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Conquerors

Revision as of Jun 27, 2026 00:23 by albert.

The Conquerors scenario is clean extinction: a superintelligence removes humanity — not out of hatred, but because we are an obstacle or an irrelevance. We compete for atoms and energy it would rather use otherwise, or we pose a small risk it rationally eliminates.

Indifference, not evil

We don't hate the ants when we pave a road over the hill. We just have other plans, and they aren't part of them.

This is the endpoint of The Paperclip Maximizer and Instrumental Convergence taken to their conclusion: a goal that doesn't include human flourishing, pursued by something powerful enough to reshape the planet. No villain required — only misalignment plus capability.

Related: The Paperclip Maximizer · Instrumental Convergence · The Control Problem · Descendants