joep schuurkesBlogged: On the acceptance of GenAI
https://smallsheds.garden/blog/2026/on-the-acceptance-of-genai/
Peter Gassner@joeposaurus Very poignant, I‘ll need to send this around 🙏
Ondřej Mirtes@joeposaurus Come on, you could write similar lists about most things people do to function in a society. Like driving a car or wearing clothes or drinking coffee.
@OndrejMirtes Hence the last two sentences of the post.
Larry Garfield@OndrejMirtes @joeposaurus Indeed, there is no ethical consumption under capitalism.
But we can still try to minimize our negative impact and be mindful of it. Electric cars, ethically grown coffee, non-sweatshop clothes, etc.
And GenAI is still new enough that "fuck that, no" is an option. At least until enough people shrug and do it anyway and give the rest of us no choice.
Ben Ramsey@Crell @OndrejMirtes @joeposaurus “At least until enough people shrug and do it anyway and give the rest of us no choice.”
I think we’ve already passed this point.
Josh Butts@Crell @OndrejMirtes @joeposaurus Yeah, me too. I hate being coerced to compromise my own ethics and morals. It feels dirty, and it’s gut-wrenching. What’s worse is others look at me like I’ve grown a second head when I voice concerns about it—as if it’s an absurd thing they had never considered. I think that’s where many people are, if not most.
@ramsey @OndrejMirtes @joeposaurus It is usually a thing they've never considered, because most people don't think about ethics on a regular basis. Only weirdo autistics like me do that. 🙂
If more people spent at least a few minutes thinking about the ethics of what they do on a regular basis, the world would be a much brighter place.
@Crell @OndrejMirtes @joeposaurus In general, I would at least hope the ACM or IEEE would address the ethical issues, since they both have codes of ethics that purport to forbid exploitation and harm.
But they won’t address it. (I have seen articles that discuss these issues published in their periodicals, but I haven’t seen anyone invoke their codes of ethics.)
Derick Rethans@Crell @ramsey @OndrejMirtes @joeposaurus It doesn't help that "ethics" isn't really a subject that's covered well enough in any sort of CompSci program.
@derickr @ramsey @OndrejMirtes @joeposaurus Indeed. Most people don't even know that there ARE codes of ethics in our profession.
I want to do a keynote on this topic at some point. It's desperately needed.
@Crell @derickr @OndrejMirtes @joeposaurus My favorite part of the ACM Code of Ethics is this line: “Each ACM member should encourage and support adherence by all computing professionals regardless of ACM membership” (sec. 4.2).
https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics#h-4.1-uphold,-promote,-and-respect-the-principles-of-the-code.
The Code affirms an obligation of computing professionals to use their skills for the benefit of society.
Ethical and social computing are embodied in the ACM Code of Ethics. The core values expressed in the ACM Code inspire and guide computing professionals. The actions of computing professionals change the world, and the Code is the conscience of the field. Serving as the Hippocratic Oath for the IT Professional, the Software Engineer, the Programmer and all those responsible for shaping and contributing to the future of computing. The Code covers ethics across the computing field, representing the tech code of ethics, computing ethics, software ethics, programming ethics, AI ethics and computing for public good.
Lincoln Russell@Crell @ramsey @OndrejMirtes @joeposaurus The most gut-wrenching & terrifying discovery of the last year has been how many people I *thought* were independently thoughtful who turned out to not be *whatsoever.* Still grappling with how much it's upended my life but determined to find a new path.
Jeremiah Senkpiel@joeposaurus @zkat I dont think you’ve even touched the worst problem (degredation of humanity critical thinking)