Scratch my backpack
China is apparently building AI systems to predict political resistance before it happens.
“Chinese algorithms are able to string together data points from a broad range of sources – phones, utility records, CCTV, travel records, friends and associates, reading habits, purchases, etc – to predict political resistance before it happens.”
Obviously, they’ve been watching too much Minority Report.
Why bother having people at all if you dislike independent thought that much?
Previously, the answer was that people produce things. However, if AI and robots eventually do all the productive work, people cease to be economically necessary.
But, power, fame and fortune require relativity. A dictator with nobody to control is just some bloke sitting in a very large empty palace.
So perhaps they’ll keep us anyway.
Not as workers. But as slaves. But they won’t need as many. Instead of 1 billion Chinese, maybe a few thousand serfs would do, and a couple of chickens.
offshore westerly 