In a Capitalist Society. It’s not the technology that’s evil. It’s the people who are using it in negative ways and exploiting it that are. We need to know the truth if we want to stay alive.
Part of the problem is the the masses are gullible as hell. First of all they themselves go around using and hyping and normalizing these tools, that are in fact tools against them.
Second of all they don't even react to the most insultlingly obvious lies. For example "Universal Basic Income". Now stop for a minute as ask yourself if you know anywhere on this planet where you as a working person could lose your job and live comfortably on unemployment benefit. Now if you cannot do that.....HTF can you believe the same society will use AI to eliminate your job and then hand you out a cushy "Universal Basic Income". Its not freaking credible. At all. And yet people just let this lie be floated over and over.
I think that demonstrates the strength of the Tech Bros' manipulation of the masses--the "computer genius-entrepreneurs" make folks think that AI is the best thing since sliced bread (or cable porn or casual Fridays or whatever). Once you have the masses bamboozled, they won't question what's really going on with AI until it's too late to stop it.
"The AI Layoff Trap" paper pretty much shows that it's not going to work. No matter how many little "reforms" to placate the masses and make them less anxious, in the end there are not enough consumers buying anything to keep the economy going. It collapses. Nobody wants to hear something dire like that, so they believe the lies and stick their fingers in their ears and hope their worst nightmares don't come about. We realists are going to say, "Uh, just because you're afraid of a revolution/ complete change of how this corrupt system works doesn't mean it's not what's necessary."
It never ends well, does it? And I hate to be sexist, but it does seem like men, namely white males with tons of money and zero empathy, want to run the show and want us all to do what we're told without question. My response to that is, "Question EVERYTHING!"
Anything that is being forced upon the workers is probably not going to of benefit to the workers. Didn't Xi in China pass a measure saying that no AI firm can layoff workers without penalty? I wonder if Western powers would do likewise to protect it's consumers so it doesn't spiral out of control like that Wharton School paper points out.
I saw mention of Xi doing that on X... I will look for the link. At least in China the workers' jobs and dignity are of importance to the government. Too bad Westerners can't say the same thing. :(
We've been indoctrinated with the "fend for yourself" ideology, and that government cannot do anything good. That everything really should be left up to private interests and the Capitalists.
China has gone in a different direction, with a hybrid system of Capitalism and Government. Seems to be working much better than what we currently have in the US. But try telling that to a libertarian fanatic.
Someone really needs to investigate exactly what all these AI centers are actually being used for - instead of just blanket (but probably true) allegations. I mean, 136 AI centers in Virginia is definitely a big F'n clue for sure.
I'm glad you mentioned that AI can also be used for good humanitarian purposes and the problem is who gets to control the direction AI is being taken. There are many promising medical applications in AI - including making the deaf hear again, the crippled walk, and those who cannot see - see . AI may end up being biblical in its technological power, something Arthur C. Clark once wrote some time ago: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
The real battle is not to allow AI to replace our humanity, so that a relatively few can enrich themselves beyond imagination. This is the depraved model of society we now find ourselves in - where billionaires are dictating to us the boundaries of how we live our lives - in a fashion that devalues all our lives. It creates an unhealthy society, and one totally perverted by greed, human suffering and billionaire exploitation.
A beautiful quote: "The real battle is not to allow AI to replace our humanity, so that a relatively few can enrich themselves beyond imagination."
We need to hold onto our humanity at all costs. We don't have a healthy society, so adding a dangerous element like AI and all these data centers without stopping to consider the plus and negative sides of the issue is just a recipe for disaster, IMO.
The environmental impacts of these data centres are horrendous. And in a predatory economy like what we have here in the west, AI isn't benefitting society.
It's amazing how quickly concerns over the environmental impacts of AI data centers are being pushed aside. That in itself is a big clue that they're not good for human or other lifeforms. The economics don't lie--dumping all human workers and replacing them with AI will eventually destroy the capitalist system, and we can't assume that isn't the end game for the billionaire-oligarchs. We the workers need to organize and protect ourselves ASAP.
Especially here in the west. I practically never use AI, but if I do I use DeepSeek, the Chinese AI which is open source. I think it's better environmentally, and I trust their culture so much more than what we have here in the west.
It's amazing how much it's pushed on us too. Yuck!
Well written CA. I too an unsure about AI, and its' potential for misuse is substantial. It is up to us to be aware of its nefarious uses, avoid them, and verify what we read and see to avoid being solely beholden to AI to do our thinking for us. That's why I still try and write things (or rather type them) myself instead of allowing a chatbot to draft something for me. Technological advances like AI aren't inherently negative by themselves, but they can be used for such purpose.
A lot of articles I read about AI and learning--specifically using AI in the classroom--mentioned well-founded fears that we are "dumbing down" students to the point that they won't be able to fight back intellectually when the ruling class tells them it's time for them to "go away" (die off). We are creating the "Idiocracy" world made famous by the movie of the same title. That is very scary! We all need to exercise our brains like we exercise our bodies (or should exercise, in my case) so we aren't fooled and taken advantage of by those who don't have our best interests in mind, that is the billionaire-oligarch class.
Thanks, I've linked to you from https://everypolit.substack.com/p/ai-bad :-)
Thank you for the link, Karl!
Part of the problem is the the masses are gullible as hell. First of all they themselves go around using and hyping and normalizing these tools, that are in fact tools against them.
Second of all they don't even react to the most insultlingly obvious lies. For example "Universal Basic Income". Now stop for a minute as ask yourself if you know anywhere on this planet where you as a working person could lose your job and live comfortably on unemployment benefit. Now if you cannot do that.....HTF can you believe the same society will use AI to eliminate your job and then hand you out a cushy "Universal Basic Income". Its not freaking credible. At all. And yet people just let this lie be floated over and over.
I think that demonstrates the strength of the Tech Bros' manipulation of the masses--the "computer genius-entrepreneurs" make folks think that AI is the best thing since sliced bread (or cable porn or casual Fridays or whatever). Once you have the masses bamboozled, they won't question what's really going on with AI until it's too late to stop it.
"The AI Layoff Trap" paper pretty much shows that it's not going to work. No matter how many little "reforms" to placate the masses and make them less anxious, in the end there are not enough consumers buying anything to keep the economy going. It collapses. Nobody wants to hear something dire like that, so they believe the lies and stick their fingers in their ears and hope their worst nightmares don't come about. We realists are going to say, "Uh, just because you're afraid of a revolution/ complete change of how this corrupt system works doesn't mean it's not what's necessary."
AI is just an ego trip on steroids. It's a small group of men playing God, and we all know how that ends!
It never ends well, does it? And I hate to be sexist, but it does seem like men, namely white males with tons of money and zero empathy, want to run the show and want us all to do what we're told without question. My response to that is, "Question EVERYTHING!"
You bet!
Anything that is being forced upon the workers is probably not going to of benefit to the workers. Didn't Xi in China pass a measure saying that no AI firm can layoff workers without penalty? I wonder if Western powers would do likewise to protect it's consumers so it doesn't spiral out of control like that Wharton School paper points out.
I saw mention of Xi doing that on X... I will look for the link. At least in China the workers' jobs and dignity are of importance to the government. Too bad Westerners can't say the same thing. :(
We've been indoctrinated with the "fend for yourself" ideology, and that government cannot do anything good. That everything really should be left up to private interests and the Capitalists.
China has gone in a different direction, with a hybrid system of Capitalism and Government. Seems to be working much better than what we currently have in the US. But try telling that to a libertarian fanatic.
Someone really needs to investigate exactly what all these AI centers are actually being used for - instead of just blanket (but probably true) allegations. I mean, 136 AI centers in Virginia is definitely a big F'n clue for sure.
I'm glad you mentioned that AI can also be used for good humanitarian purposes and the problem is who gets to control the direction AI is being taken. There are many promising medical applications in AI - including making the deaf hear again, the crippled walk, and those who cannot see - see . AI may end up being biblical in its technological power, something Arthur C. Clark once wrote some time ago: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
The real battle is not to allow AI to replace our humanity, so that a relatively few can enrich themselves beyond imagination. This is the depraved model of society we now find ourselves in - where billionaires are dictating to us the boundaries of how we live our lives - in a fashion that devalues all our lives. It creates an unhealthy society, and one totally perverted by greed, human suffering and billionaire exploitation.
A beautiful quote: "The real battle is not to allow AI to replace our humanity, so that a relatively few can enrich themselves beyond imagination."
We need to hold onto our humanity at all costs. We don't have a healthy society, so adding a dangerous element like AI and all these data centers without stopping to consider the plus and negative sides of the issue is just a recipe for disaster, IMO.
Thanks!
The environmental impacts of these data centres are horrendous. And in a predatory economy like what we have here in the west, AI isn't benefitting society.
It's amazing how quickly concerns over the environmental impacts of AI data centers are being pushed aside. That in itself is a big clue that they're not good for human or other lifeforms. The economics don't lie--dumping all human workers and replacing them with AI will eventually destroy the capitalist system, and we can't assume that isn't the end game for the billionaire-oligarchs. We the workers need to organize and protect ourselves ASAP.
Especially here in the west. I practically never use AI, but if I do I use DeepSeek, the Chinese AI which is open source. I think it's better environmentally, and I trust their culture so much more than what we have here in the west.
It's amazing how much it's pushed on us too. Yuck!
Well written CA. I too an unsure about AI, and its' potential for misuse is substantial. It is up to us to be aware of its nefarious uses, avoid them, and verify what we read and see to avoid being solely beholden to AI to do our thinking for us. That's why I still try and write things (or rather type them) myself instead of allowing a chatbot to draft something for me. Technological advances like AI aren't inherently negative by themselves, but they can be used for such purpose.
A lot of articles I read about AI and learning--specifically using AI in the classroom--mentioned well-founded fears that we are "dumbing down" students to the point that they won't be able to fight back intellectually when the ruling class tells them it's time for them to "go away" (die off). We are creating the "Idiocracy" world made famous by the movie of the same title. That is very scary! We all need to exercise our brains like we exercise our bodies (or should exercise, in my case) so we aren't fooled and taken advantage of by those who don't have our best interests in mind, that is the billionaire-oligarch class.