jwzFeb 20, 2023

The best description I've ever heard of AI is the following. I heard this in the 80s, and it has held up since:

AI is magic.

1: You see a magic trick. You are amazed by the magic.

2: You are shown how the trick works. You are impressed by the technique.

3: You learn how to perform the trick. Now it's not magic, it's sleight-of-hand, or mirrors, or misdirection.

This is why "AI" is always bullshit: once you understand it, it's not AI any more, it's something else.

Show threadErik JonkerFeb 20, 2023
@jwz ...you could replace the word "AI" with "technology" and it's clear your conclusion is wrong, it does not becomes "bullshit" if you understand how something works and see what it's limitations are, maybe some of the magic is gone but the added value can still be there
Show threadflere-imsaho 🇺🇦
@ErikJonker @jwz and some of the technology serves only bullshit which adds no value (and amazingly, the people financing the bullshit services – the stochastic parrotry, the blockchain, the nfts – are very frequently the very same group).
Feb 20, 2023 at 9:12amWeb
Show threadErik JonkerFeb 20, 2023
@mawhrin @jwz ..the whole process of innovation means by definition that we experiment and play with technology where it's uses aren't clear in advance or never will be, many examples of technology where in the beginning everybody was wondering about the use or added value
Show threadflere-imsaho 🇺🇦Feb 20, 2023
@ErikJonker @jwz neither of the bullshit generators i mentioned are new; this is all the worst case of technology: a (sometimes) neat thought experiment on the prowl for (a) use case and (b) monetisation opportunities, and despite failing to find (a) still pushing for (b).