Has there ever been a sustained backlash and doubt about a new big technology like what we are seeing with AI? Where the most vocal critics are tech people?

It's similar to bitcoin, to NFTs...

It's also similar to the internet-connected device trend, though I don't remember the resistance and doubt to that being as intense. I was mostly very excited about "the internet of things" I still put wifi in places where it doesn't belong with the most flimsy of excuses.

It's just really unusual to hear some of my biggest "early adopter" friends filled with bile for AI. And well I'm right there with them. I'm irritated most by the dishonesty of the claims about what it can do. With "internet of things" the objection was not "you can't track your water bottle on the internet, it won't work the way you describe" it was more like "why would you want to do that?" and "your data will be sold to companies, you will be spied on"

Both proved to be correct.

The "internet of things" failed to deliver on it's most exciting promises mostly due to corporate resistance to interoperability. Alexa can't make a google calendar event, your light system is in a war with the system that controls the thermostat.

Every company aimed for market dominance, boxing out the others, and it has made everything harder to use, more buggy and worthless.

@futurebird I was absolutely dumb-founded by all the IOT "influencers" who were convinced Matter was going to solve everything. Were they that blind as to why it was needed in the first place? They all seemed genuinely surprised that when they finally started rolling Matter out, it was barely functional at all.

@SKleefeld

I didn't even remember "matter" that's how hard it failed.