Postulation: Is anyone else concerned with the proliferation of AI?

[_JP_]

Noticing the results of the poll. The vast majority seem to be worried about the potential problems.

Honestly, goes to show there's a big disconnect between actual IT/tech people and what "techbros" are selling.

I voted also for the 'worried about the potential abuse' because I'm not so worried about the IT-side of the playing field, rather everyone else.
"Techbros" are not more dangerous than the person heavy manipulating a LLM to do something, but is also aware it can backfire or have some effect beyond control. Those two groups are more aware of what AI can do, reasoning aside.
It's the other group that completely jumps over the technicality of AI and it's implications as a whole, and has the imagination without guardrails to use it for something potentially disastrous.
Releasing it to the general public in an unlimited way is the real existing risk, in my view.

 

[phanbuey]

I've never seen the gap between corporations and consumers being so wide, not just in tech, but basically everywhere. Everybody is hell bent on selling stuff that people don't need or want, I just don't know why.

Edit: I don't know where this disconnect came from. If AI is telling corporations what to sell, then I have to say, it's doing a terrible job.

I've been on the side of management on this, and what basically happens is investors and the board demand % revenue growth every year -- so you have to come up with ways to make money making the same product.

Most of the time the easiest way to do this is "lets add [some cheap to implement feature] and charge 15% more!" and over several years it can get really out of hand. Example: American Pick Up Trucks.

 

[TSiAhmat]

personally hate were AI is going in most/a lot of use cases.

Using something, which has no thought to "create" something like art (pictures, videos, music) feels stupid and shortsighted.

And other people saying it is good, because "it increases the floor for the "worst" artists" is just a bad take.

(not to mention that the data-base for those AIs is work of millions if not billions of people, which they "forgot" to ask)

 

[DaemonForce]

And other people saying it is good, because "it increases the floor for the "worst" artists" is just a bad take.

I hear this one literally every day and I get sucked into art streams. I mean, a LOT of art streams. It's so tiresome.
No I don't understand how or why this happens. My ADHD is just that out of control.

95% of these a(u/r)tists are NOT terrible and the rest, I leave immediately unless I see something hilarious.
Generally, when an artist is streaming anything, they have the time, tools and wherewithal to make it interesting.

Today alone has been:
Making lots of non-animated emotes at comfy speed
A blank paper canvas, I leave and hop back in minutes later like a zoomcat aaaaand "freshly erased" canvas???
Some rando furry that lost a game bet and is now getting drawn MPREG by the usual unhinged doodle queen gremlin

I am not an artist. I won't even pick up the pen. When I sign cheques, my fingers hurt.
I am willing to use AI in my own 3D projects to deal with UVs, auto-rig and "instant" fortress creations, etc; I like world building.
The screeching about AI "raising the floor" makes ZERO sense to me because 99% of artists are CHARACTER builders.
You know what that means? Whatever the final product, I'm just going to use it to shitpost anyway.
Others tend to behave in unfortunately predictable ways which is one of the reasons I like to demo stupid stuff.

(not to mention that the data-base for those AIs is work of millions if not billions of people, which they "forgot" to ask)

Yes, quite unfortunate. Still leaves room for amazing stencil work but at the end of the day somebody had to pick up the pen.
I still think it has its own place. Like if I were to start drawing, I would want to mimic someone that understands dimensions, proportions, etc.
There's also the shortcut of tracing bits and pieces of AI gen but I'm not about to open the cannibalism topic in here.

 

[Bill_Bright]

"Techbros" are those selling AI.

Not by most definitions.

Techbros in modern parlance generally means those pushing the latest nearly meaningless buzzword(ie cloud, crypto, AI), at least as I understood it.

That is just one of many definitions, and a less common one at that. So it really means nothing unless you specify which you mean. And I note most are not "pushing" anything.

My own definition is that techbro is a mildly derogatory term for a techie or "nerd" who is ate up with himself.

As seen by Urban Dictionary, techbro means, "An educated male lacking in social skills who also happens to work in tech."

And as seen by Wiktionary, techbro means, "A hypermasculine man employed in the tech industry and stereotypically located in Silicon Valley."

And likely the most common source for the definition, Wikipedia says "tech bro" is a synonym for "brogrammer", and are "slang terms for stereotypically masculine programmers".

So without you stipulating YOUR definition for techbros, your comment might as well have been, "goes to show there's a big disconnect between actual IT/tech people and what IT/tech people are selling." And that is why I asked for you to define what you meant.

How could I word this thought better?

Again, by defining what you meant by tech bro. But that is a moot point now because you later explained you meant the less common definition; "those selling AI". All is good.

 

[ShrimpBrime]

Hahhahaa omg lmao!!

Fkn Techbro.

Unfortunately, none of that has anything to do with AI. This is a low quality off topic post. But I had an extreme laugh, almost peed myself.

 

[AusWolf]

I've been on the side of management on this, and what basically happens is investors and the board demand % revenue growth every year -- so you have to come up with ways to make money making the same product.

Most of the time the easiest way to do this is "lets add [some cheap to implement feature] and charge 15% more!" and over several years it can get really out of hand. Example: American Pick Up Trucks.

When will the world learn that continuous growth doesn't exist? We live on a finite planet, how could anything grow indefinitely? So stupid...

I see what you mean by the way. Trucks and cars are a great example. Phones, too. Someone tell me the benefits of buying the latest iPhone or Samsung flagship every year. It's the same soap bar as the last one, but at least it keeps you in debt. Woohoo!

 

[Bill_Bright]

It's the same soap bar as the last one

Only its not. Speaking of soap, open up a box of Dove soap and look at the logo on the bar. It's stamped 1/8th inch into the bar - on both sides. It used to not be so deep and was only in one side. The length, width and thickness of the bar is less too. And on top of that, the bar shrinks much faster too - suggesting to me they have "whipped" more air into it. Less soap for more money.

Toilet paper rolls used to fit the width of the holder. Now there is more than a 1/2 inch "slop" on each side of the roll - a roll with fewer and smaller sheets - for more money.

As far as buying a new phone every year - that's a totally different phenomenon I don't get at all. We need soap and toilet paper. We don't need a new phone, especially not the flagship phone, every year. So people are buying those outrageously priced flagship phone every year, not because they need a new, super expensive phone - but because they want one.

 

[Vayra86]

Not by most definitions.

That is just one of many definitions, and a less common one at that. So it really means nothing unless you specify which you mean. And I note most are not "pushing" anything.

My own definition is that techbro is a mildly derogatory term for a techie or "nerd" who is ate up with himself.

As seen by Urban Dictionary, techbro means, "An educated male lacking in social skills who also happens to work in tech."

And as seen by Wiktionary, techbro means, "A hypermasculine man employed in the tech industry and stereotypically located in Silicon Valley."

And likely the most common source for the definition, Wikipedia says "tech bro" is a synonym for "brogrammer", and are "slang terms for stereotypically masculine programmers".

So without you stipulating YOUR definition for techbros, your comment might as well have been, "goes to show there's a big disconnect between actual IT/tech people and what IT/tech people are selling." And that is why I asked for you to define what you meant.


Again, by defining what you meant by tech bro. But that is a moot point now because you later explained you meant the less common definition; "those selling AI". All is good.

Brogrammer. I'm gonna keep that one in my dictionary. Lmao

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

I've been on the side of management on this, and what basically happens is investors and the board demand % revenue growth every year -- so you have to come up with ways to make money making the same product.

Most of the time the easiest way to do this is "lets add [some cheap to implement feature] and charge 15% more!" and over several years it can get really out of hand. Example: American Pick Up Trucks.

I...agree to some extent. Let me add my own anecdote before squaring this.

Most providers of meals are incentivized to cut costs, and the person doing the buying is generally the one who gets that incentive built-into their pay structure. As long as you can reduce costs by 3% a year you get a $10k bonus each year. So year one you get good food, year two it's mediocre, year three it's bad, and in year four the combined 10% reduction in spending leads to complaints, which force you to go over budget, which means that year four has no bonus, but year five has food just as good as year one before the cycle starts all over again, so the cost cutting appears infinitely sustainable until you factor in the resets.

I see the tech world exactly like that. Right now, the promise is LLMs producing AI. A decade ago it was crypto. After that it was NFTs. That brings us to today, where exactly like the 1950's we haven't got AI but are scared of what it might bring. I guess the only truly infinite thing is that we humans never learn.
I'll be laughing in my private corner, considering Elon Musk promised us vacuum tube trains...and some people absolutely bought it without ever considering why they already exist (many banks use them), but don't carry people.

 

[Vayra86]

I...agree to some extent. Let me add my own anecdote before squaring this.

Most providers of meals are incentivized to cut costs, and the person doing the buying is generally the one who gets that incentive built-into their pay structure. As long as you can reduce costs by 3% a year you get a $10k bonus each year. So year one you get good food, year two it's mediocre, year three it's bad, and in year four the combined 10% reduction in spending leads to complaints, which force you to go over budget, which means that year four has no bonus, but year five has food just as good as year one before the cycle starts all over again, so the cost cutting appears infinitely sustainable until you factor in the resets.

I see the tech world exactly like that. Right now, the promise is LLMs producing AI. A decade ago it was crypto. After that it was NFTs. That brings us to today, where exactly like the 1950's we haven't got AI but are scared of what it might bring. I guess the only truly infinite thing is that we humans never learn.
I'll be laughing in my private corner, considering Elon Musk promised us vacuum tube trains...and some people absolutely bought it without ever considering why they already exist (many banks use them), but don't carry people.

I think the current state of AI is very much like those bank vacuum trains. We can use it for a very focused, directed task, but its not really AI, its just recognition and translation or analysis, mostly. The biggest change right now is that these tools get more 'democratized', made available and more customizable.

 

[dragontamer5788]

My own definition is that techbro is a mildly derogatory term for a techie or "nerd" who is ate up with himself.

No. Steve Jobs is a TechBro. TechBro is the SV style of management where you build yourself up to be somewhat technical (but not elite-level), then after that build a cult-like following.

The actual "nerd" of this example would be Steve Wozniak.

Or more specifically: TechBros are Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Jensen Huang, Jeff Bezos and the like. The cult of personality, shitty-scale popularity contests, and "bro" attitudes with regards to... I dunno.... MMA Fighting or other such hobbies, is the entire point.

 

[R-T-B]

That is just one of many definitions, and a less common one at that.

I just know what it passes as on reddit, which is pretty popular social media. Go figure.

I do not consider most IT/tech people "techbros" by any means.

 

[Bill_Bright]

No.

Yes. There are several definitions. Sorry, but you don't get to say that your definition is the only one that is correct. If you disagree, go tell Urban Dictionary, Wiktionary, and Wikipedia that they are all wrong too.

I just know what it passes as on reddit, which is pretty popular social media. Go figure.

And that may be true. But the fact remains, there are several definitions that fit, so to ensure understanding, some times it is necessary to state which.

I was going to hit the ball with the bat, but it flew away.

 

[dirtyferret]

I do not consider most IT/tech people "techbros" by any means.

I don't work in IT and I'm not a techbro but I do wear a Techbro suit

I literally have this color and gray

 

[dragontamer5788]

Yes. There are several definitions. Sorry, but you don't get to say that your definition is the only one that is correct. If you disagree, go tell Urban Dictionary, Wiktionary, and Wikipedia that they are all wrong too.

My point remains. TechBro is a shortcut word for the Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musks of the world.

 

[dirtyferret]

My point remains. TechBro is a shortcut word for the Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musks of the world.

the term is a bit ambiguous and really depends on the person using it, also not really sure why people are debating the definition but I'm sure it's off topic and a mod will come in soon

the Cambridge dictionary definition
someone, usually a man, who works in the digital technology industry, especially in the United States, and is sometimes thought to not have good social skills and to be too confident about their own ability:

 

[Bill_Bright]

My point remains. TechBro is a shortcut word for the Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musks of the world.

No it doesn't and no it isn't. Are they Techbros? Sure. But my definition, R-T-B's definition, and the definitions stated in the 3 links I provided apply too. So your point (that my def is wrong) does not remain.

TechBro is a portmanteau for "technical brother". A TechBro does not automatically imply some industry leader.

the term is a bit ambiguous and really depends on the person using it

Exactly. And thanks for including yet a 4 def. I sure would trust the Cambridge dictionary over some anonymous person on a tech forum or a "social" website like Reddit.

 

[AusWolf]

Only its not. Speaking of soap, open up a box of Dove soap and look at the logo on the bar. It's stamped 1/8th inch into the bar - on both sides. It used to not be so deep and was only in one side. The length, width and thickness of the bar is less too. And on top of that, the bar shrinks much faster too - suggesting to me they have "whipped" more air into it. Less soap for more money.

Toilet paper rolls used to fit the width of the holder. Now there is more than a 1/2 inch "slop" on each side of the roll - a roll with fewer and smaller sheets - for more money.

I wasn't talking about soap - just used the "soap bar" analogy to describe phones.

As far as buying a new phone every year - that's a totally different phenomenon I don't get at all. We need soap and toilet paper. We don't need a new phone, especially not the flagship phone, every year. So people are buying those outrageously priced flagship phone every year, not because they need a new, super expensive phone - but because they want one.

Yep - they buy the latest flagship on finance every year to play Candy Crush and scroll Facebook. This is what I call a dumb consumer. Such stupidity deserves to have no money left by the end of the month.

 

[R-T-B]

Guys, guys, it's slang. Let it slide. We don't need to be caught up in literal semantics.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I wasn't talking about soap - just used the "soap bar" analogy to describe phones.

LOL I know. I was just wandering off on a rant about "shrinkflation".

 

[R-T-B]

LOL I know. I was just wandering off on a rant about "shrinkflation".

Happens to the best of us lol.

 

[AusWolf]

LOL I know. I was just wandering off on a rant about "shrinkflation".

Ah, fair enough.

 

[95Viper]

Get on topic and stay there.
Stop with the off topic banter.

 

[TSiAhmat]

I am not an artist. I won't even pick up the pen. When I sign cheques, my fingers hurt.
I am willing to use AI in my own 3D projects to deal with UVs, auto-rig and "instant" fortress creations, etc; I like world building.
The screeching about AI "raising the floor" makes ZERO sense to me because 99% of artists are CHARACTER builders.
You know what that means? Whatever the final product, I'm just going to use it to shitpost anyway.
Others tend to behave in unfortunately predictable ways which is one of the reasons I like to demo stupid stuff.

I always had and still have urges to draw and do other artistic stuff, but I am not diligent enough (and focus) to get anywhere (probably on par with a 6 yo xd)

Yes, quite unfortunate. Still leaves room for amazing stencil work but at the end of the day somebody had to pick up the pen.
I still think it has its own place. Like if I were to start drawing, I would want to mimic someone that understands dimensions, proportions, etc.
There's also the shortcut of tracing bits and pieces of AI gen but I'm not about to open the cannibalism topic in here.

I think AI can benefit art in a way, but only as a tool, like a brush, not as the "person/individual" drawing it. (And no generating a picture is not drawing a picture)

I have no problems with small individuals or entity's using AI at certain places to get a project going, like you mentioned. (most of the time they have big budget [money and/or time] constraints)
And they rarely abuse it.

Also I have nothing against tracing and copying draw/art styles from others, it's like culture always evolving and revolving around the current circumstances.
You need to know what, how and why something looks good,bad or weird (in your opinion) to make something yourself.
Not to mention that all humans have faults, which birth new ways to look at something which already exists & create something new from it. (Why are there so many ways to portray trees or apples, we all know how the "source" material looks like)

My problem is (o)mega corps with enough money & funds cutting writers, voice actors & artists out of the equation, because they can & it saves money.
Yes they are corpos and their job is to make money, but at what cost? (that's why I called it short sighted. Its short time cash for long term loss[sadly "general loss", not loss for the company who abused AI])

AI generalizes the process & finished product. Everything it created already existed in a way. It contributes nothing new & no soul or intention is behind the art. It doesn't create because it wants to, it creates because it was programmed to. That's what I hate about it.

Not sure why we need a way to "tiktokefie" art itself... (it's uncaring profits & laziness, isn't it?)