Meredith WhittakerApr 16, 2023
NYT "AI" explainer misleads. Deep learning techniques date from the 1980s, & "AI" had been hot/cold for decades, not slow until 2012. There was no new "single idea" in 2012. What WAS new, & propelled the AI boom, was concentrated resources (data/compute) controlled by tech cos.
Show threadMeredith WhittakerApr 16, 2023
The access to massive data (aka surveillance) and compute made old "AI" techniques do new things. And showed that "AI" could profitably expand "what could be done" with the surveillance data already created by the targeted ad companies that dominated the industry.
Show threadMeredith Whittaker
Telling an accurate story leads to much more relevant questions than simply narrating "AI" as resulting from scientific progress -- a singular idea from Zeus' head! Indeed, conflating scientific progress w tech co products is one way these cos staved off regulation for so long
Apr 16, 2023 at 5:22pmWeb
Show threadMeredith WhittakerApr 16, 2023
To grapple with "AI" and the concentrated power on which it's predicated, we certainly need to understand what it is. But pieces like this do the opposite, further mystifying & obscuring, & ultimately making it harder to strategize how to shape and resist.
Show threadMeredith WhittakerApr 16, 2023
For an antidote, and a precise material analysis, I suggest the latest @AINowInstitute report, which provides a masterful landscaping and diagnosis. https://ainowinstitute.org/
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Show threadMeredith WhittakerApr 16, 2023
@CadeMetz @kevinroose I think this should be addressed. I recognize that you write for a general audience, but it's possible to be more precise without getting into the weeds. It's imperative that we don't further mystify these tech, especially via such a prominent platform.
Show threadMeredith WhittakerApr 16, 2023
*To be more precise myself, the specific deep learning techniques that animated the early 2010s AI boom (CNNs) date from the 1980s. But not all DL techniques.