THE AI BACKLASH IS IN FULL FORCE
On that other social media site, the one known by a single letter, the backlash against AI seems to be dialed up to 11.
The pushback is pretty broad but can be roughly lumped into a few categories, depending on the Tweeters’ politics/jobs.
1. STOP LYING TO US, YOU ARE ONLY EMBARRASSING YOURSELVES
This is pushback against all the "in 12 to 18 months AI will replace most white collar jobs" drumbeat from the "Something Big Is Happening" article. Basic premise is that yes it is getting better, but it clearly still makes far too many mistakes for anyone to trust it to do most anything, and that even if it were to get to that point, the actual humans would need to figure out how and where to use it and then actually start using it, and well, we're not that smart and both humans and large corporations are pretty resistant to change.
2. UNLIKE PREVIOUS TECH, PEOPLE ARE NOT ALL THAT EXCITED ABOUT AI
It seems that the hype noted above ("You will all lose your jobs!!!") had caused most people to have quite a negative attitude about AI and what it can do, as per several recent studies. Compare that to electricity and the internet, which polling showed people were pretty excited about. This is also being cited as proof that adoption will take much, much longer.
3. THE DATA CENTERS ARE A BLIGHT ON THE WORLD
Many people are not happy about the amount of energy that data centers consume, their impact on rural areas and the housing and job markets in those areas. There is some pushback framing this is a "luxury belief" (Google Rob Henderson if you are unfamiliar with the term) but there is a general sense that the amount of power needed to run AI as it rapidly expands is going to be a huge challenge, one governments worldwide have not yet started to reckon with.
4. IT'S A PONZI SCHEME BASED ON PEOPLE PASSING MONEY BACK AND FORTH
This is about the business side of the top AI companies, that thing that is keeping the Dow Jones in a red hot lather. Evan Shapīro has explained this in depth, but it is still worth keeping an eye on as all these factors are interrelated.
Anyway, that's just this month. I'll circle back when the vibe shifts again.
