My cold take on generative AI is that it: - is already useful in many domains and will become useful in many more - will have some worthy uses but also many uses that are harmful to the social fabric - is and will continue to be misguidedly relied upon for many uses to which it is not well-suited - ThreadSky

willoremus.com • 2 days ago

My cold take on generative AI is that it:
- is already useful in many domains and will become useful in many more
- will have some worthy uses but also many uses that are harmful to the social fabric
- is and will continue to be misguidedly relied upon for many uses to which it is not well-suited

Comments

bridgetdooling.bsky.social•2 days ago

Will, are you saying it requires some nuanced thinking? Disappointing.

terraistrying.bsky.social•2 days ago

Sure ignore the environment harms. The employment harms. Misinformation and loss of critical thinking
harms.

dannygroner.bsky.social•2 days ago

The backend uses have proven valuable out of sight, the frontend uses subject to their application and outcomes. The vast majority of AI advancement is on the backend.

willoremus.com•2 days ago

can you give an example of what you mean by backend uses?

dannygroner.bsky.social•2 days ago

I met someone recently looking to go early at a startup. I asked a friend who is a founder if he's hiring engineers. He said he never anticipates hiring engineers. I asked why. He said he used to write 1,000 lines of code per day, now he can do 10,000.

... Can that guy write more than 10,000 daily?

willoremus.com•2 days ago

Ah OK, so you're considering AI coding assistants to be a backend use?

dannygroner.bsky.social•2 days ago

It's one example. Another that has come up: CMOs of email marketing companies staying up late learning to code agentic AI. That industry won't require copywriters anymore not because their jobs are being taken rather because agents show better results. My mom won't know any of it going on. Backend.

cv-danes.com•2 days ago

In this it is no different than any other tech :-)

neilturkewitz.bsky.social•2 days ago

Yes, but more important than whether AI may or may not have useful applications is whether it’s produced in non-exploitative ways. All present major AI models are the fruit of misappropriation—the strip mining of our souls & cultural output. Fruit of a poisonous tree is toxic. We need a do over.

willoremus.com•2 days ago

I think that's a legitimate viewpoint but I see it as a separate (albeit related) debate

neilturkewitz.bsky.social•2 days ago

I hear you, but I don’t know how we can have a rational conversation about the relative benefits & risks of AI without discussing the elephant in the room—at a minimum by recognizing the immense shade caused by said elephant. I don’t mean for everyone to have to live in my world, but…