@Infoseepage @ben @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute I respect propublica a lot but this throws almost all of it away in one single post
@aburka @Infoseepage @ben @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute yeah, I’m 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
Ben Werdmuller (@[email protected])

There is no such thing as neutral technology.

Werd Social

@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. There’s no need to rehash this research at the cost of ProPublica’s reputation
@ben @aburka @Infoseepage @ProPublica @lenfestinstitute I also reject the notion that the commenters here are ā€œknee jerkā€ing. I’ve 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 @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