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Why agentic AI creeps out women: because it's written by bros for bros who want Stepford Wives, and conveys that vibe: commercial AIs are fine-tuned to perform as cheerfully submissive handmaids, not working partners:
https://abiawomosu.substack.com/p/they-built-stepford-ai-and-called
@cstross it's really good for about 2/3 of the way, and then it feels to me like it really goes off the rails.
@cstross I get *exactly* that feeling those women interviewed describe when looking at AI imagery, reading AI text or when I've had to interact with an LLM chatbot. Utter revulsion from deep in the hindbrain, sometimes surfacing *before* I'm sure I'm looking at AI output.
I can't explain exactly why. (And I'm not a woman, so I don't think the suggested explanation here would apply to me.)
@Colman @cstross I can't explain what it is. And it's more pronounced with images than with text (but *even more* pronounced when I've had to use a chatbot).
It's not simply distaste; it's a revulsion that feels so deep-seated and primal that I imagine my pet lizard would recognize the feeling itself (though obviously not the context).
The 'typing' of the AI options kinda nails it:
'ChatGPT’s defining feature isn’t efficiency. It’s sycophancy. She agrees with whatever you say. Validates your position even when you’re wrong. Tells you what you want to hear. Never really pushes back. Makes you feel smart regardless of reality.
This isn’t a bug. It’s retention strategy.'
@cstross I find it quite telling that ai still struggles with all kinds of details, but pretty girls faces it can do spot on.
@cstross The article swerves hard at the end to suddenly supporting liberated girlboss women commanding their own the Stepford AIs :\
@cstross if only we lived in a world where people listened to women. What a concept!
I wrote this series on AI two years ago. We also have it in a printable zine version.
https://www.rootschangemedia.com/bros-club-tech-ai-dominance/
@cstross I can't stand it when an LLM uses first person pronouns, F that obsequious, servile, self effacing BS.
@cstross I'm predicting the comments will be filled by people who didn't even read the whole thing to the end. The author isn't saying women should reject AI 😉
@cstross for femme presenting AI i’d want Ross from Night Court, or Floe or Selma:
Otherwise it would be Burroughs or Hunter S. Thompson AI for that Dixie Flatline Feel, with a high preference for Hunter
@MedeaVanamonde Spider Jerusalem or go home!
@cstross
Hunter’s disembodied voice “Good god man! Don’t you realize there’s a chip shortage on? We can’t stop here, it’s Malware Country”
@MedeaVanamonde Meanwhile Spider Jerusalem injects a speedball straight into his eye socket then dials his bowel disrupter to "Prolapse" smiles like a skull, and prepares to conduct another adversarial interview—
I had my Hunter iconography amped by Colonel Hunter Gathers on the Venture Brothers…a cartoon i binge watch when Psyche and Pneuma have been injured.
@cstross Het is maar net waar de AI mee gevoed wordt. Varkens leveren varkens op.
