BrianKrebsJun 6

Really enjoyed David Gerard's amusing take on how programming with AI becomes like a gambling addiction for many.

"Large language models work the same way as a carnival psychic. Chatbots look smart by the Barnum Effect — which is where you read what’s actually a generic statement about people and you take it as being personally about you. The only intelligence there is yours."

"With ChatGPT, Sam Altman hit upon a way to use the Hook Model with a text generator. The unreliability and hallucinations themselves are the hook — the intermittent reward, to keep the user running prompts and hoping they’ll get a win this time."

"This is why you see previously normal techies start evangelising AI coding on LinkedIn or Hacker News like they saw a glimpse of God and they’ll keep paying for the chatbot tokens until they can just see a glimpse of Him again. And you have to as well. This is why they act like they joined a cult. Send ’em a copy of this post."

https://pivot-to-ai.com/2025/06/05/generative-ai-runs-on-gambling-addiction-just-one-more-prompt-bro/

Generative AI runs on gambling addiction — just one more prompt, bro!

You’ll have noticed how previously normal people start acting like addicts to their favourite generative AI and shout at you like you’re trying to take their cocaine away. Matthias Döpm…

Pivot to AI
Show threadSteve PurcellJun 6
@briankrebs so @baldur wrote this excellent piece on the carnival psychic aspect of AI back in 2023: https://softwarecrisis.dev/letters/llmentalist/
The LLMentalist Effect: how chat-based Large Language Models rep…

The new era of tech seems to be built on superstitious behaviour

Out of the Software Crisis
Show threadViolet MadderJun 6

@sanityinc @briankrebs @baldur

If you've ever read much L Ron Hubbard, or other charlatans of that sort, it's striking how similar the style is.

Elaborate word salad that really SOUNDS plausibly like it might be getting around to something interesting or meaningful to say, but the longer you read/listen the more it just adds up to so much nonsense.

Which is terrifying, because the people prone to fall for that and project profound beliefs onto it, now have their own personal nutjob jeebus in their pocket to consult all day every day without limit.

Show threadDoNotPunchDown

@violetmadder @sanityinc @briankrebs @baldur

Amen! It is like church and bible study to the Baptists

Jun 6 at 4:53pmWeb