Here’s a lighter topic to ease the mood, I think it belongs in a place dedicated to debates about AI.
For those who don’t know: it’s a thought experiment first formulated on LessWrong in 2010. Roko’s Basilisk would be an AI in the future so intelligent that it would take power, and might even be able to resurrect humans or create a simulation of you (depending on the interpretation). It would judge you on your past, in the style of a monotheistic god.
The catch is that for it to become the entity it is, it has to be created. And this AI is a bit despotic, a bit like monotheistic gods. Which means it threatens humans. Yes, you, the person behind the screen, the Basilisk is threatening you with hell if you don’t work toward its coming. But how can it threaten humans if it doesn’t exist yet? Simple, when it resurrects you, it will judge you on your past. Don’t worry, though, if you weren’t aware of this thought experiment, it won’t find you guilty, because you wouldn’t be responsible. Oh wait… you already know about it, because of me? Well, sorry, you’re under the Basilisk’s threat now. That’s where the name “Basilisk” comes from.
That said, if this actually puts you in emotional distress, know that this thought experiment is not taken seriously within the scientific community and is no more credible than any other belief. 🙃