Science fiction – It is the future

It being the festive season, I thought that I would write about something totally different.

I am a bit of a Sci Fi fan. I have read quite a bit and have a large selection of what Mrs B calls, “Awful old shite”. She is, in fact, referring to my DVD collection. Anyway, this post was inspired whilst we were watching “Tomorrow’s Worlds” – a series of documentaries about Sci Fi.  The subject of the latest episode was artificial intelligence and that reminded me that Stephen Hawking had been quoted recently as predicting that AI would spell the end of the human race. This is a premise that has been used in several films,

Several writers have come up with plot lines that have subsequently proved to be not so fictional as were first imagined. Jules Verne wrote about a submarine that travelled phenomenal distances underwater long before the development of the nuclear submarine. H.G. Wells wrote about lasers (War of the Worlds), genetic engineering (The Island of Dr Moreau) and space travel (The First men in the Moon) long before such things became reality.  Isaac Asimov wrote about a world where face to face contact was totally abhorrent to the inhabitants (The Naked Sun).  Although we have not quite reached that point, the internet makes that solitary lifestyle a distinct possibility.

So, the development of AI might well result in an outcome completely at odds with the intended purpose of being for the benefit of humankind. The computer Hal (2001 A Space Odyssey) worked out that the mission to Jupiter would be more likely to succeed if the human crew were dispensed with. Skynet (Terminator) was developed to protect the Earth, it attempted to eliminate the population in order to better protect the planet.  There are countless others.

However, the leap from AI development to total population destruction has yet to be made. I believe that I have found that link.

It is…………………..Internet shopping.

Most people have made purchases via the internet. We have all seen the adverts that subsequently appear in the side bars of the Book of Face or your web based mail provider of choice. It is learning our preferences and is beginning to suggest other items that we might like based on our previous browsing and purchases. It is but a matter of time before we will be advised against certain purchases because they may be injurious to our health or to that of the planet. From there, the next logical step is to actively prevent such transactions. The subjugation of humankind is then inevitable. All life will be placed in a permanent stasis and become a power source (The Matrix) for the ever developing AI that will take over the world and render all other life forms superfluous.

So, next time you are interfacing with Amazon or EBay, remember that you have been warned.

That is enough of this speculative scare mongering. I am off to fix a padlock to the freezer door in case the turkey comes back to life with revenge involving a packet of Paxo and a large onion on its mind. The zombie apocalypse is yet another gloomy future to look forward to. It could happen, are you prepared?