Underknown

Is it possible that artificial intelligences always destroy their founding civilizations? Is a universal law like thermodynamics? Well, it's possible.

So maybe we should be thinking, what do we want to do differently? What if we're at a bottleneck where our choices really matter? The way we work with AI, the constraints, the oversight, the laws around AI usage and development, they could all be critical to whether a civilization, let's face it, our civilization, makes it to 0.75 on the Kardashev scale, let alone Type 1.

What if a civilization's foresight regarding AI capabilities is what determines whether or not it makes it to the next Kardashev level? Remember that open letter a couple years back that all the computer scientists and godfathers of AI sign, asking for a six-month pause on AI training? With people as diverse as Jeffrey Hinton, Elon Musk saying it was time for sober second thought? Maybe it's that kind of community-minded thinking of societal resilience which makes better choices in regulating the types of AI that are built.

Maybe that's what allows a civilization to survive.

Or, as some scientists have noted, it would be safer to focus on building narrower, tool-like AIs instead of building wide-functioning, agentic AI that can do almost anything.

And maybe together, we can solve the greatest future threats that humans and artificial humans could face.

Like our sun becoming a red giant in 5 billion years.

But that's a story for another WHAT IF.

So let's ask the question nobody wants to answer.

What if it never reopens? Most people think they know what that looks like.

Higher gas prices.

Well, you felt that one already.