Philosophers argue 'humans have no plot armor' in case for near-term AI risk
AaronBergman18 · x · 2026-11-12
Philosopher Jeff Sebo amplifies Andy Masley's argument on AI risk, centering on what he calls the "plot armor assumption":
- Many people hold a deep intuition that they as individuals—and humanity as a whole—have a destiny and can overcome anything. But this is simply not true: we could all be wiped out in a moment
- Masley's reasoning: watching the pace at which machines become more intelligent, three simple facts suffice to conclude that "truly insane things could happen relatively soon" — (1) humans don't have plot armor, (2) human intelligence has transformed the world enormously, (3) intelligence isn't magic
- This inference is independent of how quickly companies adopt or find uses for current AI—it's about what intelligence itself can do
A concise and forceful philosophical framing of the AI risk debate.
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