AI is Not Inevitable

Last week I told my manager what I really think about AI and LLMs. I had shared my concerns before about certain uses we make of it, but this time was different. He asked, and it just came out. The built-in biases, the social harm, the energy usage, the mind boggling eagerness to use a tool that is set on making us obsolete.

For a bit afterwards the thought “holy shit did I say that out loud” was going on in my head. But not for long. I’m glad I said it.

Recently I was going over my notes from 2022 when this bandwagon started rolling. If I can say so myself, it struck me how prescient I was.

I’ve used LLMs and I’ve read a lot about them, from people who retreated from their use as well as people who continue thinking they are useful. I am listening. But I feel good that I still have the same qualms and concerns today that I had then.

The Earth is not an infinite resource. Tech cannot be trusted to be socially responsible. And no it’s not inevitable.

The only way to win a con is to not play.

That’s exactly how I feel about it. Thanks to Mike Monteiro for putting it into words. I’m in my fifties. I know how to write. I know how to design. I know how to code. I know the value of a human’s creative output. After four years of watching the AI thing unfold and trying to be measured, I still refute claims that it’s inevitable and I still don’t see why telling a minion to do something for me has any value.

I’m amazed at the lack of conscious questioning that people have versus this tech. People willingly jump onto the bandwagon, seemingly unaware or unconcerned. “But look what it can do!”

I just don’t agree with that. I don’t think AI is a good thing, and I’m not going to force myself to use it just to pretend it protects my employability.

People seem to think that the market will automagically decide for them while they can remain on the fence and quietly go along. That’s not how that works. If you have concerns or don’t agree with it, say so.