Post B9fuHmmUPrdzWanKsa by owl@u8.is
(DIR) More posts by owl@u8.is
(DIR) Post #B9fIFOWpopkxTAuB3Q by owl@u8.is
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"We have to use AI at work" or else what? What happened when you said no thanks? What happened when you refused? What happened when you quietly just didn't use it? What happened when you said it's shit And gives shit results (not a lie even if you haven't used it)? What happened when you asked your union if they'd back you up for refusing AI on ethical grounds? Which of these did you try?
(DIR) Post #B9fIFOjF4hgI5ei5OS by IngaLovinde@embracing.space
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@owl > What happened when you said no thanks?They didn't force me to use it, but that's because by that point (1) my probation period was already over, and (2) I already had proven myself as having some Special Skills they don't (currently) want to lose. > What happened when you refused? What happened when you quietly just didn't use it?See above. > What happened when you said it's shit And gives shit results (not a lie even if you haven't used it)?I got it mentioned on my performance reviews (as me being too cynical and dismissive and unwilling to engage in productive conflict, and also unwilling to learn and not really trusting other people), and it is somewhat clear that if I keep saying it too often and too loud, then my violation of company values will outweigh the benefit my Special Skills bring to the company, and I will be let go. > What happened when you asked your union if they'd back you up for refusing AI on ethical grounds?What union lol 🥲
(DIR) Post #B9fIvtj0DqA0NxrbLk by owl@u8.is
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@IngaLovinde great that saying no thanks worked, I guess that means you don't have to use AI at work!
(DIR) Post #B9fIvtxBN7VF5wUvS4 by IngaLovinde@embracing.space
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@owl I personally don't, yes. That's an exception because of these Special Skills. It was recently announced that the usage of AI will now be a contributing factor in regular performance reviews; and apparently there is going to be an exception for me specifically from that, too.(It's funny that CTO still mentions from time to time how much does he appreciate these skills and if I would just think about how much more could I accomplish if I just convinced these skills _and_ "AI"; how I would be able to do the same thing I'm doing now (and nobody else does) but at 10x the speed and 10x the scale. And every time I explain to him that it's a direct contradiction; that the reason why I can do what I can do is because I'm not using AI, and that maybe, just maybe, he can entertain the thought that it's my skills that are telling me that this "AI" thing is bullshit, and maybe he should listen to that? But he never does.)
(DIR) Post #B9fJZMWX5B9Mztqh8q by owl@u8.is
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@IngaLovinde what happened to coworkers who said no or refused?
(DIR) Post #B9fJZMl4D8mBiyeInQ by IngaLovinde@embracing.space
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@owl they were pressured (or peer pressured) until they relented. I'm not aware if it went as far as e.g. performance improvement plan for any of them, but I think that it was always a threat. (Had I been smarter and had I had better soft skills, I would have probably relented too, but apparently my soft skills suck (must have something to do with me lacking theory of mind or respect of authority or what do they call it these days 🙃) and I was lucky to have already by that point established myself as someone they don't want to lose (had this happened earlier, I would definitely not pass the probation period and would be unemployed now).)
(DIR) Post #B9fLQpu8fymlQEx8M4 by owl@u8.is
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@IngaLovinde in the case of peer pressure at least it sounds less like "we have to use AI at work" and more like "I decided to use it because coworkers thought I should and that held more weight than whatever my own thoughts are about AI", so maybe not one of those who would post complainingly about "have to" use AI
(DIR) Post #B9fLQqARhLpUEoa9lw by IngaLovinde@embracing.space
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@owl "because the coworkers thought I should and the management thought I should and I was constantly pestered from all sides about how I should and it was clear that if I don't cave in this might have consequences. Do I really pick this as a hill to die on?"At least that's how it looks to me.
(DIR) Post #B9fsKWLxkdMRXEYzlw by owl@u8.is
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@IngaLovinde I would pick the hill. If that gets me fired, so be it, thats's what unions' unemployment funds are for. But to clarify, the quoted part of the original post is referencing posts along those lines that mention nothing about even peer pressure, so it seems like "we have to" means "someone said we should so I guess there's no other option shrug".Or at least if I was forced to do something under threats so severe that I cannot refuse for some reason, that's what I would write, and also ask for help.But I also have the "rigid thinking" disorder that won't let me disregard my personal ethics just because someone threatens or pressures me
(DIR) Post #B9fsKWcyjMyKO0WaIK by IngaLovinde@embracing.space
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@owl yeah we're siblings in disorder. > If that gets me fired, so be it, thats's what unions' unemployment funds are for.So uhhh my unemployment story was that I lost one job, spent five months trying to find another (as in, full-time searching for a job, spending way more than 40 hours a week polishing CV, going through job boards, writing cover letters, sending applications, doing interviews, doing take-home assignments etc.And then I found that other job and a few months later they terminated me allegedly for being too good (in exactly the way they originally hired me for), with basically no notice because I was still in probation. And from there it took me almost nine more months to find a new job (the unemployment insurance, which is 60% of the regular net salary (barely enough to pay rent and groceries at substinence level), is only paid for 12 months). Again with more than 40 hours of work spent on job search.Losing that third job while on probation would make it much much more difficult to find a new one with such a shitty CV; and also I wouldn't be eligible for unemployment insurance for much longer, having been unemployed for so long. Maybe I would have protested more if not for that excruciating soul crushing job search experience.But of course I don't know what other people's circumstances are. I guess for men (especially those without that "cares too much about what they do" disorder) it's easier to find a new job.(I haven't seen "the quoted post" though.)
(DIR) Post #B9fuHmmUPrdzWanKsa by owl@u8.is
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@IngaLovinde Yeah I remember that. And hey, you said nah no AI for me and then there was no AI for you.It's just the way people post about AI at work makes it sound like they have never ever refused to do a thing at work which is frankly both disturbing and eye-opening considering all the shit that got done by employees in corporations even before AI.
(DIR) Post #B9fuHn39PuyIMGadqi by IngaLovinde@embracing.space
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@owl yeah for me it's very disturbing that I know that there are other people sharing my sentiment but they almost never speak up, making it seem like I'm the troublemaker and the only one who has a problem with something everybody else are okay with.Like, if you also hate this shit and think it sucks and hate when it gets thrown into your lap, and you complain about it to me in private and on team meetings with other like-minded people, then how come I'm the only one who speaks up against it in public and you at best join with something along the lines of "uhh I'm not really very enthusiastic about that thing that got thrown into my lap this time, but okay I guess"?I even fucking made an anonymous public poll, with the question "your opinion on the overall usage of AI during development of our codebase", with options ranging from "1. I think it's used too much, should be used much less" to "5. I think it's not used enough, should be used much more", intending to use it as an argument with CTO. And most people voted "3. I think it's used just the right amount / don't know / don't care", and some of those who complained to me about all the "AI" bullshit told me all the various reasons why they voted 3. While I'm the only one who voted 1.(Okay now I realize that I'm turning this thread into a general rant about my life and my work...)
(DIR) Post #B9fx5tX9meZyr5e1Ca by burnitdown@beige.party
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@IngaLovinde @owl tbh it sounds like many of your fellow workers are already agitated and just don't know what to do. the next step then is to educate them about what they can do, and how to do it all together so you aren't picked off one by one. having one-on-one conversations with those fellow workers, outside of the workplace, and talking about what you can do together, is the next step. there are plenty of examples of what workers in other workplaces have already done, which tactics work, and which ones don't. everyone who wants to resist needs to feel confident that something can be done, that they are not alone, and that it has been done successfully before, many times. whatever you do, don't let the boss have any idea that this is what you're doing. if you're wondering why your fellow workers don't speak up, it's because they're missing this next step.