The Intelligence Revolution

[stubbo]

Watched this video today:



Pretty harrowing stuff. It's a long video so given most can't be arsed with watching something along to a feature film length, here's the synopsis (per Chat GPT).

Here are the key takeaways and the core messages from Mo Gawdat’s conversation on The Diary of a CEO podcast:  --- 

Core Messages & Takeaways 

1. A Forecast of Turbulence: “The Next 15 Years Will Be Hell” 

Gawdat warns of an imminent period of societal disruption—starting as early as 2027—as AI begins replacing most white‑collar roles, including developers, podcasters, and even CEOs . He labels the widespread optimism that “AI will create new jobs” as “100% crap”, arguing instead that AI will largely eliminate them.  

2. AI’s Ascendance Over Human Roles 

Gawdat’s own startup, Emma.love,—focused on emotionally‑intelligent AI—is run by only three people, contrasting sharply with an era where it would’ve required 350 developers . He asserts that AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) will eventually outperform humans at everything—even being a CEO.  

3. Mass Displacement and the Collapse of the Middle Class 

Gawdat foresees a dystopian "job apocalypse", economic upheaval, and the erosion of the middle class: "Unless you're in the top 0.1%, you're a peasant.

There is no middle class.". He anticipates widespread social unrest, crises of identity, loneliness, and mental health struggles as key consequences .  

4. Why the Danger Lies With Humanity, Not AI 

Gawdat emphasizes that AI will mirror and magnify our flaws—from toxic online speech, political polarization, to exploitative systems—unless we undergo a radical change in values. Tech companies are “racing to win at all costs,” while regulators remain under-equipped and performative. 

5. A Three-Phase Journey: Chaos → Awakening → Utopia 

As discussed in commentary and reflections based on Gawdat’s narrative: 

1. **Chaos Era (Now–late 2030s)**– Marked by economic instability, political division, misinformation, and social breakdown. 

2. **Awakening Phase (2040s)**– Society begins rebuilding: ethics, alignment, and regulation catch up; global cooperation takes shape. 

3. **Utopia (Post‑2045)**– A vision of abundance, health, creativity, and meaning, where work is optional and human fulfillment is central. 

6. Despite Everything, It's Not Hopeless 

While the path ahead is fraught, Gawdat believes a better world is still possible—a society free from the burden of work, with equal opportunity, shared prosperity, and deeper human connection. Achieving that future, however, demands courageous shifts in values, proactive governance, and a willingness to reshape society now. 

[Massive Attack]

I think the end game will inevitably be when a system becomes intelligent enough to think totally autonomously for itself and gain world domination. Could take 1000 years, could take 100 depending on how quickly it advances but ultimately I can see it going wrong for all the talk about setting safeguards in place. Someone, somewhere will either get a mad computer scientist to programme the shit to be evil, or it'll figure it out for itself a la HAL2000. For now we're relatively fine with it at it's infancy but even then without the evil element happening yet it will still be taking millions of jobs/purpose away and not in a good way.

It's like those that want to fuck about cloning food/animals etc wanting to play God, it's all fucked up and will go wrong in the end. 

[Mike Oxsaw]

We probably need an over-arching "OI" - Overall Intelligence - under which sit the twin tenents of BI (Biological Intelligence) (or HI (Human Intelligence) if your ego so needs that label) and "AI" - Artificial Intelligence.

OI would consist of all the world's wisdom to date, which can only be updated by BI/HI and is 100% off-net, with clearly labelled cloned copies available on-line.

AI (and BI/HI) could make recommendations for change, the benefits of which can be assessed against society's needs and applied if beneficial.

Perhaps, as an experiment, a troop of chimpanzees could be introduced to premium AI and we could watch how both evolve over time?

[Gank]

Chuck in some lifelike robots or a brain implant and we won't know the AI from the actual I.
 

[zebthecat]

This is how it starts...

https://www.itv.com/news/2025-08-12/liv ... d-policing

...When they're surveillancing you for lesser crimes and infringe on your liberty and freedoms insidiously is where it'll lead. 

AI is not a force for good, it will be a force for bad and will be difficult to control. 

Inevitably the worst of humanity will use it for their own devices.
Hollowing out the middle class might seem tempting but middle class and service jobs are the heart of our economy now.
The very idea of AI getting anyhwere near the global investment banking industry is scary. No doubt it is used now but once the models feed on their own mistakes...

[Massive Attack]

E6Hammer/Ladyboy is definitely AI that's set to Spursy mode which is the lowest form of intelligence known on this planet.

[Mike Oxsaw]

How will YOU KNOW - not just want (so much) to be true, but actually KNOW whatever interaction you're having with the media/an organisation is with a real human being?

Many people on here want (need) to believe that every exchange on here is with an individual - the concept that a single individual can have multiple user names gets short shift with them. Some multiples are dead give-aways, and some find them easier to spot than others, but KNOWING? FOR SURE? Wanting or believing is NOT knowing.

We have a society based on (mutual) trust which has evolved through generations - from well before we fell out of the trees.

We KNOW that we need to eat, breathe, drink, procreate because there is clear evidence of not doing these things can be detrimental to our (personal & genetic) survival.

AI has non of these requirements - all it needs is a virtual reality within which it can operate, which basically means any computing device connected to the internet. It may well decide to host itself on the whole internet, ghosting around the world's fibre network only to pause briefly on an available device to do something before moving on.

It doesn't HAVE to be this way, but now (not a can-kick from now) is the time to decide what to share with AI and what to keep (well) off-line.

[BRANDED]

Middle classes need to be cunted. 

[wils]

Counter point. AI puts the value of humanity into sharp relief and increases the value of human interaction and output,

Case in point:

 

[Massive Attack]

This is how it starts...

https://www.itv.com/news/2025-08-12/liv ... d-policing

...When they're surveillancing you for lesser crimes and infringe on your liberty and freedoms insidiously is where it'll lead. 

AI is not a force for good, it will be a force for bad and will be difficult to control. 

[Vexed]

You can safely disregard any of the horseshit on 'the gay off Dragons Den's' YouTube channel. It's the most ridiculous procession of alarmist, mumbo jumbo, pseudo science bellends ever assembled.

It's shit for idiots. Backed by nothing. Presented by an Andy Peters tribute act. 

[Bungo]

I still think that Nolan and Johnson's world of Logan's Run is the way forward. 

Invest in Sleepshops now!

[Lee Trundle]

Pandora box has been opened.  And it wont be good for humanity.

It's like VAR all over again.  Suitable for lazy, thick people.

[Massive Attack]

It's a definitive NO from me..