What all these divergently apocalyptic ideas hold in common is their AI absolutism – a way of seeing AI as a godlike force that will either hasten a golden age of productivity and innovation, or will doom humanity. It mirrors the political polarization of our era and even the zealotry found in religious fanaticism. This is by design. Contradictory as they may be, all these arguments and anxieties fit neatly into the overarching message of the people building this technology: AI’s dominance is inevitable. Get on board or you will be left behind. The robber barons of our age stand to profit wildly from not only enthusiasm about their star product, but also, the terror of it.
It’s not about profit. AI is a weapon - a tool of control. It doesn’t have to make any profits.
Too bad the entire human species has been mutated into this profit generating machine. So it has to turn a profit or it will bankrupt even its supposed benefactors. The rules can be largely bent, but the math can only be shuffled around for so long.