Parliament is like that of an old computer from a by gone era of the horse and carriage when few could vote, and the population was much much smaller. If I wanted to communicate with someone in a village just 3 miles away I would either have to walk there or jump on my horse and ride there, now I can communicate with my cousin in Australia and my auntie in America at the same time in an instant while in the UK. It would make logistical sense therefore in the 1700s for a group of people in a town to select someone to speak on their behalf as it would take a few days to travel to London/parliament and to raise concerns and communicate with other representatives of other towns and villages across Britain.
What I’m trying to point at here is that I feel the true meaning of democracy has been lost and replaced with a carry on with an old out dated system that has been exported across the planet via British Empire. Democracy the rule of the people (all people not special clever people or experts in writing laws and what not, all people) where we discuss with one another how we would like to live, a place to listen to one another, instead of having over arching rulers who just push their agendas where ever they feel like to create a world in their image.
Now in a time of the internet where we can draw out information at the touch of a button (or screen or asking alexa) where A.I. is growing in development and with a global population in the billions, we can voice our concerns individually. I personally know an I.T. specialist whom I had a chat with about an idea of A.I. helping with democracy. We the people can decide how such a system can be created to benefit our lives to make the A.I. program help to put forward the most pressing concerns at the top eg elderly people not being able to afford heating, or a family with children made homeless etc and least at the bottom like the dog poo bin needs moving a bit to the left because its ruining my view but because its been asked by Sir Lord Rich-alot it gets priority. Plus with the types of economies we have being a reflection of the power structure we can begin to create an economy more in alignment with well-being with the actual help of A.I.. We can begin to have a true democracy, a democratic economy, not one lead by the Banks but one lead by the human body, heart and soul. The more we are able to communicate with one another (like the Mycelium networks between trees as they communicate with one another and sending resources to one another) the more balance, harmony and wellness we can cultivate in our society. Less top down and more holistic and alive.
Hi James. The idea of AI as a beneficial ally for humans is something that I am exploring in my fiction. I have this idea that AI could be complementary to people in many ways. I’m working on a novel with a city where housing is owned by the city and allocated (fairly) by the AI to all residents. I worked in e-governance before I retired and the great dream there is that it would ensure equal treatment, but so far, it has not worked out that way because most administrative systems reflect the existing power structures. But I do think that it must be possible to develop AI models that reflect different kinds of society (and indeed simple administrative systems that do the same). How do you see tech in your Rosebridge vision? The images hint at a tech-free world (although I have not got to the end yet).
I’m sure I read something ages ago about laws being encoded in computer algorithms - as a sci-fi type concept. I’ve always remembered the idea as it felt like a way of removing the administration (and associated cost of lawyers and courts) of making legal rulings - just fill in an online form and the decision is made automatically. Obviously this could be a dystopia if implemented poorly, but could it not remove 80% of the front-end costs of legal disputes and advice?
The algorithms would be costly to create and refine, but once done I could easily investigate many scenarios for ‘legal’ things like planning permission, tax, neighbourhood disputes… and if I committed a crime the details would be entered and a ‘ruling’ would be issued. I would be able to trial-input the details until I had what I thought was the best outcome, with disputes over the specifics of the input details (or ‘inappropriate rulings’) going to a human court.
Imagine the incentive to simplify the system! I’m not saying it’s a good idea, just an interesting one!
I appreciate you mentioning the Rose Bridge here Judy. Have you come across The Venus Project by Jaques Fresco, he’s done full city designs and they’ve been presented into films you can see on YouTube. Fresco talks about cities being like Universities where they nurture human ingenuity, they are circular (him being efficient) with a central computer control system to help monitor and look after the city (think of a thermostat in the home but doing more stuff). I’m intrigued by your fictional writing Judy do you upload your writing online somewhere?
My drawings are very simple, showing a simple way of life, but I can definitely go full on sci-fi futuristic in my visual imagination (I’m currently writing a sci-fi novel spanning over millions of years). But I guess the role A.I. can play is with assisting with sorting and finding. I believe a true democracy is more than simply being allowed to speak, it is about being listened to and acted upon if necessary (imagine dialing 999 for fire emergency and the person on the other end hears you but doesn’t bother to send a response). True democracy is about the flow of communication and resources and energy along those lines of communication hence the Mycelium network. Instead of energy and resources flowing along the lines of trade and commerce they flow along the lines of necessity and kinship. The Bank becomes the world itself ie instead of turning earthly resources into money for bank accounts, we nurture the world and one another like a form of investment and so we reap what we sow. A.I. can help find those who are needed most, create clear and efficient pathways to help in such matters. Many people are ignored and over looked in, and foolish policies are often steam rolled without the care of their consequences. I see A.I. as being a very useful tool for humanity and for transforming democracy and our economy in alignment with wellness harmony and peaceful living.
Hey @James, Good point about being heard . At the moment I am thinking more about the economy, but thanks for flagging democracy as something to tackle as well. On the economy, I imagine that, if the AIs could track resources and products for us and tell us what is available where, it would make for easy sharing of what is needed, and appropriate production to match real needs within resource constraints. This is kind of what I was trying to put across in my story Make what you love, where the character Ablon looks back at the 21st century from the 26th when there is no money. I’m also working on a novel that deals with the transition from here to there. Thanks, too for the Venus Project. I will dig around that and see what’s there. I’m always looking for new ideas.
I do wonder if its the fantastical that will navigate humanity to shores of abundance, peace and harmony. To imagine new ways of being (like what you do to write about possible futures) that will expand the mind to break out of cultural patterns that are unhealthy. I think populations can get trapped into circumstances of the current time and find it difficult to visualize anything different, maybe the inner journeys of stories of possibility are actually ways of future generations calling to the past via the imagination to create a golden pathway to brighter possibilities.
. At the moment I am thinking more about the economy, but thanks for flagging democracy as something to tackle as well. On the economy, I imagine that, if the AIs could track resources and products for us and tell us what is available where, it would make for easy sharing of what is needed, and appropriate production to match real needs within resource constraints. This is kind of what I was trying to put across in my story Make what you love, where the character Ablon looks back at the 21st century from the 26th when there is no money. I’m also working on a novel that deals with the transition from here to there. Thanks, too for the Venus Project. I will dig around that and see what’s there. I’m always looking for new ideas.