Post AdcPtABWdYEpIAZ5KC by faassen@fosstodon.org
(DIR) More posts by faassen@fosstodon.org
(DIR) Post #AdcLA55YL3ZQdd1EkS by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-07T23:08:50Z
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As my post continues to make its way around the internet, the number of people who appear to interpret "It's OK to call it Artificial Intelligence" as "This guy says we should only be allowed to call it AI!" is a little disappointing https://simonwillison.net/2024/Jan/7/call-it-ai/
(DIR) Post #AdcMi64JIkkFTfDnnM by trisweb@m.trisweb.com
2024-01-07T23:25:57Z
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@simon what the heck else is it saying then?I’d love to give you the benefit of nuance, but the words say what they say.
(DIR) Post #AdcNZmSqPDoEJUIO4u by kiel@mastodon.social
2024-01-07T23:35:21Z
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@simon i, for one, appreciated the use of “LLM” everywhere.
(DIR) Post #AdcOhwAqI06ShLKQwy by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-07T23:48:51Z
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@trisweb if I write an article about something that fits in the field of AI research, and I use that acronym somewhere, I would like people to stop saying "well actually, that shouldn't be called AI because it's not Intelligence because..."Does that help clarify what I'm talking about here?
(DIR) Post #AdcP5eOq1ckMWRBMqu by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-07T23:49:55Z
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Did you interpret me saying "it's OK to call it artificial intelligence" as me meaning "it should only be called artificial intelligence?"
(DIR) Post #AdcPK3r4BCvpWaG1Ka by trisweb@m.trisweb.com
2024-01-07T23:50:53Z
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@simon well, sure, but it seems a rather small scoped and narrow solution to a much bigger and more important problem.I get it though. I might have phrased it a bit closer to what you've said here, more about what you're going to do and why rather than what we should all do. That latter bit is, as you've probably seen in the response, quite a bit more important to more people.
(DIR) Post #AdcPUhBknE2uPa0LZI by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-07T23:51:24Z
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@kiel I'm definitely going to keep on using the term LLM when I'm writing about LLMs - I'm just going to stop twisting myself in knots to avoid using the term "AI" in the same articles
(DIR) Post #AdcPgk5toeDWtk0ieW by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-07T23:52:37Z
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@trisweb which important problem do you mean?If you mean the problem of people assuming that the things now being called "AI" are the science fiction version of AI, then that's 100% the problem I'd like us to all be working together to solve!
(DIR) Post #AdcPtABWdYEpIAZ5KC by faassen@fosstodon.org
2024-01-07T23:54:49Z
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@simon@trisweb Interesting phenomenon. It reminds me a bit of whispering "systemd" on the internet.People seem to be very certain about what the word "intelligence" means and where it absolutely cannot be applied. Strong feelings are involved.
(DIR) Post #AdcQ5Nk63WgiobYsoC by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-07T23:59:16Z
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In terms of what I'm going to do:1. I'm going to stop personally trying to avoiding the term AI, and attempt not to get sidetracked into arguments about what "intelligence" means every time I use it2. I'm going to encourage people who are talking about science fiction AIs to use the term "AGI" instead3. I'm going to continue trying to help people understand this stuff: how it works, what it can do, its limitations and its ethical problems
(DIR) Post #AdcQFt5uLTwowllzge by trisweb@m.trisweb.com
2024-01-08T00:01:58Z
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@simon I suggest you talk to someone very well versed in marketing then, because the words do matter, and ignoring that won't get us very far on that front.But I really am not in the mood for a wordsmithing conversation, so I wish you luck.My personal evaluation, however, is that reeducating the entire population isn't a viable strategy.
(DIR) Post #AdcSTGDVt3gSKjppUu by webology@mastodon.social
2024-01-08T00:29:29Z
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@simon Saying this as your friend, but it gave me very gatekeeper vibes when I read the first few iterations of it. Knowing you, I know that is not what you would ever intend, but if I didn't know you, I definitely would have thought that was the point. That aside, I struggled with it. I know it's changed a lot since the first version or two, but it wasn't super clear to me what your intention was with it. 🤷
(DIR) Post #AdcgmNL12BJhHNLwkC by vorlon@mastodon.social
2024-01-08T03:11:13Z
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@simon actually it's called GNU/AI
(DIR) Post #Adchm78HNxewyOppLs by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-08T03:21:55Z
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@webology I've apparently been pretty clumsy with this, I was trying to push back against the gatekeeping I see from people who say "actually you're wrong to even use the term AI here because..."
(DIR) Post #AdchyTocsOg0nYXShk by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-08T03:22:35Z
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@webology I maybe need to revise the meaning of the term "gate keeping"
(DIR) Post #AdciE95Xhu9x9CvBNg by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-08T03:27:19Z
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@webology OK, I see that you mean here. The tone of my article was dismissive of people who hold the opinion that AI isn't "intelligent", and said that their perspective isn't usefulThat might explain why Jeff Atwood took such extreme offense as wellI'll think about this some more
(DIR) Post #AdcjUYtbchWhm8jIn2 by webology@mastodon.social
2024-01-08T03:40:46Z
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@simon I missed that part and I don't follow him. That might explain, but obviously not justify, why you saw an uptick of negative responses though.
(DIR) Post #Adcjmtwm5ueAHDxO5I by trisweb@m.trisweb.com
2024-01-08T03:44:55Z
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@simon No, that isn't your problem in my opinion. I think many people disagree strongly with you even about the first version.
(DIR) Post #Adcp39KZAJCuOPeUsa by trdebunked@mastodon.social
2024-01-08T04:43:54Z
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@simon i think its perfectly valid to use the same terminology the science does. my other post was a parody of popular sentiment.calling it something else in protest of marketers is fine.also systemd is literally the antichrist, its why there are more earthquakes these days.
(DIR) Post #Adcq8Vj5QW7xFlF2sC by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-08T04:56:03Z
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@trisweb Is the disagreement here that it's actually /not/ OK to call it AI?If that's your position here (and the position of other people who I've angered) then I might finally understand why this all got so heated.
(DIR) Post #Adcr7WQnQ6Hz6WmM4m by trdebunked@mastodon.social
2024-01-08T05:07:05Z
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@simon i think its perfectly valid to use the same terminology the science does. my other post was a parody of popular sentiment.calling it something else in protest of marketers is fine.also systemd is literally the antichrist, its why there are more earthquakes these days.people need to understand that jeff atwoods shit posts are only considered infallible when hes sitting on the throne of st peter.
(DIR) Post #AdcyVyar43NX4q5jzk by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-08T06:29:56Z
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@webology I'm definitely coming round to the idea that people were justifiably offended now - on a close re-read, the sentence "I still don’t think this argument is a helpful contribution to the discussion" is actually quite rude and confrontational.
(DIR) Post #AddN9ATzByeG916F04 by happyborg@fosstodon.org
2024-01-08T11:06:02Z
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@simon people are, more often than not disappointing.
(DIR) Post #AdddI02B0WcFbzKDdA by trisweb@m.trisweb.com
2024-01-08T14:06:28Z
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@simon oh absolutely. Completely disagree with your whole premise, and I think many people do.But I respect your right to have that opinion, I just think you may have crossed into more controversial when you made it more of a universal decree.
(DIR) Post #AdgKiykyFNcPSy0uhs by simon@fedi.simonwillison.net
2024-01-09T21:22:16Z
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@webology After further thought, here's an apology and a clarification - cc @trisweb https://simonwillison.net/2024/Jan/9/what-i-should-have-said-about-ai/
(DIR) Post #AdgM6MWU9NdLn5x67U by webology@mastodon.social
2024-01-09T21:35:16Z
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@simon nicely done. I was never bent out of shape about it fwiw, but I do hope that it helps for any future "Hacker News re-posts something old like it's new again" which they really, really like to do.
(DIR) Post #AdgQbPeqwbHKJ7vZdw by mistersql@mastodon.social
2024-01-09T22:28:45Z
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@simon @webology @trisweb You're way too nice, man
(DIR) Post #AdgUw8Lmt6hcWk96YK by trisweb@m.trisweb.com
2024-01-09T23:17:12Z
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@simon @webology I really appreciate the sentiment. Perhaps unnecessary but still, makes me feel comfortable with the existing post. “Some people are choosing to call it AI and just be clear about why,” is a stance I can get behind.