Comment by yowayb
20 hours ago
I have a theory that corruption+nepotism are unstoppable forces of nature.
Advanced governments only force corruption to distribute and obfuscate.
I think this is why there appears to be some correlation between unpopular behavior and financial success.
Government essentially erects artificial barriers to entry on behalf of the incumbent businesses that fund it.
I don’t know if it is “unstoppable” or a “force,” but nepotism is a natural behavior, selected for in humans by kin selection.
Likewise, I think public choice theory would probably argue that corruption is a predictable outcome in politics that has to be constantly guarded against.
> corruption+nepotism are unstoppable forces of nature
History suggests it's the other way round. They're awfully prevalent - what is a hereditary monarchy but nepotism - but the value of meritocracy over nepotism enables such better governance that it tends to win handily in proxy or actual conflicts. Similarly, if your society is too corrupt when you go to war you discover that someone has sold the tyres off all your stored vehicles, or suchlike.
You also can't have a complex society without a complex government. This goes all the way back to Qin dynasty vs. "barbarians".
That's why I see AI (with a clear set of provided objectives and guidelines, i.e., a constitution) as the future of government.
As dystopian as that sounds, it's the only way I see to truly rid ourselves of corruption.
I don't know how any AI system would not eventually determine that humans are the problem. Sci-fi uses this as a plot numerous times for a reason. What humans are doing is not logical, and better choices can be made if it weren't so damn profitable for some to keep going as is.
Why would AI at that scale not have the exact corruptible inclination humans have?
Because unlike natural life, which has evolved to be highly competitive and self-interested, we would explicitly set the AI's objectives to always benefit society.
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