4 ms·

It's a cult. And frankly, I am not interested in churches or cults.

by OtomotO 5mo ago

Terr_ 5mo ago
In between some old family history and recent US politics, I think there are other things I'd rather reserve the weighty word "cult" for... However, should it arise, one of the features that might convince me is this: In the name of "loyalty" or "faith" cults require members to burn their bridges, actively cutting off their own potential to escape to any other social support network. That may mean creating enemies out of former associates, humiliating rituals or blackmail material, or simply ruining their reputations through obvious lies.
- OtomotO 5mo ago
  I don't particularly care about the US or US politics since 2016. Unless you invade a country again and we have to deal with the Fallout for years to come, that is. For example: I have banned all news about Trump administration from my home. It's simply not interesting. He is a toddler, and I have a toddler of my own.
  - Terr_ 5mo ago
    I think I did quite enough to be vague and oblique on that context, so that it wasn't the focus, and any reader could avoid the topic... if they chose to.
  - greenchair 5mo ago
    What the leader of the free world says or does is definitely interesting to us.
    - OtomotO 5mo ago
      Not to me. He turns around and changes his opinion more often than his underwear. And he is not the leader of the free world. Not since they bombed Vietnam.
simondotau 5mo ago
The utility of current-era AI may well be overstated, and the business models of certain companies might be doubtful, but that doesn't make AI it a "cult".
- OtomotO 5mo ago
  AI is not a cult, HN regarding AI is. It's boring and it's viral and if you refuse to participate, there are still people annoying you with their beliefs. It's a fucking tool, like a fucking shovel.
  - deleted 5mo ago
    [deleted]
  - lukan 5mo ago
    "It's a fucking tool, like a fucking shovel." The difference is, if you talk with your shovel, you are talking with yourself. But talking to AI gives you answers and more smart ones, than most humans do. So it is still a tool, but of a very different kind.
    - OtomotO 5mo ago
      And here is where we disagree. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA_effect We are no further to general artificial intelligence than we were a decade ago.
      - lukan 5mo ago
        Thanks, but I don't need to click, that to know what is inside. And to be honest, a LLM could have give me the same response. (But I made no claims of AGI btw.)
        OtomotO 5mo ago
        > And to be honest, a LLM could have give me the same response. It could, or it could've hallucinated something :) But then again, I could too, if I smoked enough or fell on my head. Plus it would've produced more CO2 than I did, hopefully :)

It's a cult. And frankly, I am not interested in churches or cults.

by OtomotO 5mo ago

It's a cult. And frankly, I am not interested in churches or cults.

Terr_ 5mo ago

In between some old family history and recent US politics, I think there are other things I'd rather reserve the weighty word "cult" for... However, should it arise, one of the features that might convince me is this: In the name of "loyalty" or "faith" cults require members to burn their bridges, actively cutting off their own potential to escape to any other social support network. That may mean creating enemies out of former associates, humiliating rituals or blackmail material, or simply ruining their reputations through obvious lies.

OtomotO 5mo ago
I don't particularly care about the US or US politics since 2016. Unless you invade a country again and we have to deal with the Fallout for years to come, that is. For example: I have banned all news about Trump administration from my home. It's simply not interesting. He is a toddler, and I have a toddler of my own.
- Terr_ 5mo ago
  I think I did quite enough to be vague and oblique on that context, so that it wasn't the focus, and any reader could avoid the topic... if they chose to.
- greenchair 5mo ago
  What the leader of the free world says or does is definitely interesting to us.
  - OtomotO 5mo ago
    Not to me. He turns around and changes his opinion more often than his underwear. And he is not the leader of the free world. Not since they bombed Vietnam.

simondotau 5mo ago

The utility of current-era AI may well be overstated, and the business models of certain companies might be doubtful, but that doesn't make AI it a "cult".

OtomotO 5mo ago
AI is not a cult, HN regarding AI is. It's boring and it's viral and if you refuse to participate, there are still people annoying you with their beliefs. It's a fucking tool, like a fucking shovel.
- deleted 5mo ago
  [deleted]
- lukan 5mo ago
  "It's a fucking tool, like a fucking shovel." The difference is, if you talk with your shovel, you are talking with yourself. But talking to AI gives you answers and more smart ones, than most humans do. So it is still a tool, but of a very different kind.
  - OtomotO 5mo ago
    And here is where we disagree. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA_effect We are no further to general artificial intelligence than we were a decade ago.
    - lukan 5mo ago
      Thanks, but I don't need to click, that to know what is inside. And to be honest, a LLM could have give me the same response. (But I made no claims of AGI btw.)
      - OtomotO 5mo ago
        > And to be honest, a LLM could have give me the same response. It could, or it could've hallucinated something :) But then again, I could too, if I smoked enough or fell on my head. Plus it would've produced more CO2 than I did, hopefully :)