Ironic, how there are those Silicon Valley billionaires working feverishly to extend human life by decades or far more, and those trying to create a world where one wonders why you'd want to, simultaneously.
When AI propagandists claim the technology will make us, "more human" that is code for "no more humans." Most wage-slaves toil at bullshit jobs. Its bullshit, but the trend is to turn AI loose on those jobs. If chaos results, these were bullshit jobs in the first place.
The diminished resources that we need will be kept from us by this new technology. Replace us, leave us to whither, and the few can prosper (maybe).
But even AI can be replaced. The proprietary, energy sucking boondoggles of Google, Meta, X, ChatGPT, Anthopic, actually the whole damn list of US AI firms, will themselves whither away due to open and less energy intensive Chinese AI models.
I am striving to have kindling and popcorn. Its better to munch than to weep.
I've never seen a starling murmuration! My spouse cycles many miles up in the hills daily & takes incredible wildlife photos (also daily) but he hasn't seen one either. Something to look forward to, amidst all the badness :)
Where were these photos taken, if you don't mind saying?
"In response, some health authorities in the UK and Europe are recommending (not mandating) masks in hospitals and health centres. Across social media, the outrage at the idea anyone should wear a mask to protect someone else is incandescent. The most common react emoji is the laughing face."
I dont want to over-exaggerate, but when I recently wore a mask because of having a bad cold (flu?) and needing to go to the shops, I received more weird looks and one slightly mocking reaction than I would have got had I not worn one and just coughed openly without shielding with even my hand or arm, like lots of folks are doing.
'Staying human in the future will require vigilance. It will require a fine-tuned bullshit detector.’ I agree 100%. The best bullshit detector we have is historical materialism that allows us to cut through subjective bullshit to the objective truth about humanity. ‘A socialist perspective demystifies technology. It insists that the working class must take hold of AI—just as it must take hold of the factories, the mines, the data centers, the logistics networks, the banks and every other instrument of production—and transform it into a means of human liberation. The point is not to fear technological advance but to ensure that the intelligence embedded in our machines serves the conscious, democratic, collective intelligence and social needs of humanity.
Socialism AI is both a concrete project and a demonstration in miniature of this broader principle. It shows that the most advanced techniques of information processing and retrieval can be turned away from commercial triviality, the enrichment of oligarchs, ideological stupefaction and the planning of wars—and turned instead toward the clarification of historical truth and the education of a revolutionary vanguard. It is an assertion, in practice, that the working class must not cede the field of technology to the oligarchy. Under the rule of this reactionary social layer, which comprises an infinitesimal fraction of the world’s population, science itself is under siege. The capitalist state is becoming a fortress of every form of backwardness and obscurantism. If present trends persist, it may not be long before vaccines are replaced with leeches and inoculation with bleeding. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/12/08/jfjv-d08.html
It's not happening everywhere or in every discipline yet, but one hopeful sign that I'm seeing (at least here in Canada) is the growing incorporation of the humanities and patient experiences into the practice of medicine, particularly when treating members of marginalized groups. At the same time, there's growing interest in using AI in medicine, something that arouses my skepticism. I don't expect to be around to see the long-term consequences of either, but have to remain hopeful for the future.
Ironic, how there are those Silicon Valley billionaires working feverishly to extend human life by decades or far more, and those trying to create a world where one wonders why you'd want to, simultaneously.
When AI propagandists claim the technology will make us, "more human" that is code for "no more humans." Most wage-slaves toil at bullshit jobs. Its bullshit, but the trend is to turn AI loose on those jobs. If chaos results, these were bullshit jobs in the first place.
The diminished resources that we need will be kept from us by this new technology. Replace us, leave us to whither, and the few can prosper (maybe).
But even AI can be replaced. The proprietary, energy sucking boondoggles of Google, Meta, X, ChatGPT, Anthopic, actually the whole damn list of US AI firms, will themselves whither away due to open and less energy intensive Chinese AI models.
I am striving to have kindling and popcorn. Its better to munch than to weep.
I've never seen a starling murmuration! My spouse cycles many miles up in the hills daily & takes incredible wildlife photos (also daily) but he hasn't seen one either. Something to look forward to, amidst all the badness :)
Where were these photos taken, if you don't mind saying?
Nate, thanks for your perspective and insights. You're a thinker, and you help the rest of us think.
Only Human After All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv4cqTlgJ-4
Thanks as always Nate for your latest essay. Stunning stills photos of the murmuration too!
Incredible murmuration.
"In response, some health authorities in the UK and Europe are recommending (not mandating) masks in hospitals and health centres. Across social media, the outrage at the idea anyone should wear a mask to protect someone else is incandescent. The most common react emoji is the laughing face."
I dont want to over-exaggerate, but when I recently wore a mask because of having a bad cold (flu?) and needing to go to the shops, I received more weird looks and one slightly mocking reaction than I would have got had I not worn one and just coughed openly without shielding with even my hand or arm, like lots of folks are doing.
Good on you for doing the right thing, but yeah, that's where we are sadly
'Staying human in the future will require vigilance. It will require a fine-tuned bullshit detector.’ I agree 100%. The best bullshit detector we have is historical materialism that allows us to cut through subjective bullshit to the objective truth about humanity. ‘A socialist perspective demystifies technology. It insists that the working class must take hold of AI—just as it must take hold of the factories, the mines, the data centers, the logistics networks, the banks and every other instrument of production—and transform it into a means of human liberation. The point is not to fear technological advance but to ensure that the intelligence embedded in our machines serves the conscious, democratic, collective intelligence and social needs of humanity.
Socialism AI is both a concrete project and a demonstration in miniature of this broader principle. It shows that the most advanced techniques of information processing and retrieval can be turned away from commercial triviality, the enrichment of oligarchs, ideological stupefaction and the planning of wars—and turned instead toward the clarification of historical truth and the education of a revolutionary vanguard. It is an assertion, in practice, that the working class must not cede the field of technology to the oligarchy. Under the rule of this reactionary social layer, which comprises an infinitesimal fraction of the world’s population, science itself is under siege. The capitalist state is becoming a fortress of every form of backwardness and obscurantism. If present trends persist, it may not be long before vaccines are replaced with leeches and inoculation with bleeding. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/12/08/jfjv-d08.html
It's not happening everywhere or in every discipline yet, but one hopeful sign that I'm seeing (at least here in Canada) is the growing incorporation of the humanities and patient experiences into the practice of medicine, particularly when treating members of marginalized groups. At the same time, there's growing interest in using AI in medicine, something that arouses my skepticism. I don't expect to be around to see the long-term consequences of either, but have to remain hopeful for the future.