AI Doomerism and Who Is Behind It

One of the week’s dominant stories has been the sudden panic over the existential threat AI poses to humanity. The claims are not new, but the furor most certainly was. Many observers see a corporate-backed psyop aimed at creating a government-backed cartel of the top two to three companies. David Strom: Anthropic and OpenAI both want (read: NEED) to go public to access ordinary investors’ cash and keep the VCs happy, so they need to present a business model that works. And that business model, it seems, is to become regulated utilities with government-backed monopoly power. And, likely, massive government bailouts based on national security arguments to pay for the data center buildout that is likely to bankrupt these companies without more cash than they can generate.  What better argument than “unless we become regulated industries, the world will end?” It’s very similar to “if you don’t subsidize my windmills and solar panels, the oceans will boil,” or “unless you fund this untried technology, COVID will kill us all.” If competition and price pressures are the problem, regulatory capture and “fencing” out competitors is an obvious solution. Regulated industries get guaranteed profits, guaranteed customers, and guaranteed monopolies. And the best way to rush the process is to present an apocalyptic scenario that demands a quick solution.  None of these companies is suggesting that AI be shut down; they are asking for a massive regulatory infrastructure that works with them, reduces their costs, possibly subsidizes their investments, and destroys competitors as insufficiently careful and secure. More at the link. (Hot Air.)