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DiscourseFan 11 hours ago

Yes this reads as a massive backhanded compliment. But as u/KronisLV said, its trendy to hate on AI now. In the face of something many in the industry don't understand, that is mechanizing away a lot of labor, that clearly isn't going away, there is a reaction that is not positive or even productive but somehow destructive: this thing is trash, it stole from us, it's a waste of money, destroys the environment, etc...therefore it must be "resisted." Even with all the underhanded work, the means-ends logic of OpenAI and other major companies involved in developing the technology, there is still no point in stopping it. There was a group of people who tried to stop the mechanical loom because it took work away from weavers, took away their craft--we call them luddites. But now it doesn't take weeks and weeks to produce a single piece of clothing. Everyone can easily afford to dress themselves. Society became wealthier. These LLMs, at the very least they let anyone learn anything, start any project, on a whim. They let people create things in minutes that used to take hours. They are "creating value," even if its "slop" even if its not carefully crafted. Them's the breaks--we'd all like our clothing hand-weaved if it made any sense. But even in a world where one could have the time to sit down and weave their own clothing, carefully write out each and every line of code, it would only be harmful to take these new machines away, disable them just because we are afraid of what they can do. The same technology that created the atom bomb also created the nuclear reactor.

“But where the danger is, also grows the saving power.”

mold_aid 11 hours ago | parent | next [-]

So you would say it is not "trendy" to be pro-AI right now, is that it? That it's not trendy to say things like "it's not going away" or "AI isn't a fad" or "AI needs better critics" - one reaction is reasonable, well thought-out, the other is a bandwagon?

DiscourseFan 11 hours ago | parent [-]

At the very least there is an ideological conflict brewing in tech, and this post is a flashpoint. But just like the recent war between Israel and Hamas, no amount of reaction can defeat technological dominance--at least not in the long term. And the pro-AI side, whether you think its good or evil, certainly exceeds the other in terms of sheer force through their embrace of technology.

mold_aid 11 hours ago | parent [-]

yessss but [fry eyes.gif] can't tell if that's presented as apologia or critique

Epa095 11 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Notice that the weavers, both the luddites and their non-opposing colleagues, certainly did not get wealthier. They lost their jobs, and they and their children starved. Some starved to death. Wealth was created, but it was not shared.

Remember this when talking about their actions. People live and die their own life, not just as small parts in a large 'river of society'. Yes, generations after them benefited from industrialisation, but the individuals living at that time fought for their lives.

DiscourseFan 11 hours ago | parent [-]

I'm only saying that destroying the mechanical loom didn't help.

amvrrysmrthaker 11 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

It’s in our power to stop it. There’s no point in people like you promoting the interests of the super wealthy at the cost of the humanity of the common people. You should figure out how to positively contribute or not do so at all.

DiscourseFan 11 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It is not in the interests of the super wealthy alone, just like JP Morgan's railroads were created for his sake but in the end produced great wealth for everyone in America. It is very short sighted to see this as merely some oppression from above. Technology is not class-oriented, it just is, and it happens to be articulated in terms of class because of the mode of social organization we live in.

cons0le 10 hours ago | parent [-]

Is the "Great wealth for everyone in America" in the room with us now?

There's certainly great wealth for ~1000 billionaires, but where I am nobody I know has healthcare, or owns a house for example.

If your argument is that we could be poorer, that's not really productive or useful for people that are struggling now.

cm2012 11 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Its not possible to stop anymore than the Luddites could stop the industrial revolution in textiles.

spencerflem 9 hours ago | parent [-]

Yeah but you can maybe try. Comments like this make it seem like you don’t care

xorgun 11 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

If you think it’s in your power to stop you are delusional.