> One session is titled “Bring Back Nuclear.” Another will focus on “Disinformation and Deepfakes.” Participants will hear about “Contrarian AI Takes,” “Three Predictions for Iran” and “Democracy Under Surveillance.”

> One session is headlined “Build-a-Cult (Soapbox),” while another declares, “It’s Fun to Be in Charge.”

In this context, I worry that "Democracy under Surveillance" is not a warning... but a cookbook. [0]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Serve_Man_(The_Twilight_Zon...

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ncr100 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

Seems like a reasonable worry.

A principle I feel is true is when one is wealthy enough one starts to believe that rules don't apply to one self.

And so extrapolating upon that, I think it's reasonable to assume that shaping society is not a taboo of arrogance to these people but a Self-Granted right.

	▲	Schiendelman 4 days ago \| parent [-]
		When one is wealthy enough, rules stop applying. The belief may be misaligned in some ways with reality, but the reality is similar. All people who maintain power necessarily rationalize that they should maintain their power, to avoid feeling the cognitive dissonance that they should not have it. There's no taboo against confidence in control, however misplaced, in anyone who has and maintains power.

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pstuart 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

They consider themselves to be superior and above the rest of humanity -- they are not our allies and they consider us to be "dangerous", so it's simple to work backwards from that they they are the dangerous ones.

So I'd like to hear pg explain away why billionaires are ok for society.