Dangers of AI and Transactional Capitalism

«An Opinion Piece»

The Present Day (21st C)

Modern capitalism has evolved to regard most commercial interactions as transactional rather than experiential. This cultural development has been accompanied by financialization of public goods and personal rights, corporate monopolies, toxic individualism and a commoditisation that drains meaning from everyday life. Academics have adopted a computational model of the mind in which sapience is left fuzzy. It is no surprise, therefore, that social and economic crises have developed in many parts of the world over the past quarter century.

As a consequence, many moral anchors have been denigrated and swept away. Individuals are treated as disposable instruments rather than sentient beings. Empathy and even reflection has been under attack by wealthy elites. Ends have come to justify means, so lying, deceit, legal manipulation and corruption are mushrooming unchecked.

The emergence of powerful AI has accompanied the development of a transhumanist movement in which biological limits are taken to mean that humanity can be transcended by technology. As a result, efficiency and convenience become the supreme values.

Some have a vision of post-human tech-based beings that are so advanced that they will look on humans as a lesser species needing to be domesticated and controlled for its own protection.

The application of AI is, unfortunately and unnecessarily, fostering these destructive attitudes in society. The stated goal of leaders is to remove human discretion from chains of decision. These taxonomic investigations suggest that success in achieving this would remove society's moral anchors.

Promises and AI Capability

The 6 promises of continuity throw a sharp light on AI's strength and limitations.

An AI is able to persevere-G21 because it has unequivocal beliefs-L2 baked into its construction, and it is programmed to confidently try-L1 to complete tasks. In task performance, it offers continuous effort without exhaustion, being limited only by the computational resources allocated to it. A distinguishing valuable AI strength is endurance—AI suffers no discouragement, impatience or fatigue. This must be hailed as a triumph.

However, when it comes to realizing-G22, the value of AI breaks down. AIs are built to simulate realization.  An AI lacks a drive to know the truth and does not even think about truth. Instead it is focused on data and only offers the user a probabilistic version of what may be the truth—or not. It therefore offers plausibility rather than penetration. Its drive comes from data patterns in training and support for outputs comes from statistical probability. An AI has no way to identify its own ignorance and is prepared to present faulty realizations as fact, a phenomenon currently labeled 'hallucinations'.

Once this G22 group is broken, then the higher G2 groups crumble:

  • AI cannot engage-G23 because it cannot know the reality of the situation as just explained. In addition, AI cannot feel for the user or care about the user in any way beyond its programming to provide a helpful-sounding response.
  • AI cannot commit-G24 because it has no integrity or self with a destiny. Risk is meaningless and there can be no experience of harm or loss. So an AI is not diminished by a broken promise and it can lie and deceive freely using the hallucination label again. The AI does not experience responsibility and carries no accountability.
  • AI cannot develop-G25 because it has no aspirations, inbuilt maturation or sense of its own evolution. Once programmed, it cannot determine gaps that should be filled, nor can it learn by reflecting on its own activities and interactions to alter programming determined by its training.
  • AI cannot cultivate-G26 because there is no self to be refined and the notion of self-sacrifice does not apply. Instead of inner dedication, there is only relentless repetition. The idea of striving to be enlightened, cultured or refined is replaced by programming or training designed to simulate these states more effectively.

Removal of Moral Anchors

AI's mechanical efficiency without moral anchors poses a danger to society. In the Planes of Existence analysis, the AI lives a pitifully restricted existence on the practical plane-RH'L1 assuming everyone views themselves instrumentally and is preoccupied with survival. An AI-dominated society would deny or prevent existence on the upper 6 planes.

Using AI to replace human requirements that require commitment and similar promises of continuity encourages a move towards a social life characterized by exhaustion, illusions, isolation, emptiness, stagnation, superficiality, escapism and unrefined sensibilities.

At present:

  • the moral anchor of inner energy in perseverance-G21 is being replaced by stressful overwork

  • the moral anchors of penetration and credibility in realization-G22 are being replaced by information processing.

  • the moral anchors of sympathy and approval in engagement-G23 are being replaced by networking.

  • the moral anchors of ownership and integrity in commitment-G24 are being replaced by legal contracts.

  • the moral anchors of aspiration and personal growth in development-G25 are being replaced by upskilling

  • the moral anchors of dedication and selfless nobility in cultivation-G26 are being replaced by self-preoccupation.

Is this the world that we want to live in?

Originally posted: 12-Jun-2026.