I may regret this at some point, but I felt the need to put down in writing how I feel about this moment in the tech industry.
It is not kind. You may well be insulted by it. If you are... then you really should question yourself.
Discussion
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@Crell thank you for writing this. It takes a lot to stand up and say I do not accept this fait accompli.
You aren't alone in this feeling. Many of us share your frustration at folks ignoring the environmental and societal cost.
It is extremely concerning.
I try to resist it all each time I encounter it. The worst thing is that even teaching design now means students and clients say "But why not use the AI features?"
And each time I explain that learning how it should be done gives them the knowledge to evaluate Ai results.
But using AI costs much more than just processing power; the whole energy and planet implications are so, so bad.
@Crell as someone who didn't work in tech directly but like to read or see stuff from other experts. I saw that LLM is a blight pretty early myself (I think).
I heard that it's a must have as many innovations humankind made... While person will never bother looking up how many innovations humankind made be they failing along the way or being cruelest but efficient. LLM hammered in into everyone as it's a toy, playful stuff so you shouldn't worry about costs. The longer it goes the worse it gets but those who get burned are miniscule compared to those who only started using LLM.
We as society know about microplastics, covid, LLM, global warming but society will still use plastic everyday, won't wear mask in public transport, will play around with LLM, will contribute to organisations that burn our ecology to the ground.
There also wars be it your neighbour, yourself or far away from you. So there that whole aspect that affects our planet but you... The individual is the problem for not changing your habits. But it always comes that one does what everyone do, so few people masking doesn't mean everyone in bus will mask. You being vegan won't make others eat less. You not smoking won't stop assholes from smoking in public place. Social drinking is a must for most cultures.
You have to go against flow, you don't need to do all of the good stuff but changing to be vegan or to avoid use LLM... I think it's pretty easy to do one then other.
@Crell Thank you for quantifying the various aspects that it takes to keep AI running. It’s one of those details that is becoming increasingly apparent, but difficult to grasp the scope.
Would you care to elaborate on the “This is how societies die.” comment? Is that primarily in the sense of social apathy? In the lack of respect for others/foresight over long term consequences? The disruptive tactics of numerous tech companies that have eliminated many norms? Or something else?
@wwhitlow All of the above.
Major empires aren't destroyed from without, but by their own greed, infighting, and incompetence.
In this case, the "it is what it is" attitude is unworthy of someone in a democracy. That's how the billionaires and pedo-fascists were able to take over.
Then add short-sightedness about global warming for the last 50 years, and AI is just the latest part of it. That will kill us all. "It is what it is."
@Crell @wwhitlow I think the societal aspect goes further than that. Because we are ending up not teaching anything person to person any more.
Take StackOverflow. Although there were often simple questions (and answers) with little thought, there was also a large amount of great questions, with equally great answers — so detailed that you learned the actual basics. This is now gone due to AI.
LLMs have only learned old content from there, anything newly created projects won't even be thought.
@derickr @Crell @wwhitlow Writing and maintaining code - not one off projects for x - but all the rest that they are built on - is a social process in and of itself. What happens when the discussion and the collective learning and memory about it is lost?
Feels minor in relation to many of the global and localized impacts mentioned in the post, but one that I've not seen thought through elsewhere.