You have such hopes for AI, my friend. I do hope you are right. I don't share your optimism. I'm a bit more skeptical, have lived through so many 'miracle' phases that I'm a bit jaded when it comes to promise for change.
It's true--we don't really want to look behind the curtain. Animals we eat are killed brutally, farms often destroy the land they depend on, etc.
Are we the only species that does that? Probably not. It's just that we're on top of the food chain and there is no one, nothing to balance our ruinous behavior--except nature.
I know what you mean. I used to be very skeptical of technology. I changed my attitude when some authors pointed out how different things were now compared to a time like the middle ages or ancient Rome. Then something clicked, and I began monitoring technological development. Then I could see the trajectory of developments in relation to human development (social, economic, political, etc). AI feels different than industrial technology because it seems like AI will develop not only intelligence but also a form of consciousness. This is not necessarily a good thing. There's a good chance that it will end terrible for us. Or it might be just what we need to deal with the most pressing issues that I see: space (to live in without destroying our planet), time (as in healthy long life for the pursuit of love and happiness), and resources (to keep the flame of life alive). How's that for hopium?
I'm always surprised by how animals behave so much like humans. I recently read that apparently crows use statistics!
This is another conundrum because we are made by nature. We're natural in every sense of the word. Our thoughts and actions are a natural process. So, if we're part of the natural matrix then this brings up those grand questions about who, what, where, when, and why we exist and do what we do. 🙃 I need to lay off the green tea, I think :)
Please don't lay off the 'green tea'. I love your speculation🌼