AI Can Turn Us Into a Society of P-Zombies
Posted3 months agoActive3 months ago
prahladyeri.github.ioTechstory
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Artificial IntelligencePhilosophySocietal Impact
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Artificial Intelligence
Philosophy
Societal Impact
The article discusses how AI could potentially turn humans into 'p-zombies' by conditioning them to behave mechanically, and the HN discussion explores the philosophical implications and potential consequences of this phenomenon.
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Oct 25, 2025 at 7:37 AM EDT
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The problem with AI is not that it "steals our souls" or whatever you're trying to say (though I must say I do enjoy a bit of spooky sentiment near Halloween!) - it's that it kills mental model diversity. If everyone solved problems the practical and socially accepted way, the Earth would still be flat and hygiene would still primarily consist of covering up bad smells.
The hard problems we face are hard because our model is wrong about them.
Thanks for this. I’ve been struggling for some time for a proper argument to tell others how I feel about AI. And this is pretty spot on for me (and my mental model)
Of course the benefits of the internet far outweigh the negatives but it’s still worth being aware of the negatives so we might mitigate them.
I’m in favour of radical ideas at the edge, I love conspiracy theories, I love fringe scientists, I love the crazy ones, because we need them.
All ideals should be surrounded by a moat of tolerance, that way, the crazy ones can exist in the moats
The p-zombie concept arises in the philosophy of consciousness to explore what difference, if any, consciousness makes in beings that behave like humans. That's not the issue in the OP. The OP is talking about something more like people's volition, rather than their consciousness.