Comment by brokegrammer
3 days ago
I don't find it jaw-dropping because the idea is quite simple. Just feed the model an enormous amount of unethically sourced data, build data centers that cause droughts, and use all chips available so that normal people can't afford to buy RAM anymore.
We're all sacrificing great things in order to make these models more capable. Whether it'll all be worth it, only time will tell.
The arguably sketchy means used to get there —and the resulting side-effects— do not take away from the impressiveness of the emerging capabilities themselves.
I agree about the uncertainty regarding the value for humanity in the long-term. But that's not my point. Being jaw-dropped != being happy and cheering for it.
It's certainly a great thing that AI is improving (I use AI to write code daily myself), but I wouldn't be calling it impressive because it's essentially all about money and government backing.
At some point, the chickens are gonna come out.
I am still impressed by the fact we have found a way to feed data to matter and get human surpassing intelligence, that's a very unexpected advance
10 replies →
> At some point, the chickens are gonna come out.
What does this mean ? AI will only get better and cheaper.
> essentially all about money and government backing
So is nuclear power, and once it came it didn't go away.
1 reply →
We have certainity it will be used to harm most people in the short term while pointificating about long term future. CEO class is very open with their vision and goals, none of them spell anything positive for us.
>We have certainity it will be used to harm most people in the short term
How will it harm most people in the short term, exactly?
5 replies →
Exactly. I'm a nerd too and we nerds can real hypocrites because we spend too much time alone. I will happily turn a blind eye to world suffering if it means I get to work less but get paid the same.
AI CEOs aren't different. At some point we'll have to admit that we're sacrificing others for our own benefit.
> We're all sacrificing great things
Oh please.
> Unethically sourced data
Is that a great sacrifice?
> data centers that cause droughts
That's nonsense.
> normal people can't afford to buy RAM anymore
Lol? Another great sacrifice?
This isn't a healthy or sensible way to think.
How about total surveillance total thought control total power in a hands of few trillionaires in the near future. Drones killing undesirables with cheering crowds watching.
It is not like it is much different right now but it may be significantly worse.
And even that is one of the “good” outcomes assuming no ASI.
That is a bad outcome. But there are better possible outcomes that the doomers ignore. How about AI curing cancer? I think that alone is worth the risks.
1 reply →
Then again, looking back, that’s the way history is made. Modern democracies in the west are built on foundations of slavery and colonialism; yet we cherish them as to all the greatness they have brought as well. We need some amount of tolerance to ambiguity, and LLMs are undoubtedly both extremely cool but also extremely concerning.
Edit: Note that I am not saying that this is good, or desirable; just that it is. The technology is here know and not going anywhere, with all the flaws of its conception. We can be skeptical and curious at the same time.
The west thrived by leveraging slavery and colonialism at the expense of everyone else. Then democracies were built by moving away from both slavery and colonialism so that the world can grow as a whole.
It's possible that we'll have to move away from AI at some point in order for society to continue growing.
The ottoman empire leveraged slavery and colonialism just as much, and there's no progress to be seen from them, at least not when compared to the west.
It's the renaissance and the scientific and industrial revolutions, that's what gave the west the opportunity to thrive.
1 reply →
Please tell me you're not so delusional to think that slavery or colonialism is a uniquely "western" trait. Empires, nation-states, and groups all sought to expand; some, for various reasons, did much better than others.