Post AxBqAIae0YjFSsDwDw by Johns_priv@mastodon.social
(DIR) More posts by Johns_priv@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #Ax81ZZLn9U2LY7gnjs by petejones@hcommons.social
2025-08-13T13:10:39Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
The two types of AI critics...
(DIR) Post #Ax81ZaRr4QTsxDX9pQ by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-13T13:31:58Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@petejones I'm very much in the first camp in some cases. And that's because "AI" (I think LLM is a more descriptive term) covers a wide range of computer programs and data repositories. Is it possible to train a run an LLM "ethically" ? Yes. Is any large company doing it? No. When we say "unethical" what are we talking about? The theft of creative works? The cynical and systematic creation of a tech bubble? The environment?
(DIR) Post #Ax81fBqJSxE6NYe5cu by Suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com
2025-08-13T13:33:03.610157Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@petejones If only people realized that all proprietary software and SaaSS is fundamentally unethical.
(DIR) Post #Ax81sLxz8aDTXeVjsG by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-13T13:35:23Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@petejones Some people think that those of us who object to AI do so for silly reasons: "the singularity" or some kind of notion that it's just creepy to have a machine talking like a person. The fantastical and more absurd objections are used to discredit the rejection of this tech as uncritical ludditism.
(DIR) Post #Ax81y1fNWeU8JsVqk4 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-13T13:36:24Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@petejones I think we need to be specific about the objections. For example:If a creator uses generated images in their work I won't support it because those images have been created for artwork scraped from creators without permission. I will not use a search engine that wastes energy sending my query to and LLM without my permission. I will support efforts to kneecap LLMs by holding the companies to account for their theft of creative content.
(DIR) Post #Ax88EJRbnLotobDmaW by petejones@hcommons.social
2025-08-13T14:46:33Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird For sure, you're adding some of the nuance that doesn't fit in a Drake meme, and I think we agree 😄My point is mostly that, for those of us who see the stealing of training data and the environmental costs of the computing needed as obvious deal-breakers that are enough to make us want nothing to do with it, the "it's not very good" complaint just completely misses the point. How good would the models need to be to justify the theft or the environmental damage? From this standpoint, people for whom being anti-AI means dunking on the quality of the models' output sound a bit like someone saying they don't eat meat because they don't digest it well in a room full of vegetarians.
(DIR) Post #Ax8BNTBLGAPsU6fe8O by 990000@mstdn.social
2025-08-13T15:21:48Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@futurebird @petejones I don’t get why nobody talks about the biggest issue with AI that’s not even about ethics but the fact that you have a very open ended chatbot trying to achieve the unachievable, trying to be an authority on everything. It’s just so dumb. There are many uses for ML that aren’t based on this extremely vague and open ended model that could effectively address the ethical issues at the same time by narrowing the focus, but no…. we have clowns running the world 🤡
(DIR) Post #Ax8FcrO3wnaliSDO8O by thesquirrelfish@sfba.social
2025-08-13T16:09:24Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @petejones that's so similar to the GMO discussion! A lot of people object to GMOs because of issues with patented seeds & overuse of pesticide & herbicide related to the technology, but all the objections are treated as if it's an irrational fear of the tech itself instead of the way monopolistic megacorps use the tech against farmers and other land stewards.
(DIR) Post #AxBqAIae0YjFSsDwDw by Johns_priv@mastodon.social
2025-08-15T09:42:56Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @petejones I am against it mainly because we are in a situation of climate emergency and the amount of water and energy wasted is embarrassing to even think about.