If you're so worried about the robots...

By Gabriel Green

As an introduction to this category of blog posts (Reasonable Criticisms), please be warned that they'll be a little less...eloquent and/or focused than other pieces. These are a lot more raw, and are designed to ask "myself" hard questions about behaviors that seem out-of-line with my personal beliefs. Ol' Honest Gabe never hides from tough feedback, even from himself, so I want to share these sorts of thoughts directly. Just don't be surprised if my rhetoric is a little more extreme or unpolished, because it typically reflects internal discord.

This was written in response to the Reasonable Critism that I used Google's Gemini-AI to make our initial run of logos (cowboy riding triceratops). Please note that the stickers you see around were actually designed by a human being: Tres, from Casper, Wyoming.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm genuinely worried about three looming existential threats. First is the collapse of the Republic I hold dear; and the birth of an American imperial period that I'll probably have to die fighting against. Second is the death of our planet, since, you know, it's the only one we've got (and because it's legitimately awesome, but whatever). And third is the robots.

See, even if we restore the Republic and start living up to our God-given responsibility to steward this earth, the robots are coming. I've ridden in a fully automated car, seen children talk to robot caregivers, and read about Saudi Arabia giving more rights to an android than living human women. There's nothing we can do about the looming future.

Don't get me started on when Governor Newsom of California — what a nuissance — vetoed BIPARTISAN legislation demanding that AI be developed with a kill-switch policy. We're legit gonna be fighting terminators y'all.

But, even if we don't go all Skynet, even if the robots are nothing more than benevolent servants desperate to meet our every need, I'm freaked out by the future. Best case it seems like we're heading towards WALL-E.

See, the core threat of the robots isn't actually unmanned drones dropping bombs in our neighborhoods (though that's still pretty awful). Rather, the biggest threat is when they have taken all the jobs and all the creativity too.

Ever since the Agricultural Revolution (when we stopped being Hunter-Gatherers) we've been reliant on the concept of a "job." While some of us are blessed to do ~meaningful work~ and get paid for it, most of us have to do a "job" to pay the bills and find other hobbies and volunteering opportunities to fulfill our spiritual need for meaningful labor.

Side Note: If John Locke, Karl Marx, and Jesus (list just tip of the iceberg of consensus) all agreed on the importance of meaningful labor, it's probably worth considering as a key component of human fulfillment. Seriously, all of philosophy seems to boil down to the ending of Candide where he says, "we must cultivate our garden."

Unfortunately, the robots are coming for both our jobs AND our meaningful labor. Granted, a lot of busy work is being replaced with robots. But anyone paying attention knows that — just like the rise of email and any other technology — this isn't so much "removing" busy work as "replacing" it with new mindless and menial tasks.

AI is rapidly replacing much of knowledge work. Heck, my own website where I'm typing this KEEPS F*CKING PROMPTING ME TO USE AI instead of giving you my own admittedly rambly thoughts. What, does it think I drift too aimlessly? God forbid I reflect some humanity in my writing.

But, if a few lawyers are out of a job, who cares? Right?

Well, consider that not only are the white collar jobs going, but so are many of the blue collar jobs and the managerial positions that many hard-working men and women have sought as a reward for their years of labor. Best case, the robots are going to be too fragile to do heavy lifting, and we'll all be forced to compete over an ever-dwindling supply of HARD labor.

Side Note: Yeah, that's part of why I'm so obsessed with "jobs you keep having to do" and Hard Work as a political principle. It's literally how we ensure that we still have jobs.

Don't even get me started on the yahoos that say things like "creative destruction" and "jobs you haven't imagined will appear after these dissapear." Without getting all the way into it, here's just a few of the problems with that. 1) Entire trades and traditional livelihoods that disappeared in the Industrial Revolution are only just making a comeback, and much of that knowledge is lost forever. 2) Every time "technology" causes a massive shift in the economic focus of the people, a lot of good elements of society get thrown out with the bad. 3) It's super naive to imagine that Artificial Intelligence and stronger-than-human androids won't be able to do almost every single one of the "new" jobs that emerge. 4) Due to things like generative-AI and algorithmic-content, we're losing our attention spans and ability to compete with robots that are significantly better at gaming those very systems against us. 5) Even if we eventually come out alright, the period of adjustment is going to result in a lot of unemployed and unemployable people, and they're going to need something to do or they'll start getting bored and violent.

Etcetera. Etcetera.

And, even if we solve for the economic collapse that is inherent to phasing out all of the jobs, there's a deeper problem. What happens to the human soul when we not only have no jobs, but no meaningful work?

Everyone finds meaning in different things. Some folks like to paint, or sing, or dance, or do other "traditional" arts. Others like gardening, cooking, engineering, building models, collecting coins, or even consuming art and sharing their unique insights. There's literally infinite ways that human beings socialize, create, and participate in the world around them. But, the robots are coming for those things too.

Sure, there are going to be some safe areas I'd hope.

Caring for one another and basic social interaction will hopefully be safe from the robots; though the incessant YouTube and ... "naughty website" ... ads I see about AI companionship make that feel dubious. In a world that increasingly feels isolated, I can see a lot of folks turning to robot homies.

And I thought I was pathetic when I got a dog to feel less lonely...

Maybe things like gardening, hiking, and other more "natural" pursuits will be safe. But, think about how much these have already been ~cheapened~ (if made easier) by technology? I for instance LOVE the chore of splitting firewood with an axe. But when my dad tells me to use the hydraulic-splitter he and his friends share, I can almost literally feel my soul leaving my body. It defeats the whole freaking purpose.

How much of the experience of nature itself is now cultivated by online recommendations and finding the right spot for a picture? Without sounding too much like an old man yelling at clouds from his lawn, I hope it's not a cheap shot to point out that it's entirely possible to appreciate something without a photo. Maybe we'd even remember more if we didn't feel so secure in our external-from-the-brain storage solutions like cell phones and ~The Cloud~.

S*it...now I literally am yelling at "clouds."

This all brings me to the point of this post. If I'm so worried about this, why would I ever use it? Especially for my political movement that is attempting to overthrow the exact manipulators that have led to such unfettered development of a dangerous tool?

For what it's worth, this was literally my first time using AI. I never used ChatGPT when it was huge — even when all my coworkers were admitting they did — and I never used any other AI that I knew of until asking Gemini to design the logos. But, that doesn't release me from my guilt.

So, I present my tough question and hopefully my satisfying answer that will allow me to sleep soundly tonight...

Tough Question: Why'd you use AI to design your logos if you're that worried about the robots? Doesn't that make you a hypocrite? And doesn't Jesus spit those out?

Honest Answer: Because I'm lazy and felt a sense of urgency to get something together. That, plus my lack of artistic talent, made AI feel like an easy way to solve a problem...

Solution: Soon, we'll announce a fresh logo design contests where Wyoming Artists can showcase their talents in designing new versions of the famed "Cowboy Riding Triceratops" that so many folks love.

Ideally, these will also feature some of the famous Wyoming Bucking Bronco design, though other variants of bucking horse (imagined as triceratops) — like those of Harry Jackson — and artists' personal inspirations will be more than welcome.

Furthermore, any submissions that aren't selected as the "winner" will still be elevated in all of our platforms so that HUMAN artists can get the credit they deserve. Honestly, it'll be pretty cool to see what Wyoming's many talented artists come up with. So, tell your friends, and let them know they can get in touch with me directly about this at dinowyo@gmail.com

It doesn't fully assuage my guilt, but it's a start. And, in the meantime, I can acknowledge that the AI designs I prompted turned out pretty good for what they are.

Thanks for letting me work this out.

The three logos in question are below, which are currently primarily used for Twitter/X (@DinoWyo), Instagram (DinoWyo307) and Facebook (DINO Wyo).