AGI-era retreat idea: islands where AI is banned to force hardship and human relationships
SuperbRiver7763 · reddit · 2026-07-23
The post argues that if a singularity arrives, society may need a kind of negative experience machine: spaces where AI conveniences are deliberately removed so people can experience hardship, build resilience, and form human relationships.
Main points
- After the singularity, most goods and services could become much cheaper because labor disappears and AI invents new technologies and energy sources.
- Human intelligence may be improvable, but there could be a limit unless the brain is rewired so extensively that personal identity changes.
- The author believes hardship is necessary for real happiness, which is why they think a "negative experience machine" may be useful.
- They imagine future retreats or islands where people cannot access AI girlfriends/boyfriends, or even broader AI assistance, to force human interaction and dependence on one another.
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