The Undramatic Future of Artificial Intelligence Explained: How It Will Alter the Political and Societal Landscapes

You can’t talk to someone for 5 minutes without Artificial Intelligence coming up; should we fear it and give it a place of reverence, or put it back in its place?

I remember being 15 years old, riding along in the passenger seat of my Dad’s midlife crisis car, a torchred Corvette bought at a relative bargain because of a glitch in which the steering column would lock itself out, preventing an important task we know as driving. We were listening to a string of radio advertisements selling pop-up shelters, survival gear, dry storage meals, and every prepper kit you could think of. Everything you could think of – bank accounts, businesses, defense systems – was set to be thoroughly upended, with the world hanging on the precipice of destruction as a result.

The year was 1999. The imminent event was Y2K. People were legitimately scared, and thinking back on it brings to mind a lot of the paranoia I hear today about Artificial Intelligence. Please note, I will always spell Artificial Intelligence out because using the shorthand of A.I. is considered incorrect, and spelling it AI looks like the nickname for someone named Albert, which I can’t reconcile in my mind.

It seems to me that almost no one is capable of having a five-minute conversation without referencing what Artificial Intelligence is going to do to the future. Want to open a burger joint? Just wait until Artificial Intelligence makes its final burger breakthrough, then you’ll see how doomed/rich/threatened/more efficient we are. Or take something like going to the gym – our all-new Artificial Intelligence genie will guide you through this workout since we don’t hire trainers anymore!

It’s nauseating. I’ve admitted before that I use Artificial Intelligence in the publishing process here on Captain K’s Corner – but only to read for typos. I reject any restructuring guidance, politically correct suggestions, or left-wing propaganda dying to make it into my annals of truth. I’ve also had plenty to say about those who use Artificial Intelligence to create content from scratch, and how I think they can’t write anything of value. For fun, I’m going to artificially generate some of the visuals for today’s piece with Substack’s photo generator.

I could rant for days about how over it I am. I think I’ve had a head start getting over it because I am fully aware of screen addiction, having struggled to create good boundaries with smart phones since they found their way into our lives, and watched plenty of kids forget the outdoors even exist as long as a tablet can be had. Ultimately, I see four things happening with Artificial Intelligence in the near future:

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I. It Will Continue to Expand and Sell

More solutions will head to the market, and more businesses will invest in it. New deals are announced every day, and whether we are talking about business assistance, personal organizers, or fake friends, it will keep selling. Supply and demand will do its thing, making integration of such systems more available and cheaper. It will come to occupy the website of your local dentist.

Some of these solutions are good, such as Petition Engine/Magician which I’ve been working to promote with Phil Izon, or online applications in which a mother can get some drops for an ear infection without navigating a complicated referral process and a visit to the ENT when she knows good and well what is wrong with her kid.

Others are going to continue to prove annoying, occupy time, or provide faulty analysis and research, as you’ll be very disappointed to learn happens to me on Grok all the time, when I personally recognized election data that are incorrect and really not that hard to spot even with a median level of knowledge.

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II. Behind the Curtain

Have you ever asked aloud, “why the hell would anyone support a bill like that?” Thanks to having had a front-row seat to state-level politics for two sessions now, I can answer it for you:

· Money

· Lobbyists

I encourage all to research the Axon bill in Arizona politics for a prime example. Special interest groups come in, make promises, pledge campaign funds, and walk away with a handshake for a future vote. Some lobbying groups are honest and don’t deal corruptly, and even stand for good things. Others, not so much.

The future of Portland under UBI

The same will prove true of the push to put Artificial Intelligence everywhere. You will find left-wing organizations committed to Universal Basic Income are behind this push, understanding that they can create the malady and prescribe the solution at the same time. If Artificial Intelligence creates enough unemployment in various industries, the only human solution (according to some) will be to provide a set income to those impacted (and eventually everyone) at taxpayer expense, starting low, but always appreciating and never satisfying.

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