This week saw another virtuoso piece from Futurefeedforward, the most prescient source of science fictional thought on the Web. This week, its about AI trust-managers whose flocking behavior emerges trust-like activity in Indiannapolis.
Originally designed to curtail trust abuse by
unscrupulous trustees, intelligent trusts have evolved
complex and profitable investing strategies never
imagined by their programmers. "I-trusts have really
branched out in recent years," notes Pressupmanship.
"Last year they got interested in real estate for the first
time. Up until that point they'd only ever really been into
traditional securities and some sophisticated
derivatives trading, but it looks like they've got their
eyes on the consumer goods sector now."…Recognizing that intelligent trusts are responsible for
the price spikes and prosecuting them legally may,
however, prove to be two entirely different things. "The
problem is showing that they intend to manipulate the
markets in these goods," notes Waikman. "In most cases it's
just a matter of pack behavior. With a few exceptions, no one
trust does buying that really reaches an abusive level.
It's just that when you put it all together, it amounts to a
manipulation. They don't just get together and plan to
corner a market. One of them just takes a position while the
others hang back. But, once there's blood in the water, they
all rush in, driving up the prices and putting a
stranglehold on the market."
