I've wondered for a while if the weird covid madness is because the military trained an AI on the goal of minimize Covid infections until a vaccine could be deployed, and got a "paperclip maximizer"; an AI pursuing the intended goal well past what anyone intended, without any regard for the other consequences. The name came from a thought experiment where an AI was given the goal of maximize paperclip production for a company; and given that goal, if it had the means to destroy the world and continue making paperclips, it would, because the world is made of atoms it can turn into paperclips.
The panic? It certainly got people to reduce social contact; it likely played a major role in reducing infections of all respiratory viruses.
The refusal of all early treatment? This kept people out of hospitals, where people vulnerable to the virus could be found.
The decimation of the elderly through a lack of medical care and social isolation? This kept them from getting infected.
The fact that the approved treatments once people were hospitalized were pretty much all horribly lethal? It allowed for the quick removal of the infect from the hospital before the infection could spread.
I could go on; but the point is that it looks to me a lot like the insanity from 2020 is exactly what I'd expect if a paperclip maximizer was turned on. Ignoring the hype, it would actually be fairly limited; but it would have immense abilities to manipulate some people, at least some of the time, because the tech companies have already worked out how to do this.
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branchandroot
Re: When the going gets weird
Date: 2024-04-04 04:21 pm (UTC)The panic? It certainly got people to reduce social contact; it likely played a major role in reducing infections of all respiratory viruses.
The refusal of all early treatment? This kept people out of hospitals, where people vulnerable to the virus could be found.
The decimation of the elderly through a lack of medical care and social isolation? This kept them from getting infected.
The fact that the approved treatments once people were hospitalized were pretty much all horribly lethal? It allowed for the quick removal of the infect from the hospital before the infection could spread.
I could go on; but the point is that it looks to me a lot like the insanity from 2020 is exactly what I'd expect if a paperclip maximizer was turned on. Ignoring the hype, it would actually be fairly limited; but it would have immense abilities to manipulate some people, at least some of the time, because the tech companies have already worked out how to do this.