@barefootstache (updated spelling and grammar...)

It seems like a good enough end what you wrote: "AI is just a new flavour of cherry picked statistical models."
How simple and short I thought...

And then I realised maybe THIS is the "one more point" to wrap to up how that seems dangerous to say so simply when it's clearly not:

From your side I don't hear any of the dangers about it - maybe literally nothing (will have a look again) and then saying it's simply this (maybe you didn't mean that but if you do AI is certainly not simple or just computer related - probably more related to 'everything' more than not from energy or people's lives.

Perhaps I expect something more like I am saying, but not hearing much of anything is basically my confirmation you're more ok with it than not... or indifferent - which if true is almost more dangerous.

If you are not political at all with bad ways on people, planet etc as the ultimate politics in itself then something is deeply missing with you / others.

Sooo without over-triggering myself or focussing on you - it seems very typical of people in this sector not to care almost like a sort "I'll just use this tool it doesn't really matter",,, totally not caring - THIS seems a common thing in the Computer / STEM sector that I seek help with. 🆘

Though I might have you wrong and grouping way too many others and losing fans into the negative numbers - seriously if I bang on too much it's because I'm missing why people almost don't have this gene in them,.. they have the knowledge of who and how it works but don't see leanings and danger at all almost - all there are bewildered by the new light or shiny toy and treat at tool totally like it's without an previous effect.

Anyone indifferent (like the same people with it's just "money" and you can use it for 'good or bad' without seeing the enshitification of 'debt' before it) when it's clearly involved on all levels (politically / financially / etc) is a war on people more than 'saving them' so realising those people would never release anything that doesn't further their own causes first... well I guess that's the main point as well as all the other energy, data centers, hardware, water cooling etc considerations...

I can only say for now you or they are missing a gene or something (not even knocking you or them or whoever). You all are just missing it inside and it's "just a tool", "just money" etc to you and "why not use it" is a question even if answered wouldn't made a difference.

Home and away eventually AI is bad etc etc... but yeah gets some more programming done 😈

I have more of a blanket and measured- it all stinks at whatever level approach - and you... probably a playing it safer not saying as much as I.

P.S I know you have been travelling so can leave this until later... I think we squeezed quite a bit already... so no worries and whenever...

@freeschool

There is this tendency of taking technological luxuries as granted and then hypocritically saying that life would be so much better if xyz didn't exist. Only the minority of people are taking the leap to simplify their lives to a more slow pace way of living.

Considering that we are using one of these technological advances and then being frustrated that asynchronous communication is not happening fast enough is just ironic (hint hint ;P).

If a technology will be good or bad; only time will tell. Some technologies like NFT might have been just too early for release, similar to how the Google Glass was way ahead of its time.

Life without AI is still currently possible and most professions won't even need it to be performant. There is only a small fraction of professions that can be more performant using AI and most of them coincide in the STEM field.

Asking anyone in the STEM field who has started using AI to stop, is like going back a decade or two and asking them to stop use a search engine. Sure, one could have (back then) gone to the library, skim read through multiple books to find that one piece of information, but realistically speaking, why!?

Any technological shift can be daunting in the beginning, though as long as it creates more independence and variety in the long run, I welcome it over shunning it out.

It is true that each new technology carries its dark side with it and it should not be avoided and/or ignored.

The current two dark sides of AI that I see: 1. the amount of hardware and/or energy it costs to create AI models, and 2. assimilating AI with an all-knowing being or the only point of truth.

As long as one is informed with the faults of a technology, I don't see any reason why not to use it as long as it follows one's own moral compass.

@barefootstache Replies to paragraphs:

1st paragraph
"Only the Minority" <-- not sure what you mean, I'd assume those that don't know / don't care / like / ignore candy rotting teeth won't choose better and expect dentist to fix rotten teeth beyond repair (like nature will become or micro-plastics for soil in my garden that surprisingly might not grow much... and getting into our bodies already like the bird in all oceans swallowing objects or water itself as micro-plastics).

2nd paragraph -
People-to-people is what I was thinking as love for each other in real life with virtual stuff more as support or steps towards that ladder of respect and love, understanding...
I don't get that with you - and with all respect sir, I feel like I'm talking to a robot (never have I had this feeling or wanted to say it) but the lack of human expression can be extremely wanted unless sentiments are not shared or in the same spectrum (and this is where efficiency or neutralness of you text falls as input<>out messages. You don't seem like you're building for humans for example (I don't claim to know but totally don't get feeling from you despite you being healthy in other ways). Not even some feelings or comebacks. There was a hint hint ;P there but you were probably feeling 'friendly' momentarily.

5th paragraph - yeah appreciate the asking people is like asking them to go backwards... so wouldn't expect them to... I guess the search engine is a good example where people go their line of Tech Extreme / Specialism but can then jump suddenly to something else like searx.org and stop other habits... working for the good instead of bad end of Tech line.
+ Agree libraries only have limited uses (you asked why so some reasons: to get away from parents, to study more as I was playing games too easily at home, to use my bike) but in general wasn't a big book person but liked using the computer in library >;>

6th paragraph
"independence" is a dangerously misleading word and nearly doesn't exists / can't be said full stop - well at least is more defined bubble you look at it but generally not in the "only me in humanity" or "independent on a massive network draining / drinking planets blood via coal / nuclear power plants). And if you think AI makes data more independent I'm not sure what basis you could mean that.

I'll go far to say half controversially that ALL TECH IS ALREADY FUNDED BY THE DARK SIDE (BANKS) / ENDS UP IN THE DARK SIDE (GOOGLE / AMAZON) as the; LINUX SERVERS AS AD FARMS or MASTODON + FEDI AS LINK FARMS TO GOOGLE SCRAPING/TRACKING/MINING US etc... people bridging to us like an island they want to tap into).

7th paragraph
So almost everything basically is a problem! (lol, hardware energy and consumption, cost, taking over humanity / centralisation / becoming law)

8th paragraph
It seems you ok with being ok with things, like knowing they are bad but still using them... and calling that your Moral compass!
Deep.