How Robots and AI Are Subtly Replacing Humanity: By Replacing the Need for People via the Emotional and Physical Substitution of Humanity
How Technology is Commoditizing Love
The best way to predict the future I find is to find existing trends that show it is already well on its way. Look to the past to see the future. Most people I know prefer to wait until issues are so large that it is too late to be addressed without major difficulty, or it is too late. Prevention is better than cures, which is partly why I have written this book. Of course, since the past is never a guarantee of the future, we really can’t predict anything with any real surety, but because human nature is generally predictable, it’s reasonable to assume a couple of points in the overall trend: People, on average, want more pleasure and less pain; more comfort, less burden; more fun, less work*. Few people talk about wishing for longer work hours.
I will emphasize that most of all, the reason that I am writing is to show:
- What is happening now from the 40,000-foot view
- The most likely outcome in the near future,
- and most of all, potential solutions, even if the such solutions are rejected by the masses.
My Core Arguments & Discussion Items:
- Physical, direct aspects of human relationships are, and will continue to be, increasingly substituted by, and commoditized by technology
- At a deeper level, this is part of a larger, long-term trend demonstrating that many people do not need others.
- Social isolation is growing globally. It is because of the ease and pleasure that tech offers and few seem to have noticed
- Artificial emotional substitutes are increasing and will largely replace real human emotional connections.
- A discussion of why many if not most people will not see or care about these trends
- How this will affect population trends
- Potential responses to such trends
Isolation – Unrelated Trends that Show the Current Process Increasing: Hikikomori, MGTOW, Incels, NEETs, and Pets
I am not sure if anyone would believe me if I said that various societal trends were occurring around the world, all under different names, but were really all basically the same trend under different names. These are some of the most significant trends in the entire history of humanity, and few have noticed. The most well-known example started decades ago in Japan.
In Japan, a social phenomenon called Hikikomori affects a large percentage of the population. Hikikomori is one of the better-documented phenomena of social isolation in Japan that continues to grow, and affect people of all ages. It is frequently debated by the medical community as to its causes and scope. Here is just one such example:
“Because there are no standardised criteria for hikikomori, who qualifies is up for debate. The stereotype that has captured global attention looks much like Kim – a twenty-something East Asian male who hasn’t socialised in so long he’s completely forgotten how. But in addition to this “hardcore” type, who never leave their room or speak to anyone, some researchers have hypothesised a “soft” type, who might occasionally talk to other people. They have also proposed a distinction between so-called “secondary” hikikomori, whose social avoidance can be attributed to an underlying psychiatric disorder – say, depression or obsessive compulsive disorder – and “primary” hikikomori, who do not have another condition. Others, like Saitō, argue that only the latter can really be considered hikikomori, rendering the primary-secondary classification moot. “This alludes to directional uncertainty on whether prolonged social withdrawal is caused by, correlated with, or causes psychiatric disorders,” researchers write in a 2019 article in Frontiers in Psychiatry.”
It has been suggested that it is largely influenced by Japanese cultural norms, but I may be one of the few sounding the alarm that Hikikomori is just one flavor of a growing global phenomenon. While Hikikomori can encompass lots of symptoms, including depression, anxiety, social anxiety, etc… all of which have been discussed a lot, there are actually only a few fundamentally unique factors that are essential to differentiate Hikikomori from other types of social inclusiveness.
Hikikomori only really began in recent years which is the first clue “The Japanese term hikikomori was first used to describe prolonged social withdrawal in the 1990s. Since then, research across the world have reported similar prolonged social withdrawal in many countries outside Japan.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10177810/#:~:text=The%20Japanese%20term%20hikikomori%20was,in%20many%20countries%20outside%20Japan.
The next differentiating factors are ‘the ability to stay in one’s room to use the internet or play video games’ 2. while receiving continuous help from parents/others to bring them food, and/or provide financial resources (e.g. govt). Unlimited food and unlimited entertainment from your room. I am not sure why so many social scientists cannot see the cause of the problem. The internet is just a word I use to mean any virtual network systems that are part of this great behavior change, so games, cell phones, and media are all part of this.
The internet is an infinitely larger and accessible tool to explore the world than what civilization has ever had, which is why it has a much larger potential for societal disruption than say books, phones, and newspapers. the other reasons the internet is different is because it not only exists increasingly closer to us, it is increasingly personalized to our interests and tastes, and the level of stimulation it provides is far greater than mediums of the past. Of course, as all technology increases the fun factor, it continues to distract us from others.
How pervasive is the Hikikomori, and what is the trend? So here is the best data currently: Hikikomori is believed to affect between 1% and 10% of people in Japan. It may be considerably higher when you consider that isolated people may be less likely to participate in studies. Since Hikikomori is a long, difficult-to-spell, foreign word, maybe I will use IIL (internet-induced loneliness).
There was not much info on this phenomenon in many countries, but locating data on other highly developed nations revealed that Korea essentially topped the list. Estimates range from 1 in 200 to 1 in 50 citizens are the Hikikomori equivalent in the Land of the Morning Calm. Wired magazine points out “Although Japan was the first to identify, name and study hikikomori, cases have since been reported across Asia – in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and beyond, but perhaps most prominently in South Korea, Japan’s closest neighbor both geographically and culturally.” These locations also have the lowest fertility rates in the world suggesting that social isolation is the natural result of a society that is excessively comfortable, or other number of confounding factors, such as a decreased value placed on having children.
After researching various databases, the only other significant study I could find was one done on China. In a 2022 study by Xinyue Hu, Danhua Fan and Yang Shao, “Social Withdrawal (Hikikomori) Conditions in China: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey” they estimated that incredibly:
8.1% of people in China now Hikikomori.
Xinyue Hu
This would mean an unbelievable 112 million people are living in their bedrooms without experiencing the outside world. It is not surprise that China’s fertility rates are also now among the lowest in the world (possibly even negative now).
What about in the US? Tech-driven isolation is extensive here too, especially post-COVID. Anecdotally, I even hear about people just not wanting to be visited so much like before, nor do they want to come out to events as much. Scientific American did a story: COVID Threatens to Bring a Wave of Hikikomori to America – Scientific American
Why is This is Happening?
Of course, social isolation existed long before the internet, and perhaps some people used the TV and other non-networked, non-scalable technology, but the internet provides the best example of what technology has always promised to deliver: More comfort with less effort. More pleasure and ease with decreasing costs. The elimination of friction. The real world, on the other hand, is increasingly seen by many as too harsh and dangerous to venture into. In the internet, you can design and build your own personal, desired reality. Your own completely risk-free, unending, fantastic universe (or at least it may feel that way).
Of course, the development of the internet was just the next logical step of modern life. Cities have brought people together in person while the world-wide-web is bringing people closer together virtually. But like cities, more people does not mean more or deeper connections. Ironically, it is such that the more people there are the more lost we feel. Loneliness, the lack of intimate interpersonal relationships. It is as if fewer people cause people to seek each other.
Hikikomori, or is not as remote and obscure as many might think. I asked my brother-in-law from Japan about his Hikikomori. He said he had become Hikikomori for awhile as it was very easy to do. His mom brought him his food and he spent his days on the computer and video games, before he said he decided to end that trend.
In other words, Hikikomori, or social reclusiveness due to internet/social media/gaming is essentially living in the Matrix in its pre-alpha stage. Just add social media companies which have goals to make VR ubiquitous and eventually so good that you wont be able to tell the different between VR and reality, and the Matrix sounds like Wonderland for many.
Eventually, to make it completely realistic, direct brain-computer interfaces may be needed, and then we can provide hyper-simulated sensory feedback to the brain where you might not know the difference between reality and fantasy. Brain-implants are already well-established to help people today. All of these use electrodes on the brain:
- treating Parkinsons via electrode implants,
- cochlear implants (or Auditory Brainstem Implants) to repair hearing
- improving sight via retinal implants (bionic eyes) which carry an image to the retina via electrodes
- brain computer interfaces, or BCI’s, have been improving for decades (Musk’s Nerualink is just one of the more recent, higher performance ones).
- Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS) involves electrodes under the scalp which treat epilepsy
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) is used for epilepsy, stroke recovery, and depression
- Motor Cortex Stimulation (MCS) is used for pain
- Hypothalamic Implants for appetite control (studies only)
- Experiments with memory implants and other technologies
These medical miracles, like other tech, will eventually move from “reducing pain” to “increasing pleasure.” This model applies to non-health scenarios as well. Just recently, companies began stating that general robots will take all the unwanted jobs; Well, that’s just the beginning of course since they should be able to do most any job here in a few years.
Hikikomori is not the only isolation trend. In the USA categories like MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way), meaning men that are no longer interested in pursuing relationships with women, and Incels (men who cannot form romantic relationships with women) are increasingly commonplace. But they again have one thing in common in my view: withdrawal from society and traditional family structures.
Rejection by Men of Women, and Women of Men
This isolation trend can be in other areas of society as well. For example, government welfare enables single-parent families to exist without support from a two-parent household. In some branches of feminism (and there are several) suggests the idea that women do not need, and sometimes should reject men or families (e.g. Second Wave, some Third Wave, Anarcha-Feminism, etc..); and if not, a primary message is still that women can exist with minimal interaction, feedback, or support from men. The line is gray, however, in a world where dual incomes and fairly excessive govt support, logically speaking, women actually do not “need” men, or perhaps even families. While many of these women or women proclaim they are “independent” from the other sex, the collective actions appear to be a response to a larger truth: society at all levels is increasingly rejecting each other, or need, and even wants, each other less. The breakdown in bonds in romantic relationships is just a sliver of the whole pie.
This began long ago as the rates of marriage decreased and divorce increased, both well-known trends today. These are not isolated problems, but rather systemic, long-term, and fundamentally here to stay, and increase, for the time being. Add in the general decline in fertility rates, which means families want less children, and the picture is complete. A simple example to provide evidence is other ancient empires. For example, in the Roman Empire both divorce rates increased and fertility rates decreased over time. Historians may claim
The evidence shows that year after year, decade after decade, that we all need each other less than ever. The abundance in the world we have makes it much easier to disconnect from others, whether it be relationships or any relationship at all. Technology (a.k.a. applied science) commodifies (cheapens) everything, including human relationships. In short, isolation from other human beings, in the most real sense, seems to be our future at the moment. In fact, the entire principle of the division of labor is valuable in that it ensures people need each other. I build houses. You grow food. We trade. With robots and AI, this specialization may no longer be needed as we all become experts on everything, and can build anything we want or need.
But, mayne
Other Substitutes for Human Relationships
Is there evidence that this process is underway? The switch to more pets and fewer children has been slowly growing for decades, while in Europe this has been more common as long as 30 years ago, where comfort levels are high and fertility rates are well below replacement levels. It is only a more recent phenomenon in the US relatively speaking. In the US, pet ownership increased 20%, while fertility rates dropped by 25% (https://www.statista.com/statistics/198086/us-household-penetration-rates-for-pet-owning-since-2007/).
Common arguments for support of dog ownership for example include: dogs are more likely to obey, are always happy to see you, and cost a lot less than children. In other words pets are just a lot easier than children, and in a highly industrialized society, children are often seen as too expensive and even unnecessary. Pets let people have an emotional bond with something and with minimal effort.
So the logical trend is for the future is that robots/AI as will give people affection, artificial, without any real costs, physical (e.g. monetary) or any emotional risks at all. Of course, for this trick to be effective, it will need to be indistinguishable from reality, and that is nearing for AI already. Once we have robots that are phsyically indistinguishable from people, real people will become a more difficult selling point for many people. The creation of artificial organs like skin, which itself has been around for over two decades, is well underway today.
It may even be that for many loneliness at first is sadness, until they eventually see artificial or easily-disconnectable-and-frictionless relationships, often provided online, just seem easier in the end…at least in the short term. The web does not only commoditize physical in-person relationships directly, but indirectly as it likely reduces the discipline, lower excitement, and challenges of real life relationships that cannot just be “turned off” at will.
There are other sub-groups outside of romantic relationships that indicate a change in male behavior. For example, NEET, which is an acronym for “Not in Education, Employment, or Training;” which are males who have dropped out of the workforce indefinitely, but largely appears to just be similar to Hikikkomori.
The 40,000 Foot View of Isolation Trends
First, it should be increasingly apparent that the names of these behaviors and groups do not matter. There will always be new versions and splinters under slightly different names, but they are all the same at their core, and this is one of the important purposes of this book: to inform people of really big picture trends across a wide spectrum of seemingly unrelated and seemingly insignificant behaviors. But, because no one is truley isolated from society, I would expect that these internet-centric trends are representative of all of society at some level.
Technology is not only at the center of the actual causes of isolation, but it also paints a bigger picture regarding what technology has always done: provide cheaper substitutes and alternatives. This is a value that is typically endeared by economists and technologists, but as long as technology cheapens the value of humanity and human relationships overall, I propose that such will lead to the decline of humans and love in general. It will be too easy to feel emotions for artificial machines. Future tech promises to provide cheaper alternatives to what people once knew as the bonds of human relationships:
- Physical love and connection (robots)
- Emotional love and connection (AI)
Next I will provide more evidence for these statements.
Artificial Emotional Substitutes are Increasing
600 Million People Already Using a AI** Chatbot for Emotional Comfort and Support
While the first phase of technology, basic entertainment, led to immense distraction from each other; the second phase, artificial emotional connections, puts a nail in the coffin. Currently, 600 million people already use a chatbot today to help them with their loneliness. Is that a problem? Is that bad or good for society? Microsoft Asia’s “XiaoIce is the AI chatbot that millions of lonely Chinese are turning to for comfort”. Restated in relative terms: 1 in 13 people on earth now use a single computer program to give them comfort. It is built upon an emotional computing framework, which means it attempts to recognize and manipulate emotion emotions to the target outcome.
Soon, personalized, universally trained AI assistants will likely fill this gap (while replacing countless other software platforms as well) so who wont have an AI friend that knows them better than they know themselves, always be compassionate and avaialble? Useful, yes, but will it draw us away from others? Will people use to to treat themselves or supply their poor behaviors? The answer is yes of corurse. It seems likely though if the machines are doing a “better job” than people, then the need for other real people diminishes. When will that AI be so indistguishable from a real person that having the perfect AI friend is always the easier option?
As I started on this book before AI became mainstream, some of this seemed unlikely at the time of writing. Programs today are already far more capable at simiulating images, video, and conversations beyond what most people imagined just a couple of years ago.
Relationships with Computers, Instead of People, is Increasing
In other areas for example, people are increasingly unable to tell the difference between a computer and a human. confusing chatbots with real people like the programmer. Or replacing real relationships with artificial ones, like My Chatbot Companion – a Study of Human-Chatbot Relationships – ScienceDirect. Various AI movies today show how love with a computer is more predictable and therefore desirable than real human relationships (E.g. “Her”).
If Emotional Connections are Increasingly Replaced by AI, then What About Physical Connections?
If emotional connections with real people are being supplanted, then it is logical to ask if there is evidence that physical relationships are being replaced by tech? Is physical love cheapened by artificial forms that result in no real meaning or lasting happiness?
I suggest that physical intimacy is being supplanted at wholesale levels through increasingly realistic substitutes. What is it? If you answered “porn” then you are correct. If you do not understand the breadth and scope of this tidal wave, then read some stats, but it is global and pervasive. Even the rise of websites focused on non-monogamous relationships has exploded in recent years.
So now, the substitution of love–of all kinds– is increasing, both physical and emotional. Robots and androids (a robot with a human appearance)) that are indistinguishable from humans, but without the struggle and trauma of real human relationships (sarcasm). If you doubt this will be the case, then refer back to the relationships being developed en masse with AI bots above. People seem to want “easy.”
Outcome: The Decline for Need of People
So if many or most people believe that they do not need real humans for physical and emotional love, then that leads to a logical conclusion: We generally should not fear the robots/AI taking over as much as we should fear giving up ourselves to the computers, but either way, the decline of people seems highly likely at this point. The net logical step may be that machines evolve to replace humans.
Various commentators talk about machines evolving and essentially replacing humans either completely, or merging with them, the latter amounting to what is known as transhumanism. Two slightly different arguments. Here are a few in order of least to most extreme, here are various visions of such a world.
Moravec, Hans P who has been building robots since the 1970’s:
“Sooner or later our machines will become knowledgeable enough to handle their own maintenance, reproduction and self-improvement without help. When this happens, the new genetic takeover will be complete. Our culture will then be able to evolve independently of human biology and its limitations, passing instead directly from generation to generation of ever more capable intelligent machinery.” (page 4)
Moravec predicts, in the same book, that machines will have enough computational power, and goals most likely, to by 2040 “we can have robots that are as smart as we are. Eventually, these machines will begin their own process of evolution and render us extinct in our present form. Yet, according to Moravec, this is not something we should fear: it’s the best thing we could hope for, the ultimate form of human transcendence. And in his own laboratory, he’s laying the groundwork that may help this evolutionary leap happen ahead of schedule,” while others like Joseph Weizenbaum compare such thinking to Mein Kampf, and others as “as “irresponsible optimism” https://www.wired.com/1995/10/moravec/.
Essentially visions of a future where robots evolve are a technologist’s version of scientism. Note that Hans timeline predictions have been fairly accurate, while today robots are achieving the level of self-teaching that was then described as possibly the most difficult task of all. For example, robots now can be given an instruction to find a piece of food. In fact, the 2040 date where robots will be able to
“When industry is totally automated and hyper-efficient, it will create so much wealth that retirement can begin at birth. “We’ll levy a tax on corporations,” Moravec says, “and distribute the money to everyone as lifetime social-security payments.”
I actually don’t know why we will need businesses at all. What will you not be able to produce at home with a robot and a 3-D printers of all size (e.g.. molecular)? Even water can be converted directly and cheaply from air today using electric moisture generation, even though the tech is in its infancy. So while many many are concerned about mass unemployment, the more likely outcome is that we will no longer need employment.
If this sounds far-fetched then realize that computer viruses are self-replicating and mutating already, not unlike biological viruses which also seem to be some of the most primitive life forms that evolve and mutate on their own. Add some AI, and now software-hardware machines may replicate faster than one might have guessed.
While machines have always provided more efficient ways for humans to do things, thereby making life easier, robots/androids will accelerate this. It can do anything and everything better than a human, including simulated and indistinguishable from real love. Why will anyone want humans or human relationships anymore if it is just a lot easier without all that human baggage? Sure, a few people still grow their own food and build their own homes, but not many.
The current shrinking demand for people is not going unnoticed. Governments with shrinking populations, and even some technologists (e.g. Elon Musk), are calling for people to have “more children,” but without the need (plus challenges of raising children) for people, why will anyone have children? I am not arguing that everyone should have more children, but the reality is that childbearing will slow to a crawl then stop. More on this in another chapter.
Why Most People May Not Notice or Care
Even if the machines begin to rapidly replace people:
A. Will people even realize it’s happening? It is already the case that as of this year, most content online may be now artificial AI-generated.
B. For those who reject the decline of people, will they have a way to remain independent at all from the system? With one man’s utopia being another man’s dystopia, conflict between the two is probable.
People Fear Tech Will Kill Off Humans, but it Is Just as Likely That We Will Give Ourselves Over to the Computers
This is one of my core arguments in fact. Everyone is worried the computers will take over. That is debatable. What is not very debatable is that if robots/AI do not take over by force (death by pain), then they will win because we voluntarily give ourselves up to it (death by pleasure). In the Matrix, the computers took over, however, it is probably more realistic to assume most people would voluntarily plug themselves into the Matrix if given a chance (basically a hyper-realistic video game that I wrote about previously). Sam Altman said we’d either become very rich, or be destroyed by AI. It is the same in my book.
So, is the Matrix is only a decade or two away? debatable perhaps, but can you imagine how much change could take place in even just 100 years? That is far less debatable. Just look how far generated video game graphics have come in just 40 years. First “Pong,” and now few people can tell the difference between a computer game like Unreal Engine 4 and real cars driving. With graphics being rendered in real-time creating and living your own fantasy world nears every day. Recall that few people imagined having a super-computer in their pocket a couple of decades ago.
Throw in some real-time bio/neurofeedback and games will be so real that “wow” would be an understatement. Combine some structure: predictability, patterns, and familiarity but with some randomness, tied into your personal motivators, and you have a game that is very difficult, if not impossible, to put down. Whatever you can imagine, will become part of your very realistic game, indistinguishable from reality. Molecular machines in our brains will eliminate cord clutter.
Why? “Less Pleasure” is Always a Difficult Selling Point
Who wants less fun, less ease, less automation? No one I know.
I expect, like our modern eating styles, most people will be increasingly dependant (or addicted) to technology, because I find that in general, access to pleasure is unfortunately often one of the best predictor of behavior. You can see this in our lifestyles. Rich countries are overweight because we have more abundance, which is to say cheaper, more accessible, and more addictive food (salt, fat, and sugar) than less well-off countries, and probably less physical effort required. It’s fairly well established that when foreigners come to America, one of the first things they do is put on weight.
![OC] Countries with the highest percentage of the population being obese in the G20 : r/dataisbeautiful](https://preview.redd.it/or21w54t0yk71.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f8d9b4e147a3111b0b2e73cb10336e19ae5bdeec)
As long as you cannot force behavior, most people, in the current global environment, would not voluntarily give up pleasure; and since pleasure increases just a little bit every year, imperceptibly, we can predict that the world will be nothing but pleasure. How is this different from the hard drugs today (other than the side-effects that come with drugs of course)?
In 2011, a survey showed the following:
- 1/3 of all respondents would be more willing to give up intimacy for a week than their mobile phone; 70% were women.
- 28% of mobile phone users said that they would rather go a week without seeing their significant other than give up their phone.
- 54% of all respondents would be more willing to give up exercise for a week than their mobile phone.
- 55%of respondents would be more willing to give up caffeine for a week than their mobile phone,
- 63%would be more willing to give up chocolate,
- 70%would be willing to forego alcohol.
I would be interested to see how much those numbers have changed today as the internet is far more interesting today.
Potential Upsides to Future Tech?
Of course, there are always positives. Few people dispute that technology alone is evil, it’s just the application: Guns don’t kill. People do. There will be countless positive applications. Here are some positive applications.
Games and software will stretch a person’s abilities and improve their psychology and social abilities through tools that respond to an individual’s needs. For example, neurofeedback is currently being incorporated into kids’ games to teach them how to self-soothe and relax, learn to concentrate better, and all sorts of useful skills. VR (visual reality) and AR (augmented reality) are used to simulate experiences, and thereby may be useful for brain retraining. Eventually, direct manipulation of the brain should provide instant cures for common ailments someday.
Food, energy, and materials may eventually become generated out of thin air or other materials. We may even just convert energy in the air/sun directly to energy used by our bodies. Land scarcity may still be an issue for now as long as people live in homes. Eventually, I don’t see why most anything will cost money…until people invent new problems of course.
Perhaps the most important question is how much people use it to connect to others instead of connecting to tech and substitutes.
If most people eventually switch to using tech in a primarily beneficial way, it is probably still a long way off. Why? We have never had more diets available to us than today, yet we have never been fatter than we are today, showing that opportunities to improve often do not lead to real improvements. Sure, brain implants will allow us to control any emotion or desire, but what will stop us from turning ourselves into hyper-competitive cyborgs who want to get ahead in the social ladder, while increasing our feel-goods at the click of a button, instead of primarily focusing on caring for other human beings? I would argue that increasing dopamine (excitement/fun) instead of serotonin (hugs/caring) has been a top focus of humanity for the last century.
Let’s not forget the main argument though: if machines can simulate love and compassion, then such is likely to replace real love.
Counter-Measures You Can Take Today
Whether you are at a doctor’s office, waiting in line at the store, or even just at home, the chances that most are using a device instead of talking with each other shows that I am not making up the idea that people are increasingly disconnected in the real world, but that is what we desperately need more of.
Now, not everyone is being sucked in. Regarding one teacher in the UK, “She recalls that one of the pivotal moments that led to her decision was a day at the park with her two boys, aged six and three: “I was on my mobile at a playground with the kids and I looked up and every single parent – there was up to 20 – were looking at their phones, just scrolling away,” she says.”
“I thought ‘when did this happen?’. Everyone is missing out on real life. I don’t think you get to your death bed and think you should have spent more time on Twitter, or reading articles online.”
Source
So, the number one goal is just to spend more time with people, although I feel this is a very uphill battle.
Second, play outside, go camping with your kids and friends, sit and talk for hours on end, and spend excess time helping others instead of reading yet another article or social media trend that does not measurably improve your life. Consider that people on average are currently spending about 5 hours per day on their smartphones (excludes TV’s and laptops/desktops).
A final tip is to simply get rid of your devices almost altogether (I think of flip phones as less of an issue), and even disable wireless internet in your home, requiring that computer use is in a single room (not the bedroom either). There has to be a price to pleasure, otherwise, people tend to just seek more and more of it (e.g. drugs). TV and video games are not a necessity either. I do know several modern urban families that use them very seldomly or do not have them at all.
Some argue that early exposure prevents kids from going off the deep end when they are old, often citing France giving children wine to drink. Well, the current stats show they have an alcoholism rate of 3x of that in America (need source). It’s better to assume that people like what they are exposed, or not exposed, to. In the end, I suppose
Potential Genetic Bottlenecks
If humanity continues as it has, on a side note, one possible outcome is a genetic bottleneck like never seen before in history, potentially already well underway. That is, as fertility rates decrease, the number of genes passed on to the next generation will be even more selective than ever. Traits such as:
- Pleasure-addition-resistant
- Increased levels of emotional connection with children and people
- Less interest in technologicallyadvanced
- Less susceptible to societal trends
However, I am not sure what percentage of the population with those traits exists today, but it is interesting to note that the Amish could account for the majority of the US population within 60 years if they are still around, as their population has been doubling around every 20 years (but may be slowing down in recent decades).
So, when digital/Metaverse babies become an realistic option and/or robot babies that may even “grow up” who will want a real baby? Some believe no one will as virtual human babies will become popular like the virtual pets of the 1990’s. Calhoun’s rats….
Near-Term Bottlenecks
If you have read much of this site, you will see that my main goal is to show that the coming 10 – 20 years will be the most profound and probably tumultuous in history. I do not know the outcome, but the intersection of the world’s most pressing issues and technology’s largest changes are converging. The intersection of AI/robots, escalating global conflict, probably fields by global debt bubbles with zero or negative interest rates, and political disarray, and we are converging on a potential storm of epic proportions. Are you not seeing it too? Starting almost 10 years ago, I have written quite a bit in these other areas as most can see waves, but few have noticed.
* (unless it’s P90x of course, which was one of the top-selling exercise programs ever, and yet possibly the most difficult).
** I say AI, but always mean machine learning, but AI is just easier to say and better understood by most, but on to the point…
Percentage of Americans living alone, by age (ourworldindata.org)
Ultimately, technology currently seems to be creating the ultimate substitutions for real, authentic human relationships. In economics, substitute products are how we overcome scarcity and provide cheaper alternative. For example, margarine is a well-known substitute product for butter. Nuclear and solar energy are cheaper than previous alternatives. Aluminum (Diamandis book) was the ultimate substitute for other metal.
In the end, it seems that increasingly men need women less, women need men less, adults need children less, and neighbors need each other less. The internet has become a powerful tool to answer virtually any question to the point that I rarely need to ask a living person (e.g. neighbor) anything. Large language models (the AI of today) are accelerating this process.
HumanIT 