ChatGPT previews the Starlink Era of 2030

A new engine for philosophers distills ideas to one-pagers

Starlink

Readers of this space may recognize that as a philosopher, I write speculative fiction on near-future topics, yet constantly battle with the fact that writer’s block is my chronic disease and sorry state. Having struggled to complete two books, I believed that I had to compose speculative fiction to get my ideas across—who reads philosophy? With the implosion/explosion of media, was there a seam to save me?

Based on Humanism, the books introduced the notion that our DNA is good for more than a single lifetime — we do have a human franchise crying out for stewardship, to continue with life on our heavenly planet—here in our virgin Universe.

As usual my prognostications precede my explanations, so enter an Assistant.

Let’s look at what I cobbled together with ChatGPT-Plus, with its almost instantaneous output to my mustered inquiry. What was its regurgitation going to look like?

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Here is the unedited prompt I entered into GPT-Plus

Write a story about a world in 2030 where humans are members of the United Nations, and connect to the Internet vias Starlink, and whose currency is exclusively Ethereum. As World citizens of the UN humans use liquid democracy to decide issues either directly or with delegated votes. When universal basic income is introduced on your blockchain-based passport all humans can travel anywhere freely but the place of residence always remains their birthplace. People immediately disallow spending on war weaponry and instead enjoy UBI based on a negative income tax. The world becomes a mosaic of Cantons each taxing and funding its citizens according to their liquid democracy votes. An era of prosperity ensues in which AI is a human partner designed to support any human seeking to enjoy successive additional life cycles in the coming centuries before having to deal with AGI or existential matters such as planet degradation or alien life forms.

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Here is GPT’s reply, within a few seconds

In 2030, the world was a vastly different place from what it had been just a decade before. The nations of the world had come together under the banner of the United Nations, and humans were now recognized as global citizens, with equal rights and privileges no matter where they were born.

One of the most significant changes was the way people connected to the internet. The Starlink network had become the primary means of accessing the web, offering lightning-fast speeds and unparalleled connectivity. And the currency of choice was no longer dollars or euros but Ethereum, a blockchain-based cryptocurrency that had become the standard for all financial transactions.

But perhaps the most revolutionary change was the way decisions were made. Instead of relying on traditional forms of democracy, people now used a liquid democracy system that allowed them to vote directly on issues or delegate their votes to trusted representatives. And when universal basic income was introduced, it was done through a blockchain-based passport that allowed all humans to travel anywhere in the world freely, but always maintained their birthplace as their place of residence.

The world became a patchwork of Cantons, each with its own tax policies and funding priorities, determined by the collective decisions of the people who lived there. War weapons were immediately disallowed, and instead, UBI was funded through a negative income tax, ensuring that everyone had access to a basic standard of living.

In this new era of prosperity, AI became a human partner, designed to support people in their pursuit of success and happiness. People could enjoy successive additional life cycles, secure in the knowledge that their needs would be met and that they could continue to thrive in the coming centuries.

Of course, there were challenges ahead, such as the potential degradation of the planet or the discovery of alien life forms. But the people of the world had never been more prepared to face those challenges, united under the banner of the United Nations and empowered by their own collective decisions. The future was bright, and the possibilities were endless.

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It’s all high-falutin’ stuff, this post-Moderna philosophy, with too many large concepts to reduce to a one-pager. Then it dawned on me— it was a pretty good introduction to my next book, but how could I write that? Or should I?

I did like the pleasant way it glided along with the concepts and conversationally bundled it up together. Hmm… there may be a horse here that needs a harness…

Suppose Chat and I wrote one chapter at a time, together. After a crude outline, we would team up to write The Future News, incorporating these ‘fresh, half-baked ideas seen as realized’ that I dutifully impale into the human imagination…

‘Dis is a class book what we is going to write us here!

Perhaps I’ll throw in some Midjourney images, with Johnny Cash wearing a UN Navy uniform, after the US traded its military bases to the UN for debt relief… But I digress already. There’s scandal enow.

Stay tuned. I’m liking my hot new assistant…