Is using AI going to be a new addiction like the one that social media and networks have created?
andy99 · 8h ago
It's interesting to think about the parallels.
Social networks hijacked the natural reward system people have regarding interpersonal interaction.
What's the analogy for LLMs? Outsourcing thought (which used to be required to accomplish things) to a crappy simulation of it?
Or another way to look at it, engagement algorithms on social media prioritize empty content that's easy and mindless to consume. RLHF or whatever preference optimization algorithm trains LLMs prioritizes empty but plausible content that replaces real thought and writing effort.
Our stomachs (fast food), our social skills, and now our thinking are all atrophying.
ramijames · 8h ago
It's awful that we can never seem to predict what the next big ill to society will be. We just plow forward until we crash into it, let it do its damage, and hope for the best. There is nobody at the wheel and we have big problems that we all need to find a way to deal with collectively. It's incredibly concerning.
ramijames · 8h ago
It already is.
test1674k · 6h ago
The chutzpah of software engineers to claim they are underpaid never creases to amaze me
AStonesThrow · 8h ago
This article seems to be referring to the newest LLMs and the associated craze around generative AI in particular, rather than demonstrating any insight or deep knowledge about A.I. type systems, including Machine Learning, neural networks, inference engines, expert systems, etc. etc.
The reality is that A.I. systems have pervaded our lives for decades. Businesses have implemented A.I. at all sorts of levels, whether or not it was formally called or considered A.I., they've done it.
And if you only knew how pervasive and common it's been for this long period of time, you may begin to doubt whether your life is worse because of it. Perhaps your life is the same. Perhaps your life is even better, because you've actually been able to get things done, as a consumer, as a citizen, thanks to A.I. systems churning in the background and presenting a uniform interface to you and the human droids you've encountered on the front-lines.
There is currently a huge circus going on around LLMs and generative type A.I. These are not the be-all, end-all of the technology, and it's disingenuous for myopic authors like this to limit the conversation around it.
tim333 · 6h ago
The interesting bit is slightly in the future AI like what will be around in a year or two. People say LLMs aren't a big deal because they can't do this or that but things will get fixed up and there are other algorithms.
Social networks hijacked the natural reward system people have regarding interpersonal interaction.
What's the analogy for LLMs? Outsourcing thought (which used to be required to accomplish things) to a crappy simulation of it?
Or another way to look at it, engagement algorithms on social media prioritize empty content that's easy and mindless to consume. RLHF or whatever preference optimization algorithm trains LLMs prioritizes empty but plausible content that replaces real thought and writing effort.
Our stomachs (fast food), our social skills, and now our thinking are all atrophying.
The reality is that A.I. systems have pervaded our lives for decades. Businesses have implemented A.I. at all sorts of levels, whether or not it was formally called or considered A.I., they've done it.
And if you only knew how pervasive and common it's been for this long period of time, you may begin to doubt whether your life is worse because of it. Perhaps your life is the same. Perhaps your life is even better, because you've actually been able to get things done, as a consumer, as a citizen, thanks to A.I. systems churning in the background and presenting a uniform interface to you and the human droids you've encountered on the front-lines.
There is currently a huge circus going on around LLMs and generative type A.I. These are not the be-all, end-all of the technology, and it's disingenuous for myopic authors like this to limit the conversation around it.