socrates

joined 1 week ago
[–] socrates@slrpnk.net 22 points 1 day ago

It was always the case that AI would be free or cheap to begin with, and it was always the case that prices will have to rise to cover their costs.

The way now is to cancel subscriptions. Show the companies pushing AI that there is no money to be made in it. Find another service that fits your needs, your ethical minimum, and your budget.

Cancel Google services, even the free ones, and find an alternative you truly like.

[–] socrates@slrpnk.net 10 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I should hope that this is not an unpopular opinion. But I'm not sure that it isn't, either.

A detailed view on any topic, to see the gap in between extremes and the capacity to remember that two things can be true at the same time, is of the essence if we are to have meaningful discussion. And it is forgotten all too often in popular media, social or news.

[–] socrates@slrpnk.net 3 points 2 days ago

Likewise. It is encouraging to see discussion on the topic.

It will be useful to encourage more structured and public discussion to allow wider change to occur.

[–] socrates@slrpnk.net 3 points 4 days ago

All things considered our species is doing relatively well. Having the ability to assign purpose and use tools does cause us to get stuck in a stupid rut all too often, though.

I can't fathom why a person would willingly use corpospeak. I can't imagine anyone actually likes to speak that way.

I would invite the reader to always call it out when it occurs, and call for all involved parties to speak plain.

[–] socrates@slrpnk.net 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

There seems to be some kind of difference in the meaning of "political".

I offer the definition from the Oxford Dictionary:

adjective

relating to the government or public affairs of a country.

The idea that everyone deserves healthcare is itself political, it pertains to how a country should be run. It is also not a universal view; many people disagree that people do in fact deserve healthcare.

Luigi Mangione's act was indeed very political. It is an eruption of the view that all people in the USA deserve healthcare and that the private system is depriving people of this right.

[–] socrates@slrpnk.net 1 points 5 days ago

I agree with you. Perhaps more insistent messaging would be useful. A pin, maybe?

 

Of course, organisations that directly act to facilitate these effects are acting against the interest of humankind. Even still, they can only do so because the public give them permission to do it.

"AI" (LLMs, CNNs, deep learning and all the hype around them) supplanting much of genuine thought, burning fuel polluting the atmosphere and heating the world, privacy being encroached upon by invasive tracking, censorship and sterilization of the internet. I argue that these things happen because individual consumers (that is, the vast majority of people) permit them to happen. Companies generally act to maximise profit, but can only ever earn revenue if people are buying. And when a person buys a product, they vote with their wallet that they are OK with that product and its making.

It is usually easiest to go with the flow. To buy cage eggs because they are $3 cheaper than free range. It just makes economic sense. I argue that we should never do this. We must only ever buy the option that fits our ethical minimum, even at a higher cost.

One might consider that many people can't afford the "ethical" product, and will need to fall back on the cheaper option. I argue that they should go without. I have, in recent history, been in a position where I couldn't afford the classical weekly shop. I could have saved good money by buying cage eggs. Still, either I buy free range, or I go without and substitute with something else.

There is always an alternative. Don't like Facebook? Start a blog website. Don't want those new AI features in your preferred app? Uninstall it and use one that fits your needs. If it comes down to it, learn how to make your own. Want to slow climate change? Be conscious of your energy use and burn less fuel - swap your car for a bike, use public transport if you can. EVs can be good, too.

Yes, it will be inconvenient. It might be painful. But isn't that worth proving that your own principles mean something? That you are more than a consumer?

For most of the people who can read this, we always have a choice. Having lived through the last decades, we have learned the effect of complacency. We now know better, and must choose better.