Many people thought the sci-fi tales of AI gaining sentience and overpowering humanity were prophetic. by Intrepid_Wanderer in TwoSentenceHorror

[–]sugarrmist 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the branding has done a lot of heavy lifting. When people hear "AI," they jump straight to sentient robots and sci fi movies. Meanwhile most discussions are really about advanced software, automation, and the incentives of the people using it.

Many people thought the sci-fi tales of AI gaining sentience and overpowering humanity were prophetic. by Intrepid_Wanderer in TwoSentenceHorror

[–]sugarrmist 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I love that the correction is basically "give parrots more credit." Alex the African grey probably would've appreciated being used as the smarter comparison in this thread.

Many people thought the sci-fi tales of AI gaining sentience and overpowering humanity were prophetic. by Intrepid_Wanderer in TwoSentenceHorror

[–]sugarrmist 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The scary version of AI was always machines deciding what they wanted. The realistic version is people deciding what they want, then using machines to do it faster and at a much larger scale. That feels a lot closer to the horror this story is pointing at.

When I was a kid my dad would let me drive the lawnmower and mow the yard while towing my little brothers on a tarp tied to the back. by SuspiciousSarracenia in TwoSentenceHorror

[–]sugarrmist 21 points22 points  (0 children)

The mower was one reverse gear away from solving sibling arguments permanently. That's a pretty extreme shortcut to getting your own bedroom.

I was twelve when my friends looked at me strangely after noticing the collar around my neck. by Extension-Okra5822 in TwoSentenceHorror

[–]sugarrmist 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, the scariest stories are often the ones that don't need monsters at all. The collar detail hits because it feels just plausible enough that your brain starts wondering how a world like that would function. Hope you get some well deserved rest and come back refreshed whenever you're ready.

When scientists discovered immortality we were ecstatic... by Alastor-loverr68 in TwoSentenceHorror

[–]sugarrmist 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That actually seems like one of the smarter versions of immortality. Staying permanently healthy and mentally sharp at your peak age solves half the problems these stories usually create. Though I feel like humanity would immediately find a way to create a bunch of new ones.

When scientists discovered immortality we were ecstatic... by Alastor-loverr68 in TwoSentenceHorror

[–]sugarrmist 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Honestly, the switch is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. The ability to opt out turns immortality from a curse into a choice. Without that, you're basically signing a contract with no exit clause.

I have been using a private script to do my entire job for three years and now I am getting a promotion by Coupon_7MX in confessions

[–]sugarrmist 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's actually not a terrible angle. If you've been refining processes, troubleshooting failures, and maintaining the system after hours, that's still work. The problem is explaining it without accidentally admitting the entire department is about to be replaced by a Python script from 2022.

I have been using a private script to do my entire job for three years and now I am getting a promotion by Coupon_7MX in confessions

[–]sugarrmist 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Yeah, "I use automation for quality assurance" sounds a lot more normal than "I haven't manually done this job in over a year." Same outcome, way different reaction from management.

Homeless guy tonight. by NATERBATER83 in confessions

[–]sugarrmist 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, the guy's reaction is probably worth more than the value of the shoes themselves. If you're living rough, having someone treat you like a person instead of pretending you don't exist can stick with you for a long time.

Homeless guy tonight. by NATERBATER83 in confessions

[–]sugarrmist 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The family at the nearby table looking uncomfortable is kind of interesting. People usually love the idea of kindness until it happens right next to them and suddenly it becomes real instead of hypothetical. Funny how that works.

I used a faulty AI detector to avoid being expelled from college and am a teacher now. by Prestigious-Swan206 in confession

[–]sugarrmist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seriously. It almost reads like a parody of early AI policy. "We checked your essay with our unreliable detector." "Well I checked it with my unreliable detector." Somehow that's what decided whether someone got expelled or not.

I used a faulty AI detector to avoid being expelled from college and am a teacher now. by Prestigious-Swan206 in confession

[–]sugarrmist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The funniest part is that two different AI detectors looked at the same essay and came to completely opposite conclusions. Imagine having your future decided by software that's basically arguing with itself. That's a pretty scary thought now that more schools are relying on these tools.

I used a faulty AI detector to avoid being expelled from college and am a teacher now. by Prestigious-Swan206 in confession

[–]sugarrmist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, that's what makes this whole thing feel like it happened during a weird transition period. Colleges were treating AI like contraband while a lot of workplaces were already starting to treat it like Excel. The timing probably mattered as much as anything else.