Mastodawn

Sarah T. Roberts, Ph.D.May 31, 2023

During the height of COVID, rental assistance, job assistance, food assistance and more were given to those in need. Student loan payments were paused. The US did not collapse due to these policies. In fact, consumer spending went up.

So, given that these things are possible and even economically favorable, one can only conclude that ending them benefits some small but powerful portion of the populace who wants to keep the rest of us under control and in relative, if not full-on, poverty.

Sarah T. Roberts, Ph.D.

The fact that the US government charges interest on student loans is already so offensive and immoral that I don’t even know where to begin.

Sarah T. Roberts, Ph.D.Jun 1, 2023

And I keep being asked about job “losses” due to automation, e.g., generative AI, and all I can say is, these are not people being replaced by AI as such, but their work moving to a different place along the same production chain, then cheapened through a process of deskilling that provides the capitalist class with further excuse to underpay and undervalue. But there is no “generative AI” without human labor, so look to find where it is.

Sarah T. Roberts, Ph.D.Jun 1, 2023

My undergrads yesterday had no problem identifying the BS of the whole thing, noting that an increase in production without a concomitant increase in wages is a LOWERING OF WAGES. And that is what automation is good for. Then there’s the phenomenon of “it’s good enough.” The AI generates content, for example, that’s “good enough” for a copywriter to be fired and replaced. But good enough for whom? Once again, for the ownership class, and “good enough” to generate profit…

Sarah T. Roberts, Ph.D.Jun 1, 2023

…but no evaluation on the grounds of, say, qualify, veracity, accuracy, etc. , because who gives a good goddamn if the facsimile can do?

Sarah T. Roberts, Ph.D.Jun 1, 2023

They also made the connection that, despite claims to the contrary, there is no evidence that automation and always-on access to computational technologies yield less work. Instead, these things simply take the productive cycle from a hard-won eight hours per day and turn it into 24.

Sarah T. Roberts, Ph.D.Jun 1, 2023

Ever had a manager texting you outside of work hours to demand various things of you? They all laughed wryly that they had. Like, how did you get this number?

Melonie Jun 1, 2023

@ubiquity75 Yeah, there's a reason people want the "right to disconnect"!

Jürgen Hubert Jun 1, 2023

@ubiquity75 No, although a co-worker did a few times before a tight deadline.

(This is one of the more annoying aspects of my current job - the deadlines are given by the potential customers, and it is up to us how to adhere to them.)

Steve Torrente Jun 1, 2023

@ubiquity75 I've just had one ask me to export my classes for someone else to teach.

Sarah T. Roberts, Ph.D.Jun 1, 2023

@theLastTheorist Lovely.

Dr. Tineke D'Haeseleer Jun 1, 2023

@theLastTheorist @ubiquity75
Uuuuh... how about intellectual property rights, if not copyright?

Steve Torrente Jun 1, 2023

@tinebeest @ubiquity75 The policy gives them a 3 year license on all class materials. Solid confirmation of my decision to move on, though.

Dr. Tineke D'Haeseleer Jun 1, 2023

@theLastTheorist @ubiquity75
Yaaaa - I can see that!
Good luck with the next adventure!

@[email protected]Jun 1, 2023

@ubiquity75 Good enough to produce text that is meant to be primarly written, not read, but not good enough to produce it such that it _can_ be read if needed.

Dawn Ahukanna Jun 1, 2023

Twisted fallacy right here -“Once again, for the ownership class, and “good enough” to generate profit…” from which customers with which disposable income, when you only employ statistical calculator named “Artificial Intelligence”.? That is such a galacticly stupid decision, driven by avarice.

Businesses need to have paying customers to generate profits. Cash hoarders don’t spend, they expect to be given for everything for free.

Benjamin Parsons Jun 2, 2023

@ubiquity75 fulfill function. I take a less dyre view. Educators have been asking for stock answers for generations, and AI excells at it, so they got what they asked for, but not what they wanted. Creativity has not been taught, it has been discouraged. Think of the music industry. We composers were replaced in the 90s...
I don't fear AI, it's a natural evolution and as Wozcek says, human intelligence is simply a special form of AI. The thing to fear, as you imply, is The Capital Market itself

Sarah T. Roberts, Ph.D.Jun 2, 2023

@peaceprone My dire view is about capitalism, friend.

Dr. Juande Santander-Vela Jun 1, 2023

@ubiquity75 well, most of the people losing jobs are not getting them back in the reinforcement part, or the data cleaning, or any other parts of the chain… for them is a displacement.

But I take your point.

Sarah T. Roberts, Ph.D.Jun 1, 2023

@juandesant It needn’t be that literal or dramatic.

Law Firm:

Briefs must be written and filed. ChatGPT does a great job creating them, but also makes up precedent-setting cases and other factual material. Firm decides to move to it, and paralegals are now considered to be fact-checkers and auxiliary aids to the AI-generated process. Except the work requires the same knowledge, education and skills that it did before. But mgmt reclassifies it nonetheless.

Dr. Juande Santander-Vela Jun 1, 2023

@ubiquity75 oh, I had not understood it that way. And you’re most correct.

@[email protected]Jun 1, 2023

@ubiquity75 > But there is no “generative AI” without human labor, so look to find where it is.

Honestly one of my short-to-mid-term research Qs is to do exactly that. We'll see how it goes.

Rachel Rawlings May 31, 2023

@ubiquity75 And my student loan interest rate is higher than the one I had on my car.

Sarah T. Roberts, Ph.D.May 31, 2023

@LinuxAndYarn That is deep as hell.