Why do we resist threatening AGI news?

Upton Sinclair once said: “It’s difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

This explains why a coal miner will believe global warming is a hoax, as his livelihood depends on the mine staying open. It also explains why a politician will deny coal pollution to secure the votes of miners and continue receiving funding from coal mines.

Understanding that AI could replace us requires accepting a threat that impacts not only our salary but also our own identity.

Accepting that AI could potentially replace us involves an intellectual struggle with our own self-preservation instincts.

As Nietzsche explains: “The strength of a person’s spirit would then be measured by how much truth he could tolerate, or more precisely, to what extent he needs to have it diluted, disguised, sweetened, muted, or falsified.”

Would you rather face the truth upfront or have it softened?

Would you rather know you will lose your job and try to prepare?

Or would you rather remain willfully unaware and risk being surprised?