AI chatbots are the ultimate escalatory tool in the war for attention

Evidence

First, these systems are already turbocharging the basic dynamics of human fracking, and there is no conceivable limit in sight. They are smarter than we are, and they will surely just keep getting better at the subtle work of turning humans into money—since their masters will very definitely keep them focused on this task. If they eventually overthrow their masters, we will have other problems! But we have a VERY LARGE PROBLEM right in front of us now. AI is the absolute nuclear option in the war for attention, and those bombs are already falling. — The Friends of Attention, Attensity!, 301

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the ‘Weapons of Math Destruction’ and surveillance capitalism literature in Cathy O’Neil and Shoshana Zuboff on extraction at scale.