aburka š«£@Infoseepage @ben @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute I respect propublica a lot but this throws almost all of it away in one single post
Matthew Sainsbury has moved@aburka @Infoseepage @ben @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute yeah, Iām gutted that my donations to ProPublica are going toward LLMs and content theft from other authors and journalists.
@mattsains @Infoseepage @ben @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute and the "however you feel about it" language is just gross techbro drivel. Really expected better from Ben
@mattsains @Infoseepage @ben @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute https://werd.social/@ben/114206216780114103
Ben Werdmuller@aburka @mattsains @Infoseepage @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute Correct: there isn't.
The JD and post are deliberately worded. This is a research post. Is there a way to use these technologies in a way that's aligned with our values and need for safety? "No" is a very viable outcome here. Either way, we need to do our due diligence rather than knee-jerk it away or join the hype cycle.
The position is funded by Lenfest and doesn't come out of our existing donations.
@ben @aburka @Infoseepage @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute there has already been extensive research on AI and specifically LLMs, including their deleterious effects on intellectual property rights, the environment, discrimination, and impact to the information landscape. Thereās no need to rehash this research at the cost of ProPublicaās reputation
@ben @aburka @Infoseepage @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute I also reject the notion that the commenters here are āknee jerkāing. Iāve been following and studying sociological impacts of AI for the last two years, and my comments are based on that knowledge. I imagine the same is true for at least some of my peers in this thread
@mattsains @ben @Infoseepage @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute it's telling that they require LLM experience for the job, hence folks like me who refuse to use them on ideological grounds would not be eligible
@mattsains @aburka @Infoseepage @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute I don't doubt that, and it's worth checking my blog if you think I'm a shill for the vendors or the tech. Definitely going into this with eyes open.
@ben @mattsains @Infoseepage @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute That's a big part of why it's so disappointing to see the manner in which you wrote the JD and the post. I wasn't being facetious when I said I had expected better from you and your organization. If I thought you were completely a lost cause, I wouldn't be engaging here
@ben @aburka @Infoseepage @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute to my ears, the question here seems akin to ācan smoking a pack a day help cure my lung cancer?ā What research question do you want the candidate to answer that isnāt already settled by the scientific body of evidence out there?
@mattsains @ben @Infoseepage @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute however you feel about it, cigarettes are a big part of the health landscape out there today
Nelson@aburka @mattsains @ben @Infoseepage @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute I generally compare LLMs to fossil fuels and nuclear weapons. Yes, they may be widespread and difficult to eliminate, but our continued existence depends on us getting rid of these technologies. However you feel about fossil fuels, our civilization can't afford to use them anymore.
Cigarettes are unhealthy but not an inherently self-terminating technology.