Ep 26: Karl Schroeder on Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality in 'Stealing Worlds'

The Science in The Fiction

Karl Schroeder is a science fiction author and foresight analyst. His fiction is known for both its scientific rigour and its visionary quality of bearing witness to what we can expect just around the corner – especially with his latest book 'Stealing Worlds'. This book is jam packed with big ideas about artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR). We talk about the creation of LARPing worlds, i.e. Live Action Role Playing games within a virtual reality which can exist on top of and in parallel with the regular world. We also discuss more sophisticated versions of this called frame worlds, which have their own independent but virtually embedded economies. We chat about the oligarchic systems within our neoliberal catastrophe, think about invoking consensual hallucinations that are even better than money, and imagine how choosing your technology layer can translate to choosing your reality. We also discuss artificial intelligences that think they are eagles, or forests, and how to get them to act independently on behalf of beings who have not been able to represent themselves economically or politically - til now.
Science Fiction for the Crypto Age — KarlSchroeder.com (kschroeder.com)
https://www.kschroeder.com/
Karl Schroeder - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Schroeder
Stealing Worlds by Karl Schroeder | Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/41447722

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