> Nothing matters anymore

I've got news for you. Nothing matters now, except what you decide matters.

> and there is nothing anyone can conceivably contribute to society that is in any way, shape or form better than the weakest A.I. system would do

The modern way that we look at work and art is more of an anomaly than we realize. There's no reason to hold onto it as if it's the only way to do things. People will always want to work at something, to better themselves or to experience something new. And maybe we get to a time that no artist can produce anything as good as AI. That's fine, because people will still do art. Art will return to a simpler thing, where it is an expression of oneself and/or a performance for others. AI can only replace the end of art, not the rest of the human experience of it. Watching an AI robot dance can't replace dancing.

So I'm not worried about AI in that sense. Maybe a rogue AI will kill humanity someday. I don't know. I doubt it. The biggest worry, I think, is making it through the next century as climate change increases global conflict. This is the final boss.

Interesting piece. I wonder if some dramatic event needs to happen before people (and especially the decrepit politician class) accept the dangers here. Do we need a Hiroshima-like event, in which the horror and power of new technology is put on display for all the world to see?