5 ms·

They're turned off on the lingo showing up everywhere, regardless of its relevance (or lack thereof). It's similar to when the Internet first started becoming c

by ksaj 2y ago

They're turned off on the lingo showing up everywhere, regardless of its relevance (or lack thereof). It's similar to when the Internet first started becoming commercial, and people were revolted by terms like "information superhighway" etc being thrown around so excessively. Eventually everybody grew into it, and we can't imagine life without the Internet. AI is having that same moment right now. The breathless hype bombardment will eventually give way to normalcy just the same.

Piskvorrr 2y ago
...as soon as as the hype wave recedes, and vendors stop sticking the current-hot label onto everything. "MOUSE WITH AI" (*with a button that opens a browser window, how very innovative. But wait, it's a browser window pointed to an AI assistant!!!)
- ksaj 2y ago
  Guitar players know this as well. A lot of pedals and DAW (digital audio workstation) plugins electronically mimic old analog hardware. Everyone claims the software version is crap, not realizing just how much of their favourite music is using it. I saw an interview with Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) and right behind him was a rack with a Pod Pro amp simulator. I recognized it because I have one, and indeed, you can easily dial in his tone and typical amp sounds. But I'm left wondering how many Sabbath fans noticed that he's using digital modeling these days, or if they can even tell when he started doing that. People don't like change. It takes a lot of marketing hype to create motion for change to happen. And most people won't even notice it happen. Just like with Sabbath albums.
  - TheRoque 2y ago
    Poorly used generative AI is obvious to spot though
- BlobberSnobber 2y ago
  The logitech app has a chatbot for some god-forsaken reason
  - Piskvorrr 2y ago
    That might have some use cases. I may not be the target audience, but I could see it. What I was trying to say is "a mouse button that opens up a hardcoded window!!!!" was all the hype in 1998, all it takes now is to retitle the window, and all is brand new. Three decades of PROGRESS :D
keybored 2y ago
> Eventually everybody grew into it, and we can't imagine life without the Internet. Because a lot of us are addicts.
- ksaj 2y ago
  Guilty as charged.
- cchi_co 2y ago
  An essential tool for communication, education, work, entertainment, and commerce... The Internet or AI am I talking about?
  - keybored 2y ago
    Aah if AI is gonna be that it hasn’t reached that point yet.
    - ksaj 2y ago
      In 1994, you would have said that about the Internet. And it was only starting to look important when Y2K came about. Then everybody got it.
      - keybored 2y ago
        Ok.. I’m sure I will feel embarrassed in five years when AI is that important for saying that it wasn’t essential in 2024 (but could eventually be essential).
louthy 2y ago
I think this is true, but it's worth expanding, because it's not just lingo. Personally, I am sick of seeing AI generated images in blogs, advertising campaigns, and in social media posts. There's a weird uncanny valley to them that always puts me off. I think subconsciously it makes me devalue whatever the image is attached to. I might end up being negatively biased toward a blog author, or refuse to engage with a company that is using AI based imagery. Of course, it's likely that we'll get past that point, where AI generated images aren't in the uncanny valley, but until then it's off-putting. Recently I had an email from someone praising my open source work and it was clearly AI generated, which felt completely insincere. And so, misuse of AI in situations where it makes the human being that interacts with it balk isn't good either. As you say the language is annoying: "AI powered" or similar language is just meaningless to most people. People are not turned off by features in software that 'just work' because there's some AI running quietly behind the scenes. They're put off by bold claims that don't actually materialise and the human/AI interaction-boundary that can sometimes lead to more effort on the part of the human. AI is a technique used by software engineers, we shouldn't need to talk about it at all (except to each other and maybe VCs). We don't market our apps as "Relational database powered", in time we won't mention AI at all.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- ewoodrich 2y ago
  Lately I’ve been seeing Reddit ads with clearly AI generated marketing images and it just makes me assume the company is an unserious fly-by-night operation and/or a one person company. The most embarrassing recurring ad I’ve seen lately is for some kind of device management IT solution with AI generated MacBooks where the Apple logo is completely mangled. No idea how you could overlook that or notice it but somehow think it doesn’t cheapen your company’s image.
  - louthy 2y ago
    > it just makes me assume the company is an unserious fly-by-night operation and/or a one person company Exactly this. Any serious company would manage their brand seriously. Even if you're a one person bootstrapped startup, you should take your brand seriously and get some artwork commissioned. It isn't that expensive and makes a massive difference to how you're perceived. Using AI generated images says to me (rightly or wrongly) that you take shortcuts. So, if you take shortcuts with your brand, what's your product like?
0xEF 2y ago
I disagree, partially. Yes, we are tired of the hype, but we are also tired of the focus on generative AI. I don't want AI to write stories, make pictures or be my girlfriend. Those are things best left to humans. I want AI to optimize my home or business's HVAC, help with database administration, tell me what I can cook with the random stuff in my fridge, maybe even help with project management. We're getting there, but the spotlight needs to turn from the "creative" tasks to the boring administrative tasks we don't want to do. We're not sick of AI. We're sick of it being used for the wrong things.
- ksaj 2y ago
  When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. This definitely applies with the current state of AI.
- TheRoque 2y ago
  Sure, but the companies have a different plan. The creative and skilled tasks are also where you have to hire the most expensive employees to do the job, and so cutting them is a dream for most investors. From a pure business standpoint the things "best left to humans" are the ones where the human is the cheapest option for the same result. Nothing more, nothing less.
  - 0xEF 2y ago
    You are correct. My comment could also be read as "we are sick of companies putting profits over people with this disasterously cancerous 'growth at all costs' mindset." The AI boom is just the latest boil on our collective behinds, with that in mind.
    - TheRoque 2y ago
      I 100% agree with you, it shows the limit of the system we've built and something might need to change
- bsenftner 2y ago
  Your desires are exactly where I've been working. I've been considering calling the company "Boring AI: productivity tools for real work" or something like that. I've been integrating LLMs into the internal structure of applications, so you can actually tell a spreadsheet bot "hey, I need this DNA table used to color a graph using this address table of people in this area" and a spreadsheet with graph is generated in under a minute. Likewise, I've integrated a collection of 'bot attorneys that can provide serious legal advice, and is in use at an immigration law firm.
surfingdino 2y ago
Internet was useable from early on and became more friendly to less technical users as time went by. AI generated bullshit output is of no use whatsoever and customers are turned off by being told that it's the future when this shit doesn't work. Remember messenger chatbots? Where are they now? Same fate awaits AI.
- ksaj 2y ago
  People were turned off by the text-only gopher and related protocols. It improved and we now have the modern web. Messenger-style chatbots abound today. They're everywhere. As well, you have Twitter and Youtube bots that are the grown up version of the irc bots from days gone by.

by ksaj 2y ago

Piskvorrr 2y ago

...as soon as as the hype wave recedes, and vendors stop sticking the current-hot label onto everything. "MOUSE WITH AI" (*with a button that opens a browser window, how very innovative. But wait, it's a browser window pointed to an AI assistant!!!)

ksaj 2y ago
Guitar players know this as well. A lot of pedals and DAW (digital audio workstation) plugins electronically mimic old analog hardware. Everyone claims the software version is crap, not realizing just how much of their favourite music is using it. I saw an interview with Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) and right behind him was a rack with a Pod Pro amp simulator. I recognized it because I have one, and indeed, you can easily dial in his tone and typical amp sounds. But I'm left wondering how many Sabbath fans noticed that he's using digital modeling these days, or if they can even tell when he started doing that. People don't like change. It takes a lot of marketing hype to create motion for change to happen. And most people won't even notice it happen. Just like with Sabbath albums.
- TheRoque 2y ago
  Poorly used generative AI is obvious to spot though
BlobberSnobber 2y ago
The logitech app has a chatbot for some god-forsaken reason
- Piskvorrr 2y ago
  That might have some use cases. I may not be the target audience, but I could see it. What I was trying to say is "a mouse button that opens up a hardcoded window!!!!" was all the hype in 1998, all it takes now is to retitle the window, and all is brand new. Three decades of PROGRESS :D

keybored 2y ago

> Eventually everybody grew into it, and we can't imagine life without the Internet. Because a lot of us are addicts.

ksaj 2y ago
Guilty as charged.
cchi_co 2y ago
An essential tool for communication, education, work, entertainment, and commerce... The Internet or AI am I talking about?
- keybored 2y ago
  Aah if AI is gonna be that it hasn’t reached that point yet.
  - ksaj 2y ago
    In 1994, you would have said that about the Internet. And it was only starting to look important when Y2K came about. Then everybody got it.
    - keybored 2y ago
      Ok.. I’m sure I will feel embarrassed in five years when AI is that important for saying that it wasn’t essential in 2024 (but could eventually be essential).

louthy 2y ago

I think this is true, but it's worth expanding, because it's not just lingo. Personally, I am sick of seeing AI generated images in blogs, advertising campaigns, and in social media posts. There's a weird uncanny valley to them that always puts me off. I think subconsciously it makes me devalue whatever the image is attached to. I might end up being negatively biased toward a blog author, or refuse to engage with a company that is using AI based imagery. Of course, it's likely that we'll get past that point, where AI generated images aren't in the uncanny valley, but until then it's off-putting. Recently I had an email from someone praising my open source work and it was clearly AI generated, which felt completely insincere. And so, misuse of AI in situations where it makes the human being that interacts with it balk isn't good either. As you say the language is annoying: "AI powered" or similar language is just meaningless to most people. People are not turned off by features in software that 'just work' because there's some AI running quietly behind the scenes. They're put off by bold claims that don't actually materialise and the human/AI interaction-boundary that can sometimes lead to more effort on the part of the human. AI is a technique used by software engineers, we shouldn't need to talk about it at all (except to each other and maybe VCs). We don't market our apps as "Relational database powered", in time we won't mention AI at all.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
ewoodrich 2y ago
Lately I’ve been seeing Reddit ads with clearly AI generated marketing images and it just makes me assume the company is an unserious fly-by-night operation and/or a one person company. The most embarrassing recurring ad I’ve seen lately is for some kind of device management IT solution with AI generated MacBooks where the Apple logo is completely mangled. No idea how you could overlook that or notice it but somehow think it doesn’t cheapen your company’s image.
- louthy 2y ago
  > it just makes me assume the company is an unserious fly-by-night operation and/or a one person company Exactly this. Any serious company would manage their brand seriously. Even if you're a one person bootstrapped startup, you should take your brand seriously and get some artwork commissioned. It isn't that expensive and makes a massive difference to how you're perceived. Using AI generated images says to me (rightly or wrongly) that you take shortcuts. So, if you take shortcuts with your brand, what's your product like?

0xEF 2y ago

I disagree, partially. Yes, we are tired of the hype, but we are also tired of the focus on generative AI. I don't want AI to write stories, make pictures or be my girlfriend. Those are things best left to humans. I want AI to optimize my home or business's HVAC, help with database administration, tell me what I can cook with the random stuff in my fridge, maybe even help with project management. We're getting there, but the spotlight needs to turn from the "creative" tasks to the boring administrative tasks we don't want to do. We're not sick of AI. We're sick of it being used for the wrong things.

ksaj 2y ago
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. This definitely applies with the current state of AI.
TheRoque 2y ago
Sure, but the companies have a different plan. The creative and skilled tasks are also where you have to hire the most expensive employees to do the job, and so cutting them is a dream for most investors. From a pure business standpoint the things "best left to humans" are the ones where the human is the cheapest option for the same result. Nothing more, nothing less.
- 0xEF 2y ago
  You are correct. My comment could also be read as "we are sick of companies putting profits over people with this disasterously cancerous 'growth at all costs' mindset." The AI boom is just the latest boil on our collective behinds, with that in mind.
  - TheRoque 2y ago
    I 100% agree with you, it shows the limit of the system we've built and something might need to change
bsenftner 2y ago
Your desires are exactly where I've been working. I've been considering calling the company "Boring AI: productivity tools for real work" or something like that. I've been integrating LLMs into the internal structure of applications, so you can actually tell a spreadsheet bot "hey, I need this DNA table used to color a graph using this address table of people in this area" and a spreadsheet with graph is generated in under a minute. Likewise, I've integrated a collection of 'bot attorneys that can provide serious legal advice, and is in use at an immigration law firm.

surfingdino 2y ago

Internet was useable from early on and became more friendly to less technical users as time went by. AI generated bullshit output is of no use whatsoever and customers are turned off by being told that it's the future when this shit doesn't work. Remember messenger chatbots? Where are they now? Same fate awaits AI.

ksaj 2y ago
People were turned off by the text-only gopher and related protocols. It improved and we now have the modern web. Messenger-style chatbots abound today. They're everywhere. As well, you have Twitter and Youtube bots that are the grown up version of the irc bots from days gone by.