5 ms·
The discussion here is largely about how it's impossible to be really correct at Google scale, and this is something that terrifies me about where the industry
by ianhorn 6y ago
The discussion here is largely about how it's impossible to be really correct at Google scale, and this is something that terrifies me about where the industry is going. When there's a task that can be done by people, we can always correct issues. Going down to 99% correct could also mean cutting costs by like 90% through automation, so the business is going to be happy, except that now there's no one for the consumer to turn to but the bots when things go wrong.
In the future, if your name is Scunthorpe [0], you're out of luck, because it's impossible to not have these issues at scale, and apparently scale is inevitable.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scunthorpe_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scunthorpe_problem
- dkersten 6y agoThe “x is impossible at google scale” (where x usually means customer support but in this case information correctness) argument falls flat to me. If x is impossible at their scale, then their scale needs to be cut back. Companies shouldn’t be allowed to be so large and all-encompassing and monopolistic that they negatively impact society because x is impossible at that scale.
- acituan 6y agoYou’re right. Yet currently there is one major normativity in action and that is the normativity of the market. Market rewwards economies of scale and monopolies more than anything else. Unfortunately there is no working institution left to bring in the normativity of societal good for balance. One might hope for state to make a move, but big tech pays the most lobbying money currently, so I wouldn’t hold my breath.
- dkersten 6y ago> so I wouldn’t hold my breath Of course. I agree that market pressure is pushing companies that way and there's little that can stop it now. But that still doesn't make the excuse a good one, certainly not for us, the people.