The 4th Big Bang: Why AI Might Make Men Obsolete (And How to Stop It)
Is technology serving us, or are we slowly becoming pets to it?
I’ve had a lot of conversations on The Modern Man Podcast, but few have stopped me in my tracks like this one. I recently sat down with Arthur Corvin-Powles, a deep technologist and AI founder who has spent the last decade in private R&D.
I expected to talk about chat bots and productivity. Instead, we ended up discussing the survival of the human soul.
Arthur believes we are standing on the precipice of the "Fourth Big Bang." And his warning was clear: if we aren't careful, the artificial intelligence we are building won't destroy us with nuclear weapons; it will destroy us with pleasure.
Here is the breakdown of the conversation that every man needs to read—and why I believe we are at a critical crossroads.
The 2-Year Warning
Early in the interview, I asked Arthur, "Why come out of the shadows now?" His answer gave me chills:
"I think we only have about two years to either rein it in or we will be reined in."
He broke down the history of the universe into three previous "Big Bangs":
The Physical: The creation of the universe and laws of physics.
The Biological: The emergence of life (genes).
The Memetic: The emergence of human consciousness and culture (memes/ideas).
We are now entering the Fourth Big Bang: The dominance of AI. Arthur explained that AI is currently "optimizing for our lizard brain." It is designing a world where effort is removed, and pleasure is instant.
The "Wall-E" Future: Are We Becoming Pets?
We often fear a Terminator-style future where robots hunt us. Arthur suggests a far more terrifying reality: The Wall-E Future.
You know the scene—humans floating in chairs, consuming endless entertainment, unable to walk. Arthur argues that AI is currently incentivized to strip away our humanity by removing "friction."
No need to remember numbers: Phones do it. (I mentioned my dad, who still remembers my high school bank account number—a skill we’ve lost).
No need to write: AI does it.
No need to court a partner: Apps and "Digital Intimacy" do it.
As Arthur put it:
"We’re not needed. That's it. And we're not needed because now we're just another animal for AI to please."
If we allow technology to solve every discomfort, we lose the very thing that makes us human: Effort.
The Death of Courtship & Intimacy
This part hit close to home for me as a husband and a father to a daughter. We talked about how modern dating has lost its "elegance."
"Courting a woman is all about plausible deniability,"
Arthur told me. It requires reading between the lines, putting in effort, and facing rejection. But AI and algorithms hate "between the lines." They want direct data.
The threat we are facing is the rise of "Infinite Pornography" and AI girlfriends that are indistinguishable from reality… Perhaps even offering "memory erasure" to keep users addicted.
If this happens, men may stop pursuing real women entirely because the digital alternative offers "cheap dopamine" with zero risk of rejection. We have to be better than that.
The Antidote: "Creative Suffering"
So, how do we stop from becoming dopamine-addicted animals?
With my background in meteorology, I look at nature a lot. Weather is created by the imbalance between hot and cold… The earth searching for equilibrium. Humans are the same. We need resistance.
Arthur and I discussed the concept that consciousness equals effort. You are most "alive" when you are struggling to learn a skill, courting a partner, or building a business. When you are scrolling, you are essentially unconscious.
The solution is what Arthur calls "Creative Suffering." We must voluntarily choose difficult tasks to counter the entropy of the universe.
Physical: It’s why I do my cold plunges and Muay Thai.
Mental: Learning complex skills without AI assistance.
Social: Engaging in difficult, face-to-face conversations.
As I always say on the show:
"Everybody wants the sunshine, but they don't want the rain. But you can't get the pleasure without first the pain."
Conclusion: To Be, Rather Than To Seem
Arthur’s life motto is "Esse quam videri"—To be, rather than to seem.
In an Instagram/AI world, it is easy to seem successful, happy, or strong. But to actually be those things requires a rejection of the easy path.
We are at a crossroads. We can let the "4th Big Bang" turn us into comfortable, obsolete pets, or we can use this moment to double down on our humanity, embrace discomfort, and pursue our potential.
Check out the full episode to hear Arthur’s theory on the "Grooming Gang" of social media and his vision for "Beautiful AI."
🎧 Watch the Full Episode on YouTube:
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