I have been reading several millennial-written alt-newspaper articles that literally gush over the benefits of the impending tsunamis of driver less short term rental and taxi vehicles that will crash over us during the next ten years.

They cite things like less pollution, global chilling, a 5% increase ($1 trillion) in freed up annual disposable income in America, safety, bla bla, bla bla bla. They foresee a world without limits where smart software is fully deployed in the service of mankind.

Amid these hosannas is a lack of any counterpoint discussion like hacking dangers and resultant safety of app-driven vehicles; the impact on service of the eventual capitalist race to the bottom on costs and profit maximization; the impact on pricing, availability and quality in view of the eventual likelihood of only one or two dominant players in this field – an example would be the cleanliness of vehicles (I recognize that millennials do not remember how unsavory public big city bus/taxi/subway/light rail transportation was back in the 70s and 80s); and the inability to empty large urban areas in this postulated future world where 90% of the cars are driverless and company not individually owned under the impending threat of a weather catastrophe like a hurricane.
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Nonetheless, let us suppose all these issues can be dealt with an acceptable level of risk management. Note to my millennial readers: this means there will be collateral damage. Just an acceptable amount likely to be decided by our artificial intelligence (AI) software overlords. As we used to say in the software business: build a little, test a little, field a little, crash a little, patch a little, repeat. Zero defect software is not an option here given what it does to the cost curve of these businesses.
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The record of the empowering technology here – AI – is somewhat checkered. Let’s see . . . stock market AI algorithm driven trading has lead to the flash crash, the 2008 derivative market collapse and the world’s near miss with the Great Depression 2.0; AI-made recommendations as to which guilty felons are incarcerated (stats here aren’t so hot); AI-made loan decisions are widespread, so I would ask how millennials are faring on the mortgage loan front. Not good here either, eh?
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As artificial intelligence grows in complexity and prevalence, it also grows more powerfully self-directed and at the same time more sensitive. What happens when AI empowered cars are forced to determine which passenger gets the best chance to survive an unavoidable crash? Heaven forfend that such a self aware AI entity might chose itself; but, a self-driving car might feel guilt and remorse over its decision, hence, grief counseling will be required. Ah, The Nine Step-Patches of Grief and Tear Soup and Battery Change Healing Recipes for Loss will flood the Amazon eBook download stores. I wonder if 2001 Space Odyssey`s HAL would have benefited from such help.

Dave and HAL from 2001 Space Odyssey

Such a need, scratch that, actually the right to mechanical repair, cosmetic upgrade and psychiatric services for AI-enabled Uber and Lyft cars is likely next up in this utopian best of all possible worlds future. How’s everyone feel about ACA for AI? Single payer, no problemo. Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Venmo and the internet 1.0 payment services PayPal and Braintree will auto-deduct (pun intended) monthly health care premium payments for our self-driving servants. There will be no opting out due to your or the Uber/Lyft fleet’s ages.

A side benefit to all this is that none of us human meatbags will be working for the man just for his/our machines.

Anyone up for watching the Twilght Zone episode To Serve Man tonight?

Psst . . . the friendly appearing aliens in this Twilight Zone episode, much like our future AI servants might in the future, had a book entitled To Serve Man. It was a cook book containing recipes using man as food.

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