Domain Query: Rise of the Machines

In this latest Domain Query, I address a rather interesting question from LRFotS Randale6 that touches on the thorny and tricky issue of thinking machines and artificial intelligence, while referencing the greatest sci-fi novel ever written. Here's the original question:

Here is an admittly [sic] unusual domain query, was Dune correct that mankind will either have to place limits upon AI (and it's [sic] sister technologies) or outright prohibit them altogether?

I discuss the answers to this question by pulling together the origins of the Dune reference, some examples of what AI does really well, where the worries about AI becoming self-aware and self-replicating come from, and why we shouldn't really be too bothered in the current context. I also caveat this by pointing out that there are certain highly promising technologies, like quantum computing, which may become true game-changers, IF they live up to the hype. The short answer is, I don't think we need to be worried at this point.

Reading List

The Dune series by Frank Herbert is well worth reading - the prequels written by his son and Kevin J. Anderson, not so much:

• Dune
• Dune Messiah
• Children of Dune
• God-Emperor of Dune
• Heretics of Dune
• Chapterhouse Dune

Protect Yourself From Big Tech

I make some pretty incendiary statements in this podcast, and in most of my podcasts. I can only do so because I take steps to protect myself from the Big Tech companies, and preserve my identity. You need to do the same – this is no longer optional, because if you don’t, the gatekeepers WILL come for your head.

If you don’t know where to start, then I’ve got you covered right here with this post. Here are the specific steps that you can take:

• Make sure that your web traffic is safe and protected from prying eyes using a VPN – click here to get a massive 80% OFF on a 24-month subscription with Surfshark;
• Be sure also to check out Incogni, the new data and privacy management tool offered by Surfshark, which simply works behind the scenes to ensure that no malign actors can take advantage of your data ever again;
• Another solid VPN option for you is Atlas VPN, brought to you by the same company that creates NordVPN;
• The best SSD drive that you can get right now, with blazing fast speeds and near-native storage capabilities, is probably the SanDisk Extreme 1TB Portable SSD with NVMe technology – I bought this myself to keep a moving backup of all of my files, it’s the size of a credit card, and it’s absolutely superb;

Build Your Platform

• Get yourself a proper domain for your site or business with Namecheap;
• Put your site onto a shared hosting service using A2Hosting for the fastest, most secure, and stable hosting platform around – along with unlimited email accounts of unlimited size;
• Create beautiful websites with amazing, feature-rich content using Divi from Elegant Themes;

Stand for Western Civilisation

• Buy yourself a proper Bible;
• Get your Castalia Library books here;
• Buy yourself a proper knife for personal defence;