Comment by lll-o-lll

7 hours ago

> We are witnessing a general threat to intellectual work

This is the crux of it and goes far beyond Mathematics or Computer Science. To get a bunch of humans to do anything, you have to motivate them. Kleos and Timē; renown and stuff. These AI companies threaten to rip this away from everyone but themselves, and this recent millennium prize is the perfect example.

Solving this problem as a human would have led to tremendous Kleos; my name would be written in the annals of mathematics, lecture tours of praise were mine to be had for the rest of my days. This one victory would have earned my recognition throughout history. The greatest a mortal may hope for. Ripped away.

It would also have given me great Timē. The prize money, the professorships, the book deals. Gone.

If all hope of “renown and stuff” in the intellectual realm is now taken by the AI companies, they will remove all human motivation to pursue these endeavours.

Perhaps the glory will come from slaying these fell beasts.

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lll-o-lll

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dhbradshaw  7 hours ago

These are both big motivations but not the only ones.

But there's still play. There's still curiosity. And there's still the drive to understand something for yourself.

  • lll-o-lll  6 hours ago

    > But there's still play. There's still curiosity. And there's still the drive to understand something for yourself.

    Yes, but think about what that implies if those are the only motivations left. Gone are the professions. Gone are the ambitious.

    There is plenty of space for people to work on intellectual pleasure pursuits (as there is with art and music), but the death of all intellectual based industries is still something to avoid. Or to mourn.