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A lot of this AI backlash feels less about the tech itself and more about people feeling economically exposed. When you think your job or livelihood is on thin

A lot of this AI backlash feels less about the tech itself and more about people feeling economically exposed. When you think your job or livelihood is on thin ice, it is easier to direct that fear at AI than at the fact that our elected reps have not offered any real plan for how workers are supposed to survive the transition. AI becomes a stand-in for a bigger problem. We keep arguing about models and chatbots, but the real issue is that the economic safety net has not been updated in decades. Until that changes, people will keep treating AI as the thing to be angry at instead of the system that leaves them vulnerable.

the_snooze 10mo ago
Eh, it's way simpler than that. AI doesn't know when to STFU. When I write an email or document, I don't need modern-day Clippy constantly guessing (and second-guessing) my thoughts. I don't need an AI sparkle button plastered everywhere to summarize articles for me. It's infantilizing and reeks of desperation. If AI is a truly useful tool, then I'll integrate it into my workflow on my own terms and my own timeline.
jandrewrogers 10mo ago
A major factor in the backlash is that the AI is obnoxiously intrusive because companies are forcefully injecting it into everything. It pops up everywhere trying to be "helpful" when it is neither needed nor helpful. People often experience AI as an idiot constantly jabbering next to them while they are trying to get work done. AI would be much more pleasant if it only showed up when summoned for a specific task.
lawlessone 10mo ago
Part of this the behavior around it too from some users. Like that guy spamming FOSS projects on github with 13k LOC of code nobody asked for and then acting forwarding the criticism from people forced to review it to the Claude and copy pasting the response back to . Triumphant Posts on linkedin from former seo/cryptoscam people telling everyone they'll be left behind if they don't adopt the latest flavor text/image generator. All these resources being spent too on huge data centres for text generators when things like protein folding would be far more useful, billion dollar salaries for "AI Gurus" that are just throwing sh*t at the wall and hoping their particular mix of models and training works, while laying people off.
encyclopedism 10mo ago
I've mentioned this elsewhere on HN yet it bears repeating: The core issue is that AI is taking away, or will take away, or threatens to take away, experiences and activities that humans would WANT to do. Things that give them meaning and many of these are tied to earning money and producing value for doing just that thing. As someone said "I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes". Much of the meaning we humans derive from work is tied to the value it provides to society. One can do coding for fun but doing the same coding where it provides value to others/society is far more meaningful. Presently some may say: AI is amazing I am much more productive, AI is just a tool or that AI empowers me. The irony is that this in itself shows the deficiency of AI. It demonstrates that AI is not yet powerful enough to NOT need to empower you to NOT need to make you more productive. Ultimately AI aims to remove the need for a human intermediary altogether that is the AI holy grail. Everything in between is just a stop along the way and so for those it empowers stop and think a little about the long term implications. It may be that for you right now it is comfortable position financially or socially but your future you in just a few short months may be dramatically impacted. I can well imagine the blood draining from peoples faces, the graduate coder who can no longer get on the job ladder. The law secretary whose dream job is being automated away, a dream dreamt from a young age. The journalist whose value has been substituted by a white text box connected to an AI model.
gaigalas 10mo ago
I think the anger towards AI is completely fabricated. Where are the new luddites, really? I just don't see them. I see people talking about them, but they never actually show up. My theory is that they don't actually exist. Their existence would legitimize AI, not bring it down, so AI people fantasize about this imaginary nemesis.
- malfist 10mo ago
  I don't understand how you've read the comments on this page and still think that people that don't like ai are fictitious
  - gaigalas 10mo ago
    The internet dislikes a lot of things. It's meaningless. A substack post is not anger, an HN comment is not breaking machines. In IT specifically, people who dislike AI are simply not revolting. They're retiring or taking sabbaticals. They're not breaking machinery, they're waiting for the thing to crash and burn on its own.
    - malfist 10mo ago
      That's a no true Scotsman mixed with a strawman. Anger is a lot of things besides intentional sabotage and insurrection
      - gaigalas 10mo ago
        Do you believe people actually hate fidget spinners, or it was just internet talk? Show me manifestations of anger towards AI that actually happened outside of the internet. Some massive strike, some protest, something meaningful.
        tim333 10mo ago
        https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/paul-mccartney-ai-silent-track-is-this-what-we-want-1235466449/ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/paul-mccartney...
watwut 10mo ago
The constant stream of exaggerated bragging "hahaha we will fire and replace you all" from AI companies is not helping. This tech cycle does not even pretend to be "likable guys". They are framing themselves as sociopaths due to, well, being interested only in millionaires money. Makes up bad optics.
deleted 10mo ago
[deleted]
donmcronald 10mo ago
> A lot of this AI backlash feels less about the tech itself and more about people feeling economically exposed. This is what it is for me. I can see the value in AI tech, but big tech has inserted themselves as unneeded middlemen in way too much of our lives. The cynic in me is convinced this is just another attempt at owning us. That leaked memo from Zuckerberg about VR is a good example. He's looking at Google and Apple having near absolute control over their mobile users and wants to get an ecosystem like that for Facebook. There's nothing about building a good product or setting things up so users are in control. It's all about wanting to own an ecosystem with trapped users. If they can, big tech will gate every interaction or transaction and I think they see AI as a way to do that at scale. Don't ask your neighbour how to change a tire on your car. Ask AI. And pay them for the "knowledge".
- watwut 10mo ago
  What memo?
  - pseudalopex 10mo ago
    https://www.scribd.com/document/399594551/2015-06-22-MARK-S-VISION https://www.scribd.com/document/399594551/2015-06-22-MARK-S-...
deleted 10mo ago
[deleted]

the_snooze 10mo ago

Eh, it's way simpler than that. AI doesn't know when to STFU. When I write an email or document, I don't need modern-day Clippy constantly guessing (and second-guessing) my thoughts. I don't need an AI sparkle button plastered everywhere to summarize articles for me. It's infantilizing and reeks of desperation. If AI is a truly useful tool, then I'll integrate it into my workflow on my own terms and my own timeline.

jandrewrogers 10mo ago

A major factor in the backlash is that the AI is obnoxiously intrusive because companies are forcefully injecting it into everything. It pops up everywhere trying to be "helpful" when it is neither needed nor helpful. People often experience AI as an idiot constantly jabbering next to them while they are trying to get work done. AI would be much more pleasant if it only showed up when summoned for a specific task.

lawlessone 10mo ago

Part of this the behavior around it too from some users. Like that guy spamming FOSS projects on github with 13k LOC of code nobody asked for and then acting forwarding the criticism from people forced to review it to the Claude and copy pasting the response back to . Triumphant Posts on linkedin from former seo/cryptoscam people telling everyone they'll be left behind if they don't adopt the latest flavor text/image generator. All these resources being spent too on huge data centres for text generators when things like protein folding would be far more useful, billion dollar salaries for "AI Gurus" that are just throwing sh*t at the wall and hoping their particular mix of models and training works, while laying people off.

encyclopedism 10mo ago

I've mentioned this elsewhere on HN yet it bears repeating: The core issue is that AI is taking away, or will take away, or threatens to take away, experiences and activities that humans would WANT to do. Things that give them meaning and many of these are tied to earning money and producing value for doing just that thing. As someone said "I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes". Much of the meaning we humans derive from work is tied to the value it provides to society. One can do coding for fun but doing the same coding where it provides value to others/society is far more meaningful. Presently some may say: AI is amazing I am much more productive, AI is just a tool or that AI empowers me. The irony is that this in itself shows the deficiency of AI. It demonstrates that AI is not yet powerful enough to NOT need to empower you to NOT need to make you more productive. Ultimately AI aims to remove the need for a human intermediary altogether that is the AI holy grail. Everything in between is just a stop along the way and so for those it empowers stop and think a little about the long term implications. It may be that for you right now it is comfortable position financially or socially but your future you in just a few short months may be dramatically impacted. I can well imagine the blood draining from peoples faces, the graduate coder who can no longer get on the job ladder. The law secretary whose dream job is being automated away, a dream dreamt from a young age. The journalist whose value has been substituted by a white text box connected to an AI model.

gaigalas 10mo ago

I think the anger towards AI is completely fabricated. Where are the new luddites, really? I just don't see them. I see people talking about them, but they never actually show up. My theory is that they don't actually exist. Their existence would legitimize AI, not bring it down, so AI people fantasize about this imaginary nemesis.

malfist 10mo ago
I don't understand how you've read the comments on this page and still think that people that don't like ai are fictitious
- gaigalas 10mo ago
  The internet dislikes a lot of things. It's meaningless. A substack post is not anger, an HN comment is not breaking machines. In IT specifically, people who dislike AI are simply not revolting. They're retiring or taking sabbaticals. They're not breaking machinery, they're waiting for the thing to crash and burn on its own.
  - malfist 10mo ago
    That's a no true Scotsman mixed with a strawman. Anger is a lot of things besides intentional sabotage and insurrection
    - gaigalas 10mo ago
      Do you believe people actually hate fidget spinners, or it was just internet talk? Show me manifestations of anger towards AI that actually happened outside of the internet. Some massive strike, some protest, something meaningful.
      - tim333 10mo ago
        https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/paul-mccartney-ai-silent-track-is-this-what-we-want-1235466449/ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/paul-mccartney...

watwut 10mo ago

The constant stream of exaggerated bragging "hahaha we will fire and replace you all" from AI companies is not helping. This tech cycle does not even pretend to be "likable guys". They are framing themselves as sociopaths due to, well, being interested only in millionaires money. Makes up bad optics.

deleted 10mo ago

[deleted]

donmcronald 10mo ago

> A lot of this AI backlash feels less about the tech itself and more about people feeling economically exposed. This is what it is for me. I can see the value in AI tech, but big tech has inserted themselves as unneeded middlemen in way too much of our lives. The cynic in me is convinced this is just another attempt at owning us. That leaked memo from Zuckerberg about VR is a good example. He's looking at Google and Apple having near absolute control over their mobile users and wants to get an ecosystem like that for Facebook. There's nothing about building a good product or setting things up so users are in control. It's all about wanting to own an ecosystem with trapped users. If they can, big tech will gate every interaction or transaction and I think they see AI as a way to do that at scale. Don't ask your neighbour how to change a tire on your car. Ask AI. And pay them for the "knowledge".

watwut 10mo ago
What memo?
- pseudalopex 10mo ago
  https://www.scribd.com/document/399594551/2015-06-22-MARK-S-VISION https://www.scribd.com/document/399594551/2015-06-22-MARK-S-...

deleted 10mo ago

[deleted]