@jwz I don't know how many IT folks talked about ethics when they were creating automation systems to replace factory workers, ecommerce sites to harm physical stores, social media algorithms to basically rip the social fabric, and mass surveillance systems.

I think it's too late for virtue signalling.

I am neutral toward AI development and use where needed and accept what it might bring in the future. The cat is already out of the box, and it's a rogue one.

@jwz For some reason there is also a large intersection for people suffering from AI derangement syndrome with people who are used to bullshit their way through life or believe every esoterical conspiracy.

@jwz me, an engineering manager trying to not succumb to the AI cult all around me. It's an existential crisis. I've been slow-walking and avoiding it, yet it is becoming central to my business.

If you haven't read the great, short book by Joshua Slocum, Sailing Alone Around the World, there's an interesting parallel. He was a captain of merchant vessels in the age of sail, steamships replaced that technology quickly. He was older and could not, or would not adapt. That's the basis for the book, he decides to build a small sailing vessel by hand, himself, and use it to do some local trading in New England. It doesn't pan out, and eventually he says 'Fuck it, I'm going to sail alone around the world,' and he does.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_Alone_Around_the_World

@jwz It probably didn’t help when I suggested the C-floor was infested with Tech Bros. They prefer to be called the new owners.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@jwz/116091612435973402

"were you abused", they asked, when I said "no I don't wish you be a drug dealer"

@jwz Human work derangement syndrome is when people talk down human work and praise machines, even though their job might be next on the chopping block.

@jwz Men...and it's always Men, who will stick up for Fancy Autocorrect more than they would a human being. Just yelling to the rest of us that they should be avoided, weird, lonely,...anti-Human creeps.....

@jwz
Oh boy, do I know what you're talking about.

@jwz Debates about AI can quickly turn personal because they touch on values, identity, and the future people envision. Strong reactions often reflect fear or deep conviction, not just the technology itself. Honest conversations work best when they stay respectful, even in disagreement.

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@jwz it's replacing our natural bond with other humans, our attachments... On top of the hijacking of attention and capacity to execute things we already know how to do. It's addictive, like an abusive relationship. It's a dangerous beast to the mind. And! And! And! I don't have to preach to this choir.

@jwz OK but first I need to know: DID you fuck their cat?

@jwz i can't tell you how many people are precisely this guy

@jwz Interesting, you don't think small open weight models running as part of a local OSS app are ethical?