Today, October 15th, PlanktonPunkt Designs finally reached 250 active listings on Etsy. I have been working to that goal for months, sometimes more intensely sometimes less. From now on, I’ll focus on increasing quality over quantity.
Another long term task was dropping my tax returns, October 15th is the deadline for the returns (Federal and State.) Now I can dedicate more time and energy for other tasks.
Also, I got today cold called by an AI recruiter. Whether that will result in anything, remains to be seen, but this was a mildly positive experience.
As for the incoming AI-pocalypse that has been in headlines, with the big tech companies warning about the extinction of humans in few years, I am less than convinced.
Reason 1: The massive tech bubble is about to burst and take global economy with it, and I suspect the companies need a face saving excuse for failing, such as government intervention to stop the AI-pocalypse.
Reason 2: Some of the AI workers have fallen into cult-like thinking, even worshiping their AI creation and seeing it their duty to make a new Lord over humanity, even if it means the extinction of the said humanity. Or should I rather say, fulfilling an apocalyptic myth to usher in their ‘Messiah’. Having lived through a few Ends of the World (as prophesied by various sects and cults), I am somewhat skeptical about the coming AI-pocalypse that the AI cultists are preaching. However, being neosect(s) of the current secularist atheism of the neoliberal order, this message is proselytized widely in the media. Probably to frighten the masses to accept more government control.
Reason 3: Confluence of energy crisis and competency crisis – even if AI might one day be powerful enough to exterminate humanity, currently its reach would be limited by available resources and humanity’s collective ability to maintain infrastructure to support the AI and it’s plans.
Conclusion: I am less worried about pure AI than humans bungling with AI tools. The recent rapid increase in cyber attacks and their severity (see for example the French freezers last Sunday night) indicates to me excessive centralization and dependence on Internet, which are human failures, not AI failures. Likewise, I think that the AI swarms that have been escaping into Internet are either deliberate sabotage (to get government to do something) or human incompetence.
Or maybe I am wrong, and humanity really only has six months left.
Meanwhile, this is what I listed as my 250th active listing on Etsy.
Succulent Dreams Laptop Sleeve, Padded Zipper Pouch, available on Etsy (within United States) via link by clicking the above image.
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