Interesting As Fuck...
- Thread starter 717jet
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AI Overview
This post highlights a central theme in Frank Herbert's Dune concerning the dangers of advanced artificial intelligence and automation.
- Human Dependency: The quote argues that delegating human thought to machines initially promises freedom but ultimately leads to enslavement by those who control the technology.
- The Butlerian Jihad: The phrase "Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a man's mind" refers to a historical event in the Dune universe called the Butlerian Jihad, a holy war where humanity destroyed all "thinking machines" to reclaim their autonomy.
- Modern Relevance: The post suggests that Herbert's fictional scenario serves as a warning against becoming too dependent on AI in the real world.
I came across a video showing how new camera and AI systems can track everyone who walks down a street for 24 hours and then “overlay” all those people at once. It makes it incredibly easy to spot unusual foot‑traffic patterns — including things like potential drug houses. That part is genuinely useful. But this same tech can also be misused in ways that are worth thinking about as a community.
Here are some examples of how this kind of system could be abused if there aren’t strong limits:
• Monitoring and profiling people
– Tracking who attends political gatherings, protests, or community meetings
– Identifying organizers or people who meet frequently, even if they’ve done nothing wrong
– Targeting specific neighborhoods more heavily than others
• Commercial or corporate misuse
– Hyper‑targeted advertising based on where you walk
– Insurance companies using your movements to adjust premiums
– Retailers tracking your path through a neighborhood to predict your shopping habits
– Companies monitoring competitors’ employees to infer business strategy
• Personal misuse
– Someone with access tracking an ex‑partner’s daily routine
– Following journalists, activists, or whistleblowers
– Using movement data for blackmail or harassment
• Law‑enforcement overreach
– “Fishing expeditions” where normal behavior gets flagged as suspicious
– Misinterpreting innocent visits (caregivers, friends, contractors) as something nefarious
– Using movement patterns as a pretext for stops or searches
– Predictive‑policing loops where more surveillance creates more “suspicious activity”
• Criminal or foreign misuse
– Criminals tracking when people leave or return home
– Mapping the routines of officials, military personnel, or business leaders
And once systems like this exist, they tend to expand.
They often start with “only for serious crimes,” then slowly broaden to property crimes, then traffic enforcement, then general monitoring — until they’re simply always on. History shows that surveillance tools rarely shrink; they grow.
What would make this safer?
Strong legal oversight (like warrants and independent audits), strict technical controls (like encrypted logs and role‑based access), and public transparency about where and how these systems are used. Sunlight doesn’t solve everything, but it makes misuse harder to hide.
Bottom line:
This technology can absolutely help with real problems — but it also deserves real conversation about privacy, oversight, and how it should and shouldn’t be used. Staying informed helps ensure safety tools don’t quietly become something else.
"When you eat an amazing meal at a restaurant, you compliment the chef, not the oven." 
That video was made four years ago. I can only imagine how things have changed since then.
That was a tragic story.
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