Originally posted on Get Todd Substack, please subscribe:
There was a time in America when people thought for themselves. This was considered normal. A man could sit on his porch, stare thoughtfully into the sunset, and develop an opinion without first checking whether strangers on social media approved of it. People made decisions using instinct, experience, and whatever questionable advice they got from an uncle holding a cigarette and a beer.
Sadly, those days are gone.
Today, we are rapidly entering a new era in which Artificial Intelligence may soon handle all human thinking altogether, which is wonderful news because judging by social media, Americans were clearly looking for ways to avoid thinking anyway.
AI now writes college papers, creates artwork, edits videos, answers questions, predicts shopping habits, recommends movies, and can probably already determine why your wife is angry three hours before you realize you forgot your anniversary.
At first, AI seemed harmless. It answered simple questions like “What’s the capital of Nebraska?” or “Why does my knee sound like microwave popcorn when I stand up?” But somewhere along the way, society crossed an invisible line into madness.
A friend of mine recently admitted he asked AI whether he should break up with his girlfriend.
Think about that for a moment.
For thousands of years, mankind relied on emotions, bad instincts, and catastrophically poor judgment when it came to relationships. Suddenly, Chad from Cincinnati is outsourcing romance decisions to a laptop.
“Sorry, Jennifer. The algorithm says we lack emotional compatibility and your personality scores low in synergy.”
The truly frightening part is that people already trust computers more than they trust themselves. If a GPS calmly instructed Americans to drive directly into an active volcano, at least half the country would shrug and say, “Well, the satellite probably sees traffic I don’t.”
I tested this theory recently.
My GPS announced there was a “faster route” through North St. Louis that involved three abandoned warehouses, a burned shopping cart, and what appeared to be a gunfight under a flickering streetlight.
The robotic GPS lady sounded so confident that I almost continued driving.
That’s the real danger of Artificial Intelligence: confidence.
Humans automatically assume that anything speaking in a calm, robotic voice must be intelligent. Siri could casually announce, “Your refrigerator is plotting against you,” and millions of Americans would immediately unplug their Whirlpool and notify federal authorities.
Frankly, I believe we are only a few years away from Americans becoming entirely incapable of independent thought altogether.
