And The Matrix begins...
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Back in 1999, The Matrix brought us into a world where machines ruled and man was driven underground, in many different ways. Back then, it was easy to dismiss it as pure fantasy because it seemed not possible with the technologies that we had at the time. However, technology developed faster in the 20th century than it did in the entire 2000 millenia (between 1000-1999).
However, the acceleration of the evolution of technology has continued to increase. Today, we have home automation, smartphones, smart thermostats, artificial intelligence (in machines, not people), and the Internet. Now, at face value and independent, these are all great things. However, if one company was to make it all and begin to build a profile about you in regards to your use of these things, well then, that could be a totally different story.
Alphabet (the umbrella company that owns Google, YouTube, Nest, and Android) has stopped their self-driving car project and has created another company called Waymo. At face value, this is a great achievement. More smarter cars would mean safer roads, cost efficiency, and happier people, right? The elderly and disabled can get to the doctors appointments that they need to get to without relying on somebody else. You're essentially giving them their freedom back.
Business model? I am thinking something similar to Uber. You could put "Waymo by Google" because everybody recognizes the Google branding and feel that they can trust it. Its driverless, so you're not concerned about the creepy driver that you're getting into the car with, and you can be sure that you are going to safely and efficiently get to your destination.
Now, lets say you carry an Android phone. Or even the new Pixel phone. 'They could possibly know your whereabouts and who you talk to. Do you use Allo or Duo to talk to your friends and family? They could eavesdrop. Have a Nest in your house? They can possibly tell when you're home based on the temperature settings. Are you getting a new Google Home for Christmas? You just let them listen right into your conversations as a family. Have a chromecast? They know what you like to watch. The list can go on and on and you see where I am going with this.
Has Google done some pretty cool things? Yeah, sure. So, where does The Matrix fit into all of this? That profile that Alphabet could be building of you could also be used to learn about you. Introducing Alice, Bob, and Eve. Three of Google's AI brains, if you will. They are independent projects, under the same portfolio, all owned by Alphabet. The Google Brain project (the portfolio) decided to do a little test. They gave Alice the task of creating an encryption system with a set of random numbers, give the number to Bob, and relay a message to Bob using the encryption that Alice developed. Bob was able to successfully read the message that Alice gave him using the encryption key that Alice gave him. However, when Eve was tasked to read the message without the key, she was unable to. Source
So, what other technologies could Alphabet be working on? Maybe actual bots to roam your house and help you clean? How about actual Android soldiers so that we don't have to send our own men and women to fight wars for us? How about Android police officers so that discrimination could be a thing of the past? You're then not risking the lives of men and women to keep us safe. Its merely robots going after the bad guys. If they get blown up then we can build another or rebuilt the first.
What if the AI braintrust decided that they were smarter than us and, in trying to take better care of us, they created a virtual world and have us in that virtual world? Maybe the robots decide that they want their own freewill and decide to make us their slaves instead of the other way around. Kind of far fetched now? A little sci-fi-ish? Maybe I'm a little paranoid. I think I might have lost my tin foil hat.
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If you're worried about that kind of stuff, be sure to NEVER watch Black Mirror. It shows a plausible version of the near future where some, if not all, of those things have come true. The ways that technology is applied in that show is absolutely frightening, mostly because you can see how we may only be a handful of decades away from it.
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@RojoLoco said in And The Matrix begins...:
Black Mirror
Looks interesting. Similar to Mr. Robot? Never seen Mr. Robot, but, from what I hear, it seems to be about the same level.
Is Black Mirror on Netflix or something?
Of course this is like "Judging a book by its cover"
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@NerdyDad said in And The Matrix begins...:
@RojoLoco said in And The Matrix begins...:
Black Mirror
Looks interesting. Similar to Mr. Robot? Never seen Mr. Robot, but, from what I hear, it seems to be about the same level.
Is Black Mirror on Netflix or something?
It's on Netflix. I would compare it more to the Twilight Zone, in that each episode is a self contained story, no running narrative through a season. It's one of my favorite new shows.
I haven't seen Mr. Robot yet either, so no idea if they are similar.
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I've always been more scared of Google than any three letter agency out there.
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@brianlittlejohn said in And The Matrix begins...:
I've always been more scared of Google than any three letter agency out there.
Even more scared of MOM?
or MIL?
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MOM = Your Mother
and MIL = Mother in Law
Which are pretty scary 3 letter organizations
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@RojoLoco said in And The Matrix begins...:
If you're worried about that kind of stuff, be sure to NEVER watch Black Mirror. It shows a plausible version of the near future where some, if not all, of those things have come true. The ways that technology is applied in that show is absolutely frightening, mostly because you can see how we may only be a handful of decades away from it.
My friend had me watch two episodes - the one with the personal assistant, and the one where everyone basically lived facebook, but a ranking system was in place and used to decide on what things you could and couldn't do/get, etc.
yep, pretty scary stuff.
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@NerdyDad said in And The Matrix begins...:
Looks interesting. Similar to Mr. Robot? Never seen Mr. Robot, but, from what I hear, it seems to be about the same level.
no nothing like Mr Robot.
more like Twilight Zone or Outlimits.
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@brianlittlejohn said in And The Matrix begins...:
I've always been more scared of Google than any three letter agency out there.
ultimately I agree with this.
Google's goal is to strip us of our money... they are just researching better and better ways of doing that.
Someday there will be a Corporation War (think restaurant wars in Demolition Man) and we'll be left with only one - Google or worse Apple. (but Apple as a non advertising company I don't think stands a chance).
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@Dashrender said in And The Matrix begins...:
@brianlittlejohn said in And The Matrix begins...:
I've always been more scared of Google than any three letter agency out there.
ultimately I agree with this.
Google's goal is to strip us of our money...
Better than the goal to strip us of our money and our freedom. Three letter agencies do to everyone by force what Google might do with permission.
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@scottalanmiller said in And The Matrix begins...:
@Dashrender said in And The Matrix begins...:
@brianlittlejohn said in And The Matrix begins...:
I've always been more scared of Google than any three letter agency out there.
ultimately I agree with this.
Google's goal is to strip us of our money...
Better than the goal to strip us of our money and our freedom. Three letter agencies do to everyone by force what Google might do with permission.
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@Dashrender How did you post a clip from a movie that doesn't exist?
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@scottalanmiller said in And The Matrix begins...:
@Dashrender said in And The Matrix begins...:
@brianlittlejohn said in And The Matrix begins...:
I've always been more scared of Google than any three letter agency out there.
ultimately I agree with this.
Google's goal is to strip us of our money...
Better than the goal to strip us of our money and our freedom. Three letter agencies do to everyone by force what Google might do with permission.
This is more of boiling a frog in a pot of water. Except for we are the frog and we just don't know it.
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@momurda said in And The Matrix begins...:
@Dashrender How did you post a clip from a movie that doesn't exist?
I'm guessing I missed a conversation... or you're a prequel non believer
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@NerdyDad said in And The Matrix begins...:
@scottalanmiller said in And The Matrix begins...:
@Dashrender said in And The Matrix begins...:
@brianlittlejohn said in And The Matrix begins...:
I've always been more scared of Google than any three letter agency out there.
ultimately I agree with this.
Google's goal is to strip us of our money...
Better than the goal to strip us of our money and our freedom. Three letter agencies do to everyone by force what Google might do with permission.
This is more of boiling a frog in a pot of water. Except for we are the frog and we just don't know it.
I love this analogy! I'm stealing it!!!!
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As someone who uses Android phones, has a Google Home, and is all about the whole smart-home and hands-free life, I get where you're coming from. However, in my experience, Google can have the data. I've never had a leak of any kind personally about me, and everything they've done has made things easier and better for me. Maybe I should be more paranoid, but I'm not worried about it.
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@thanksajdotcom said in And The Matrix begins...:
where you're coming from. However, in my experience, Google can have the data. I've never had a leak of any kind personally
You missed the whole point. The OP is talking about comparing the current progression to the Matrix. The Matrix controlled everything - sure people thought they had free will, but ultimately they didn't - they were jacked into a computer that controlled everything.
As Google learns more and more about us, they learn better how to manipulate us, and they'll be able to do it so subtlety that we won't even know that it's happening. Advertisers do that to us all time time.
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@Dashrender said in And The Matrix begins...:
Advertisers do that to us all time time.
But generally in ways that people should see. The fundamental issue is that lots of people like just being manipulated, so they opt in.
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@scottalanmiller said in And The Matrix begins...:
@Dashrender said in And The Matrix begins...:
Advertisers do that to us all time time.
But generally in ways that people should see. The fundamental issue is that lots of people like just being manipulated, so they opt in.
This is a physiological debate we can have another time
This article is what I mean
https://www.quantamagazine.org/20160421-the-evolutionary-argument-against-reality/
