You’re right that global warming is an existential threat. And right now the power grid is contributing to it.
At the same time, we’re seeing constant innovations in solar power and battery technology, while the cost of both are going down. Solar is now the cheapest source of energy per unit. There is enough energy from the sun to cover multiples of all current energy use by humans.
AI models started out as extremely energy intensive, but are becoming increasingly more efficient. You can now run models on your phone with abilities which previously required a server running dedicated graphics cards.
You’re also right that we shouldn’t outsource critical thinking. Still to say AI has “all the worst use cases” is wrong. Yes, it has plenty of bad use cases, by many great ones. I use it in my day to day work to save time.
Something like a law banning the use of AI will never pass, and if it did, other countries wouldn’t also pass it. A country which uses AI will outperform one that does not (economically, although probably militarily as well). In that scenario, leaving AI capability in the hands of private enterprise makes us subject to the whims of rich elites. For an analog see the case of Elon Musk turning Starlink on/off in Ukraine. Which again is why I do think there’s value in open source AI, and more specifically AI only available to democratically controlled entities - nation states but also things like worker cooperatives to compete with corporations.
What are we doing in life that we need ridiculous autocomplete to save time at work?
If we wanna talk about absolutes, we don’t need commute at all, and cars, and we can just build trains and live happy lives without consuming so much shit.
AI is not needed anywhere at all. Unlike food (vegan), water, heat, and shelter.
You’re right, we don’t “need” most modern conveniences. But they save us time and provide an improved quality of life. Why do we need power tools? Why motors? Why electricity, running water, artificial light? I joke, but AI is one of a long chain of tools designed to save us time, or extend our capabilities and reach. Why are you particularly opposed to this one over others? I return to my argument: AI is concerning because of its potential for change. I don’t think we can prevent it from existing, but we can make it accessible to normal people and not solely the domain of the rich.
You’re right that global warming is an existential threat. And right now the power grid is contributing to it.
At the same time, we’re seeing constant innovations in solar power and battery technology, while the cost of both are going down. Solar is now the cheapest source of energy per unit. There is enough energy from the sun to cover multiples of all current energy use by humans.
AI models started out as extremely energy intensive, but are becoming increasingly more efficient. You can now run models on your phone with abilities which previously required a server running dedicated graphics cards.
You’re also right that we shouldn’t outsource critical thinking. Still to say AI has “all the worst use cases” is wrong. Yes, it has plenty of bad use cases, by many great ones. I use it in my day to day work to save time.
Something like a law banning the use of AI will never pass, and if it did, other countries wouldn’t also pass it. A country which uses AI will outperform one that does not (economically, although probably militarily as well). In that scenario, leaving AI capability in the hands of private enterprise makes us subject to the whims of rich elites. For an analog see the case of Elon Musk turning Starlink on/off in Ukraine. Which again is why I do think there’s value in open source AI, and more specifically AI only available to democratically controlled entities - nation states but also things like worker cooperatives to compete with corporations.
What are we doing in life that we need ridiculous autocomplete to save time at work?
If we wanna talk about absolutes, we don’t need commute at all, and cars, and we can just build trains and live happy lives without consuming so much shit.
AI is not needed anywhere at all. Unlike food (vegan), water, heat, and shelter.
Which many people don’t have.
You’re right, we don’t “need” most modern conveniences. But they save us time and provide an improved quality of life. Why do we need power tools? Why motors? Why electricity, running water, artificial light? I joke, but AI is one of a long chain of tools designed to save us time, or extend our capabilities and reach. Why are you particularly opposed to this one over others? I return to my argument: AI is concerning because of its potential for change. I don’t think we can prevent it from existing, but we can make it accessible to normal people and not solely the domain of the rich.
I’m talking mostly about ads and random plastic shit polluting the earth. Which ties to planned obsolence.
AI makes sense in many places, but fuck LLMs, we can do better.