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I think you can make a case they’re related; they’re all technologies that have been hyped in much the same way by much the same people. That’s not to say they’

I think you can make a case they’re related; they’re all technologies that have been hyped in much the same way by much the same people. That’s not to say they’ll all end up in the same place, however — it seems already clear to me that ‘Gen AI’ has far more readily-applicable utility than, say, cryptocurrencies. I think you’re just objecting on the basis that AI is obviously already immensely useful while other hyped technologies (in their current state) aren’t. > I wonder if I do it too? If I did, I expect I wouldn't notice… A very good point! You might not. But grouping things together that don’t immediately seem related can be one of the most fruitful acts of all… ‘Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things’ - Henri Poincaré.

ben_w 3y ago
> they’re all technologies that have been hyped in much the same way by much the same people. Really? I can see that for GenAI and Crypto (to my mild annoyance because I was doing GenAI before such people heard of Bitcoin), but not AR/VR. > I think you’re just objecting on the basis that AI is obviously already immensely useful while other hyped technologies (in their current state) aren’t. While I do indeed think AI is valuable, I also look at AR/VR and think "this is just another games console — some are handheld, some connect to your TV, this one is on your face". VR just… it just doesn't seem any more hyped than any of the other games consoles over the years that were also "revolutionary" and "amazing photorealistic graphics" etc., and mostly by different people?
- xanderlewis 3y ago
  > Really? I can see that for GenAI and Crypto (to my mild annoyance because I was doing GenAI before such people heard of Bitcoin), but not AR/VR. Actually, you’re right. I haven’t seen AR/VR hyped in quite the same way as the other two. I’m not actually sure why… because it seems just as ripe for hyperbolic claims as any other ‘futuristic tech’. Possibly because the idea’s been around for much longer and has had a chance to burn out before it came close to being practically possible. Of course, ‘AI’ of the kind popular now is not an entirely new idea either (as you point out), but to the grifters on Twitter it is.

ben_w 3y ago

> they’re all technologies that have been hyped in much the same way by much the same people. Really? I can see that for GenAI and Crypto (to my mild annoyance because I was doing GenAI before such people heard of Bitcoin), but not AR/VR. > I think you’re just objecting on the basis that AI is obviously already immensely useful while other hyped technologies (in their current state) aren’t. While I do indeed think AI is valuable, I also look at AR/VR and think "this is just another games console — some are handheld, some connect to your TV, this one is on your face". VR just… it just doesn't seem any more hyped than any of the other games consoles over the years that were also "revolutionary" and "amazing photorealistic graphics" etc., and mostly by different people?

xanderlewis 3y ago
> Really? I can see that for GenAI and Crypto (to my mild annoyance because I was doing GenAI before such people heard of Bitcoin), but not AR/VR. Actually, you’re right. I haven’t seen AR/VR hyped in quite the same way as the other two. I’m not actually sure why… because it seems just as ripe for hyperbolic claims as any other ‘futuristic tech’. Possibly because the idea’s been around for much longer and has had a chance to burn out before it came close to being practically possible. Of course, ‘AI’ of the kind popular now is not an entirely new idea either (as you point out), but to the grifters on Twitter it is.