this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2024
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[–] [email protected] 161 points 2 months ago (4 children)

And this technology is what our executive overlords want to replace human workers with, just so they can raise their own compensation and pay the remaining workers even less

[–] [email protected] 60 points 2 months ago (1 children)

So much this. The whole point is to annihilate entire sectors of decent paying jobs. That's why "AI" is garnering all this investment. Exactly like Theranos. Doesn't matter if their product worked, or made any goddamned sense at all really. Just the very idea of nuking shitloads of salaries is enough to get the investor class to dump billions on the slightest chance of success.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Exactly like Theranos

Is it though? This one is an idea that can literally destroy the economic system. Seems different to ignore that detail.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Current gen AI can't come close to destroying the economy. It's the most overhyped technology I've ever seen in my life.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You're missing the point. They aim to replace most/all jobs. For that to be possible, it will need investment, and to get a lot better. If that happens, a worldwide inability to make a living will happen. It likely will have negative impact even on the rich bastards.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

There's an upper ceiling on capability though, and we're pretty close to it with LLMs. True artificial intelligence would change the world drastically, but LLMs aren't the path to it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Yeah, I never said this is going to happen. All I was commenting on is how it's ironic that the people investing in destroying jobs are too myopic to realize that would be bad for them too.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

They always miss this part. It's (part of) why the Republicans wanting to be Russian-style oligarchs is so insane. And ignoring good faith government and their disregard for the rule of law.

Do they KNOW what happens to Russian oligarchs? Why do they think they're immune to that part of it? Do they really want the cutthroat politics of places like Russia and Africa, where they constantly have to watch their backs?

These people already have money. Their aims, if achieved, will not make their lives better.

Many years ago the people who ruled this country figured out that the best thing for them was to spread power and have most civilians in good health. Government by committee and good faith government is less about ethical treatment of citizens (though I appreciate the side effect) and more about protecting the committee and/or the would be dictator.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Pretty much the sanest take I've read in a while. Thank you for getting it, fellow Lemming.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Ah, I misunderstood then, sorry. But still, even with all the investment in the world, LLM is a bubble waiting to burst. I have a hunch we will see truly world-altering technology in the next ~20 years (the kind that'd put huge swathes of people out of work, as you describe), but this ain't it.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

This is the kind of shit that makes Idiocracy the most weirdly prophetic movie I’ve ever seen.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Ignoring the blatant eugenics of the very first scene, I'd rather live in the idiocracy world because at least the president with all of his machismo and grandstanding was still humble enough to put the smartest guy in the room in charge of actually getting plants to grow.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

My take away from that was the poorly educated had more kids.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Giving the benefit of the doubt I can see that reading but it definitely implied that stupidity is genetic because of how big the stupid people family tree gets and the scifi story it was based on was a looooot more explicit with the eugenics of the story.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (2 children)

yeah, I honestly am expecting to die in a camp at this point.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

This combined with the meteoric rise of fascism absolutely leave me thinking that I'll probably end up in a concentration camp

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Hope for the best but prepare for the worst!

[–] [email protected] -3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I am starting to think google put this up on purpose to destroy people's opinion on AI. They are so much behind Open AI that they would benefit from it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I doubt there's any sort of 4D chess going on, instead of the whole thing being brought about by short-sighted executives who feel like they have to do something to show that they're still in the game exactly because they're so much behind "Open"AI

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It is possible to happen without any 4D chess thinking, they try, they realize that they failed, but they realize that they win here either way.

This shit is so bad that even a blind guy can see it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

This shit is so bad that even a blind guy can see it.

You severely underestimate the shortsightedness of the executive class. They're usually so convinced of their infallibility that they absolutely will make decisions that are obviously terrible to anyone looking in from the outside

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Conspiratorial thinking at it's finest.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Yes, because this whole thing is incredible stupid, that how could they not see it? Saying of course is that "never attribute to malice what can be attributed to incompetence", but holy shit how incompetent this 2 trillion dollar company was.