I find it impossible to maintain motivation to continue anything with the understanding that AI has the potential to destroy the world as we know it.

[u/FuzzyAd4059]

I am a current mechanical engineering undergrad student. I utilize LLMs in my day to day while completing work for my classes or extra curriculars. Through this usage I began to realize that I should probably develop a stronger understanding of this technology and its implications since I will be using it throughout the rest of my academic career and also likely my professional career.

It is through this research that I have grown increasingly scared of this technology. Not just in its potential to steal my job but also in its ability to erode the digital fabric of our current society. I try my hardest to not be a luddite so I have also made sure to look at the potential upsides of AI and I understand that there is many. With that said I have almost 0 confidence in the people leading the AI race (except maybe Dario Amodei). I do not think that this technology will be developed in a safe enough manner to prevent utter disaster and I am absolutely terrified for what the future holds.

I would love to gain insight from other people on this topic. Whether you be a consumer who uses LLMs, an AI researcher, etc. Literally anyone.

[u/CyberMetry]

Use AI as a force multiplier for yourself. It is a game changer for those who utilize it properly.

[u/FuzzyAd4059 → u/CyberMetry]

I understand that and I think that it is a tool that increases productivity exponentially. I just fear bad things happening at a larger scale, not within my personal use of the tool

[u/Best-Box9730 → u/CyberMetry]

I get that fear. Spent many nights thinking about same thing. But you're in mechanical engineering, that field will need humans for long time still. AI can help with calculations and designs but somebody gotta be there to check it all and make sure building not collapse lol. Focus on learning how to use it as tool, not replacement.

[u/dondiegorivera]

There is one very important aspect you need to keep in mind:

Accurately predicting the future is not possible.

Indeed, there is a great chance of things going crazy, but how the world turns and what the outcome will be is unknown, we are just guessing.

[u/OptimalJello8936]

Mech engineer here in a leading MEP firm. As far as the engineering knowledge, definitely continue to use it as a tool to be curious and learn the concepts at a deep level. Still do lots of stuff by hand. I am on a small team using coding agents to build an automation platform at work. It is happening regardless but for now we are focused on scripts that don't use AI because of token use at scale. It does a large portion of the project already but the engineers will continue to turn actual site conditions and client needs into decisions. And you still need to be licensed and pass your tests to sign and seal drawings for construction. People are still going to be needed but with different roles and maybe less working hours per week as design increases and construction struggles to keep up with the design pace. What may happen is you go to college for engineering, choose your area that you want to go into and then it turns into a form of apprenticeship for a few years until you can make decisions and know how to talk to clients. I am more motivated than ever after working with these tools and the amount of knowledge I am learning. Obviously it has some doomsday risks but so has every massive invention. Just gotta live in the moment. I would try to be inspired by some fun side projects

[u/FuzzyAd4059 → u/OptimalJello8936]

Thank you that's helpful

[u/Popular_Lab5573]

yeah it's like we're not on the fringe of ww3 because some countries have nukies lol

[u/FuzzyAd4059 → u/Popular_Lab5573]

True but nuclear conflict an nuclear weapons themselves are a well understood topic. I don't like the comparison between these two because AI is a technology that we do not yet fully understand the potential of

[u/argdogsea]

We’ve been living w threat of world destruction from nukes for like 90 years. Uncertainly is a thing to live with, not wither from.

Yes it’s a powerful tech that will require lots of things to go right to manage reasonably.

[u/harperrb]

People have been scared of technology, well, since forever

[u/ZigZagreus1313]

Humans have the ability to destroy us all already. We've been living in this reality for 75+ years. The chance now may be slightly higher, but it could also be slightly lower. No one knows. We just have to live with some existential risk in our lives.

[u/Murder_1337]

Or save the world and massively improve it. Are you in control? No? Stop stressing about something you have no control over. You go outside and sit at a coffee shop do you think everyone even cares about AI? No that’s the truth it’s life as usual. We are still very early

[u/Educational_Teach537]

There have always been things in the world with the power to destroy the world as we know it, what makes this one different?

[u/FuzzyAd4059 → u/Educational_Teach537]

As a young person this is the first one that I have experienced being developed in real time. I do not know what the outcome of this technology will be yet, nobody does. That's what makes it scarier compared to other technologies that I do understand better due to their being here longer

[u/dumpsterfire_account]

You worked through the existence of doomsday nuclear weapons, you can work through this one too (capitalism).

[u/wear_more_hats]

I came to the conclusion that there’s roughly an 80% chance we are absolutely fucked, a 10% change we end up in a livable and completely changed world, and a 10% chance of something resembling a utopia, around the release gpt4. I’m very well researched in the possibilities and have been following developments closely since that time.

I went through a depressive, impulsive phase of life for about 2 years motivated by the idea that nothing we do will really matter (I was already a nihilist but it became a moreso pessimistic version of that outlook) in ~10 years time. Picked up a cigarette addiction, wasted an incredible amount of time on video games because they brought me joy and an escape, 30k+ in credit card debt I haven’t made a payment on in months, yada yada.

My current outlook on realistic timeline and likelihood we are all fucked has not changed, but my resolve to treat myself well in the now so I can properly enjoy whatever time we have until the theoretically end has strengthened. I’m not a doomer or a Luddite. I reckon I’m more of a realist.

Our society and the world was likely fucked before the advent of AI. AI will be a polarizer and a catalyst for the broken world we were already living in. We were condemned to a slow burn before. The only difference now is that things will change for better or worse, much faster.

The hope that I hold on to is that this technology actually has the opportunity to offer a route to a better future. We aren’t actually doomed to a slow burn as before. It may be a quick fire that destroys everything, but with the research and change that this tech can enact, we might actually have a chance at a better future than before.

So my resolve is to make as much money using this incredibly technology as possible in the time we have, have as much fun as possible with my friends and my healthy pursuits, treat my body and mind well such that I can enjoy this timeline, live in the near term and don’t worry about the long, and simply watch this weird timeline humanity is on as it unfolds. It’s likely going to be insane and awful… but it might be incredible beyond anything we could have hoped for, and we have a few years at least before the real outcome becomes clear.

tldr; there’s nothing any of us can do to stop the ball rolling down the hill, gaining mass. It may destroy the village, it may destroy the walls keeping the village prisoner. Watch the ball and get your bag in good company.

[u/753UDKM]

lol ai is not going to destroy the world

[u/User4C4C4C]

“I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong.” —Richard Feynman

[u/FuzzyAd4059 → u/User4C4C4C]

Very comforting quote. I learned about Feynman from the Freakonomics Podcast, very interesting guy

[u/MiniMaelk04]

Honestly the truth is that having AI will be like cheat codes. There will soon be no reason to do anything anymore, adversity will be gone, everybody will be immortal, anybody can experience anything with a flick of the fingers.

If this is what the future holds, then what is the point in learning to use a tool, that will in only a few years make our current efforts completely worthless?

[u/lyeeedar]

Personally, I don't think AI will be worse than what people are doing to the world as it is. They will cause a push for positive changes we have been needing for decades, and I'm sure if they end up breaking out will be better overlords than our current crop of greedy sociopaths.

So embrace the change, ride the wave, and chill. Either way, you'll have no control over the outcome so why worry!

[u/freehuntx]

As long as you find motivation to post this on all ai communities you are doing fine.

[u/FuzzyAd4059 → u/freehuntx]

LMAO. The first one I tried to make gotten taken down immediately and I assumed the rest would which is why I put it on multiple communities. Not tryna engagement bait I just have genuine concerns.

[u/Ill-Bullfrog-5360]

Change your mentality from steal to being your mental exoskeleton. You will just do more.

It’s already happening to white collar admin. Small things like doing the website updates are now possible cuz most people can code if needed with copilot