#language #AI [[Language is the operating system of human civilization]] By gaining such command of language, computers are seizing the master key unlocking the doors of all our institutions, from banks to temples. What would it mean for humans to live in a world where catchy melodies, scientific theories, technical tools, political manifestos, and even religious myths are shaped by a nonhuman alien intelligence that knows how to exploit with superhuman efficiency the weaknesses, biases, and addictions of the human mind? AI not only can compose new scriptures but is fully capable of curating and interpreting them too. No need for any humans in the loop Democracy is a conversation, and conversations rely on language. By hacking language, computers could make it extremely difficult for large numbers of humans to conduct a meaningful public conversation. Even without creating “fake intimacy,” mastery of language would give computers an immense influence on our opinions and worldview. What will happen to the course of history when computers play a larger and larger role in culture and begin producing stories, laws, and religions? We live cocooned by culture, experiencing reality through a cultural prism. Until very recently, the cultural cocoon we lived in was woven by other humans. Going forward, it will be increasingly designed by computers. But in order to manipulate humans, there is no need to physically hook brains to computers. For thousands of years prophets, poets, and politicians have used language to manipulate and reshape society. Now computers are learning how to do it. And they won’t need to send killer robots to shoot us. They could manipulate human beings to pull the trigger.