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> Most critiques of AI are based on experience with the cheapest AI available a year ago, by midwits You don't even need to use AI at all to have valid critiqu

> Most critiques of AI are based on experience with the cheapest AI available a year ago, by midwits You don't even need to use AI at all to have valid critiques of it Plenty of other people are showing its flaws daily by replacing their entire personalities with AI slop Oh it can do some impressive stuff sure. It is still bad for society

Marha01 4mo ago
> You don't even need to use AI at all to have valid critiques of it You cannot rationally criticize something if you have no up-to-date knowledge about it.
- forgetfreeman 4mo ago
  The industry hype mill and it's attendant horde of touts are working overtime to make sure the dude that mows my lawn is up to date on AI, so I'm not sure how you're going to advance the argument that anyone routinely posting to the epicenter of the AI hype typhoon is some how poorly informed on the topic.
- bluefirebrand 4mo ago
  That's like saying you can't know if a stove is hot without putting your hand on it
lern_too_spel 4mo ago
To make my earlier critique of your argument clearer, some applications of AI might be bad for society, but it does not follow that the tutoring application is also bad for society.
- forgetfreeman 4mo ago
  Educational outcomes tank when computers are introduced to classrooms. It absolutely follows that AI as a tutoring application is bad for society. https://fortune.com/2026/03/14/america-math-and-reading-scores-tanked-edtech-ai-brain-rot/ https://fortune.com/2026/03/14/america-math-and-reading-scor...
  - Marha01 4mo ago
    > Educational outcomes tank when computers are introduced to classrooms. Correlation does not necessarily mean causation.
    - forgetfreeman 4mo ago
      Fair, but when presented with a situation where one side of an argument has evidence and the other has baseless assertions the choice is rather plain.
  - lern_too_spel 4mo ago
    It does not follow that anything produced by an electronic computational device is bad for children or society. I've personally seen computers teach children barely two years old to read.
    - forgetfreeman 4mo ago
      Anecdote < Data. Studies consistently show declines in every trackable metric associated with education when computational devices are introduced to the process. Until actual data is presented that contradicts these findings there's no grounds for rational debate.
      - lern_too_spel 4mo ago
        > Studies consistently show declines in every trackable metric associated with education when computational devices are introduced to the process. They're doing it wrong, just as the incentives in the classroom are wrong (to increase a number showing how many children meet some artificially low standard of competency). The rational debate comes from the hundreds of people who are doing it right on their own. These days, all the top chess players practice with an engine. All the top mathletes use AoPS tools. It's the same across every academic field, and the level at which the top is performing is far beyond what it was before computers were introduced. The amount of effort it would take to teach a barely two year old to read is far beyond what most parents have to give, but with an electronic device patiently saying letter sounds whenever an infant interacts with letters, it's trivial.
- bluefirebrand 4mo ago
  A responsible society would make sure that the applications have good results with adults before even thinking about applying it to children And despite the hype, the jury is still out for how the results are for adults using AI
  - lern_too_spel 4mo ago
    Nobody has tried to systematically apply AI tutoring for adults. AI tutoring for children is easier because there are more people who understand the domains that need to be taught to children and can evaluate if the children have grasped the concepts appropriately. It is clear that a personal human tutor can achieve incredible results, and almost everybody who has revolutionized any field you might think of is a product of such a system. Scaling that would be immensely valuable to society.
    - bluefirebrand 4mo ago
      > AI tutoring for children is easier We shouldn't do questionable shit just because it's easier
      - lern_too_spel 4mo ago
        We should do it because of the huge benefits to society. The fact that it is easier than doing something with marginal benefit is why we should do it first.
        bluefirebrand 4mo ago
        You have to demonstrate benefits to society before claiming you are providing them
        lern_too_spel 4mo ago
        The aforementioned people who revolutionized their fields are the demonstrated benefits. If we're going to stop a technology that could multiply that before it even gets to testing, it shouldn't be done on vibes.

Marha01 4mo ago

> You don't even need to use AI at all to have valid critiques of it You cannot rationally criticize something if you have no up-to-date knowledge about it.

forgetfreeman 4mo ago
The industry hype mill and it's attendant horde of touts are working overtime to make sure the dude that mows my lawn is up to date on AI, so I'm not sure how you're going to advance the argument that anyone routinely posting to the epicenter of the AI hype typhoon is some how poorly informed on the topic.
bluefirebrand 4mo ago
That's like saying you can't know if a stove is hot without putting your hand on it

lern_too_spel 4mo ago

To make my earlier critique of your argument clearer, some applications of AI might be bad for society, but it does not follow that the tutoring application is also bad for society.

forgetfreeman 4mo ago
Educational outcomes tank when computers are introduced to classrooms. It absolutely follows that AI as a tutoring application is bad for society. https://fortune.com/2026/03/14/america-math-and-reading-scores-tanked-edtech-ai-brain-rot/ https://fortune.com/2026/03/14/america-math-and-reading-scor...
- Marha01 4mo ago
  > Educational outcomes tank when computers are introduced to classrooms. Correlation does not necessarily mean causation.
  - forgetfreeman 4mo ago
    Fair, but when presented with a situation where one side of an argument has evidence and the other has baseless assertions the choice is rather plain.
- lern_too_spel 4mo ago
  It does not follow that anything produced by an electronic computational device is bad for children or society. I've personally seen computers teach children barely two years old to read.
  - forgetfreeman 4mo ago
    Anecdote < Data. Studies consistently show declines in every trackable metric associated with education when computational devices are introduced to the process. Until actual data is presented that contradicts these findings there's no grounds for rational debate.
    - lern_too_spel 4mo ago
      > Studies consistently show declines in every trackable metric associated with education when computational devices are introduced to the process. They're doing it wrong, just as the incentives in the classroom are wrong (to increase a number showing how many children meet some artificially low standard of competency). The rational debate comes from the hundreds of people who are doing it right on their own. These days, all the top chess players practice with an engine. All the top mathletes use AoPS tools. It's the same across every academic field, and the level at which the top is performing is far beyond what it was before computers were introduced. The amount of effort it would take to teach a barely two year old to read is far beyond what most parents have to give, but with an electronic device patiently saying letter sounds whenever an infant interacts with letters, it's trivial.
bluefirebrand 4mo ago
A responsible society would make sure that the applications have good results with adults before even thinking about applying it to children And despite the hype, the jury is still out for how the results are for adults using AI
- lern_too_spel 4mo ago
  Nobody has tried to systematically apply AI tutoring for adults. AI tutoring for children is easier because there are more people who understand the domains that need to be taught to children and can evaluate if the children have grasped the concepts appropriately. It is clear that a personal human tutor can achieve incredible results, and almost everybody who has revolutionized any field you might think of is a product of such a system. Scaling that would be immensely valuable to society.
  - bluefirebrand 4mo ago
    > AI tutoring for children is easier We shouldn't do questionable shit just because it's easier
    - lern_too_spel 4mo ago
      We should do it because of the huge benefits to society. The fact that it is easier than doing something with marginal benefit is why we should do it first.
      - bluefirebrand 4mo ago
        You have to demonstrate benefits to society before claiming you are providing them
        lern_too_spel 4mo ago
        The aforementioned people who revolutionized their fields are the demonstrated benefits. If we're going to stop a technology that could multiply that before it even gets to testing, it shouldn't be done on vibes.