AI 기술 도약과 새로운 야만 [세계의 창]

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is rapidly advancing, signaling a new era according to a recent speech by Mr. Harari. The world could be transformed in ways we cannot comprehend by 2030, Harari predicts. He envisions a future where individuals can form emotional relationships with deceased individuals or digital personalities, as advancements in AI systems allow for the recreation of memory and other traces of deceased people.

However, a critical issue arises: who controls this virtual game? If thoughts and false memories are implanted in individuals without their knowledge, it could pose a significant threat. Harari believes that individuals may freely participate in collective consciousnesses such as scientists or poets, but this optimism may undervalue the potential loss of individuality in the new era.

With a control implant device, the power to control will be in the hands of those who connect or disconnect it. AI is not a neutral machine, but rather a machine with embedded tendencies for technical control and domination. In a world where everyone's mind is connected, traditional notions of privacy, intimacy, and genuine communication may become obsolete.

The allure of such a world as a happy and liberated human community may be questionable. Technological leaps often lead to new forms of savagery, and the perceived liberating power of technology can ultimately culminate in the phenomenon that Herbert Marcuse called "tyrannical deprivatization." In post-capitalist societies, oppression operates through permission rather than prohibition.

Every pleasure is commodified and tolerated, and desires are liberated yet managed more effectively. Previously condemned practices such as pornography, sex work, drug culture, gay culture, trans culture, and luxurious lifestyles will no longer be hidden or stigmatized but will be embraced and celebrated, perpetuating capitalism in the process.

The explosive growth of AI agents exacerbates this deprivatization to unprecedented levels. AI media blurs the line between truth and falsehood, public and private spaces, and enhances digital control over human thought and behavior. The proliferation of AI algorithms in recent years has played a significant role in the invasion of ugliness and vulgarity into mainstream political discourse, from figures like Donald Trump and Benyamin Netanyahu to the normalization of extreme violence directed towards perceived enemies.

This is a product of specific societal conditions enabled by AI functioning. To understand AI's workings, one must examine the dangerous "digital feudal" class represented by figures like Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg.