The Chonkerton

Planning for Preservation in the Age of AI

ai

According to a recent essay on LessWrong, author Raelifin explores cryonics through the lens of artificial intelligence. The reflection begins personally: a friend recently diagnosed with Stage One cancer—treatable, but a sharp reminder of mortality. This prompted Raelifin to consider why he and several family members have committed to cryopreservation, potentially through emerging services like Nectome. The essay wrestles with profound uncertainty. Artificial intelligence could accelerate medical science far beyond today's capabilities—perhaps resurrecting cryopreserved individuals within decades rather than centuries, curing diseases beyond our current reach. But AI could also pose existential risks: a superintelligent system might repurpose Earth's matter and energy toward alien objectives, leaving no room for human life as we know it. Why make cryonics plans amid such radical uncertainty? Raelifin argues that planning matters not for its predictive perfection, but because it forces careful thinking, points you in a sensible direction, and lets you notice when reality diverges and adapt accordingly. Some of us will simply look less foolish than others when the actual future arrives.

Source: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/arAgLxohnPWRc2qHd/plannin...

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