This is the best episode of TrueAnon since the The Game series, and the best interview relating to "AI" in its current form you'll find on any podcast.

They interview Douglas Rushkoff "to discuss what's real and what's fake about the AI publicity push, the next phase of the internet, and human connection in the oppressive techno-future."

Rushkoff is the perfect guest for this topic on this show. Brace and Liz are incredibly insightful on the issue.

Go listen to it. If someone has a non-patreon'd link, please do share.

I specifically can't get over Rushkoff's point about how "AI" as it's being used is - instead of allowing us to see the humanity behind the machine - is instead conforming us the actual people to be more machine-like, through things like auto-correct and auto-complete algorithms, we are being nudged and incentivized and prodded into thinking less, relying on the AI more, for the sake of endless efficiency, at the cost of creativity and any language beyond the most default efficient way of speaking or thinking.

"AI" isn't intelligent, or sentient, or sapient, but it may as well be, for how it only exists to - as a technology and concept - get human beings to shave themselves down for the sake of the AI's ease.

Every time we use it, we help it far more than it helps us, and it's not even really helping us...

GO LISTEN TO THE EPISODE, IT'S INCREDIBLE

  • UlyssesT [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    instead of allowing us to see the humanity behind the machine - is instead conforming us the actual people to be more machine-like, through things like auto-correct and auto-complete algorithms, we are being nudged and incentivized and prodded into thinking less, relying on the AI more, for the sake of endless efficiency, at the cost of creativity and any language beyond the most default efficient way of speaking or thinking

    The brief hype wave that reached Hexbear a few months ago where some totally-leftist bazingas were saying, to sum up, "actually human meat computers are just a more primitive, squishier, and more inferior ChatGPT anyway, materialistically offer nothing of value over this liberating new technology that is only replacing jobs done by spoiled labor aristocrats, so why are you emotional about it? I don't care about artists, writers, teachers, or other not real workers, I want cheaper treats" very-intelligent now sounds like it was pre-emptive merry skipping down the still-unfinished road the techbros are still paving for the rest of us. yea

      • UlyssesT [he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        If you insist, I can direct message you some of the names I remember from back then. I'm not sure what you want from them, though.

        My point was to bring up such arguments were made here on this ostensibly leftist space that is supposed to be about worker solidarity. No matter how I disliked their takes, my intention isn't to start up a months-later brigade against them, thus why I omitted names from my post.

        EDIT: Fine, screw it. I sent you a personal message with one of the most glaring examples of everything I summed up in my post, all in one thread from months ago.

    • Ossay [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      don't worry; thanks to climate change that road isn't gonna be that long yea

    • LGOrcStreetSamurai [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      "I don't care about artists, writers, teachers, or other not real workers, I want cheaper treats"

      It's really a bummer this sentiment has been the ethos of The Net since its inception. Makers of treats are not valued, treat are valued but only so far as they are free. Makers of things can barely even get something as simple as a "like" or whatever, but people will swipe their creation and then demand they make more treats. Machine Learning technologies and other artificial intelligence related tools are cracking this idea into turbo overdrive. I feel particularly bad for teachers as so many online teachers are just marketers who want to sell knowledge rather than the real-deal teacher who just want to the infinite reach of the net to help educate people.

      I think about this image so often. I can't find the book I would love to read it but this single image I think captures my views on leftist thought and tech.. It pretty much sums up why I hate technology under capitalism. The makers of treats would thrive, vibe, and probably make more and better treats if tech didn't hollow them out like it does under capitalism.