ours are explosions on the cosmic scene. Our energy needs increase exponentially until we, in relatively short order, either exhausts all reserves or burn in our own waste heat.

    We are a firecracker in the night.

    • @[email protected]
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      3 days ago

      Too long a comment. I’ll run it through an AI to shorten it to two phrases for me.

      Edit: y’all have no sense of humor whatsoever.

  • Ephera
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    54 days ago

    Honestly, with the social media algorithms, I feel like we’re already there. We might still hear of similar world news, but some conservative is going to be flooded with completely different framing than a progressive person.

  • @[email protected]
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    44 days ago

    I think there’s going to be a bit of both. People will spend lots of time enjoying AI generated entertainment tailored just for them, but at the same time, certain AI generated videos, songs, and books become famous. This means that you aren’t completely isolated from having shared experiences with other people. You could make a meme referencing a popular AI generated movie, and people would still get it.

  • @dugmeup
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    34 days ago

    It’s a shower thought . No need to get angry and down vote

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