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The original was posted on /r/singularity by /u/occams1razor on 2024-01-12 17:05:47+00:00.
If the advent of AGI/ASI leads to a post-scarcity society then money will not exist as it does today. Money has culturally been seen as the prime motivator for the individual and the force that drives society but psychologically as a motivator it is surprusingly subpar because as soon as you stop getting paid, you stop working towards that goal.
Post-scarcity humans will instead be motivated by intrinsic rewards (psychological rewards stemming from internal desires to complete goals) rather than extrinsic rewards (money). Intrinsic means that you do something because you want to do it, feel good when doing it, things you’d do even if nobody paid you. The reward comes from inside of you. Whether that’s a hobby or helping others or sports or gaming it doesn’t matter. You set the goals based on your preferences. Maybe you want to play music, compete in drone racing, build robots, invent a new sport. Odds are you’re not alone in your preference of building and inventing new things and in a society where everything is possible all you need is a way to get there with people who want similar things.
A post-scarcity city wouldn’t be based around commerce but rather what the people in it find important or what would add personal value to their lives. It could begin by something like this; let all the individuals in the city talk with a governing AGI/ASI on what they would like to exist in their city, the AGI could plan out how to section the city based on prevalence of preference and plan out all of the actions required to get there.
Imagine a massive step-by-step fractal roadmap of instructions in all levels of detail ranging from the suggested actions to each and every individual on how to succeed with their personal goals, to broader suggestions given to their peer group and how to coordinate within that group, then even broader plans given to larger groups and the city as a whole. There is no project large enough, complicated enough, with too many people that couldn't be coordinated in real time with a good-enough AGI. It could analyze the relationships, motivations and abilities of everyone in each moment, figure out how they could work together, find constructive ways to get past problems, resolve interpersonal conflicts and so on. People might not want to participate in any kind of plan like that and that’s fine too. It’s not necessary. The plan should be continuously revised according to changing circumstances and participation should be voluntary.
Imagine a city where the 3d version of midjourney could be used to create anything from art to whole buildings that could be displayed in augumented reality, voted on by the citizens, then built by volunteers and automation. Different buildlings would be dedicated to different types of hobbies with location depending on prevalence of preference. If you want a massive drone-racing park you might need to build it further out from the city but maybe we all have mobile, flying homes by that point so it won’t matter.
Every job would be volunteer-based which might initially sound unfulfilling but right now we work full time doing the same thing over and over, only get money in return that disappears just as fast. You gain nothing, you live life on repeat and can’t really show much for it. If instead you got to do what you loved, built things that lasted with people who enjoyed the same things as you, never had to worry about money or rent or food... The psychological satisfaction from living such a life is what society is going to start shaping itself toward when money is no longer a factor. AGI could help us get there, one step at a time.
(I'm a psychology master student, I've finished cources in macro/microeconomics as well, this is my educated guess on what the best outcome could look like. English is not my first language, I apologize for any mistakes. Feel free to bash me relentlessly for my optimism in the comments.)