Current Information#
Time period: 25/02/05-11
Keywords: AI, dystopia, industrial evolution, economics, Japan, social structure, ideology, China-US relations, technological innovation, Li Cheng, international politics
Information Stream#
【Feng Xiang: Robots Unite Worldwide - New "Genesis" Book】#
(AI, dystopia) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Wj4YL4CKwidIF3S3LWMAVw
Artificial intelligence, the closer it gets to general (AGI) and fully permeates social life, dominates economic activities, and influences political decisions, the less reason there is to keep it in private hands, serving the interests of capital.
So why is it that recently the discussion about the feasibility of a planned economy is not led by economists or professors from major national research institutes, but by leaders in the AI industry? Because capitalists never believe in dogma; they understand that a planned economy does not equal socialism, as Einstein pointed out.
According to the logic of capital, with the Internet of Things, big data, and AI algorithms at hand, who wouldn't want to plan the economy? Who would still leave the market to the "invisible hand"—instead of simply putting it in their own pockets?
【Japan's Modern Feudal Society】#
(Japan, social structure, ideology) https://www.zhihu.com/question/628014668/answer/3451254107
Most of Japanese society is a continuation of the past, rather than a modern construction, which can seem quite magical to us. The characteristic of Japanese society is a stable social structure system that has hardly ever been broken, which is actually rare in the world. Even modern reforms and learning from the West have not changed it, because, as I mentioned before, it is a large net that is difficult for anyone to remove or destructively innovate.
Japan's innovation is more akin to learning and showing off; Western ideas reach Japan, then some Japanese people learn to create a few schools of thought, and then they close the door to create their own versions. After several generations, their "Western culture" bears no trace of the West at all.
【Intelligent Revolution or "Scale" Revolution? - AI Technology and Industrial Evolution from a Historical Perspective】#
(AI, industrial evolution, economics) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/yd5L_yHiNnY9p0roY4GRPA
Starting from industrial history, this article points out that technologies that rely on increasing returns to scale have the potential to evolve into large-scale general technologies, ultimately triggering significant changes in production processes and economic social organization. Traditional information technology achieves intelligence based on templates and rules, which is labor-intensive and has decreasing returns to scale. In contrast, generative AI based on deep learning possesses the characteristic of increasing returns to scale, which will continuously provide incentives for further investment and market expansion. Under the mutual interaction of capital and market, generative AI technology may be the starting point for the information technology industry to enter the era of large-scale production. This article points out that in the transition to general AI technology, what truly determines the success or failure of countries will be whether they can establish a set of institutional arrangements that support continuous investment in general technology, ultimately allowing society as a whole to enjoy the benefits brought by increasing economies of scale.
【Artificial Intelligence Should Not Become Capital's "Solo Performance"】#
(AI, China-US relations, technological innovation) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/1zargsxQAMlkexXY8AhRyQ
The development of artificial intelligence should be based on a humanistic stance, that is, we create machines not to make them like humans or replace humans, but to help us do those tedious, laborious, repetitive yet necessary tasks, serving as an auxiliary role to humans.
【Li Cheng: Why Did I Resign from a Top American Think Tank and Return to China?】#
(Li Cheng, international politics, China-US relations) https://www.hnzk.gov.cn/zhikuyanjiu/19024.html
The Chinese philosopher Mencius said, "Those with stable property have stable minds," indicating that property ownership in a specific society is correlated with social and political stability. I agree with the view that the middle class in both China and the US serves as a stabilizer for society. The long period of stability in American domestic politics was largely due to a strong middle class. The current issues, as mentioned earlier, are significantly attributed to the shrinking middle class.