Olives @olives@qoto.org

If Facebook and Google are coming up with smart glasses, do you think the "glasshole" insult will return?

https://reason.com/2024/07/22/project-rescue-children-exposed-as-latest-in-series-of-human-trafficking-hoaxes/ British / Australian scammer grifting off fake child rescues. #ukpol #auspol

While I could see the other party also having this problem, one of the problems with Kamala is her historic stance against prostitution.

Even with something like privacy in interacting with the machine (or better yet, running it completely locally), that would be something to cover in a direct manner, not a doomsday manner.

If someone had written a concern that an algorithm might be used for disinformation, then well, that might be relevant (although, it is hard to say what can really be done about that). When someone talks like this, using this grandiose and dramatic language, and supposed future threats, it enters the realm of sensationalism.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/22/artificial-intelligence-panic-time-change
Notice the elements here. A sensationalistic headline. You should be afraid. Also, leaning heavily on tick tock tick tock, time is running out!, even though there is no sign as to why this week should be any different from any other week. People have made such claims over the past seven years (or even the past couple).

For good measure, they toss in a wad of *things you cannot possibly comprehend*, as if we are dealing with some kind of Lovecraftian horror veering over the horizon. This is a good example of "AI" sensationalism.

"If development continues at this speed"
This is not how "development" works. "development" is not made up of XP bars which you continuously fill up to unlock the "next level" of development.

https://reason.com/2024/07/19/the-doobie-act-would-limit-government-discrimination-against-people-who-have-smoked-weed/
"Sen. Gary Peters (D–Mich.) last week introduced a bill to prohibit the federal government from deeming an individual ineligible for employment or for a security clearance based solely on past marijuana use. The legislation is named the Dismantling Outdated Obstacles and Barriers to Individual Employment Act of 2024, otherwise known as the DOOBIE Act. Heh."

LLMs probably function better as a roleplay machine than as an assistant which is expected to be accurate.

Parts of the Australian Government questioning whether the PM's idea to ban minors from social media is a good idea.

It's interesting to see a take which says only 25 - 40% of data sources which could be tapped remain, and talking as if it is a disaster for "AI"*. I wonder if sucking up so much data was ever really sustainable though.

* I call it "AI" but I really mean artificial "intelligence". Writing the whole phrase out every time is tiresome, so I simplify it with a couple of quotes.

Ravi's takes on social media are very stupid and thoroughly out of touch with reality (unsurprising as he essentially parrots out of touch takes).

He suggests strong rate limits for fairly mundane things based on how a "typical user might use a site" on the basis that a *bad actor* might abuse a bit of functionality. This ignores though that there are *power users* who might make use of site functionality far more and there are *casuals*. It can even curtail the capacity of someone to block someone. This is how it pans out in practice. In reality, platforms have never provided unrestricted endpoints.

Ravi inadvertently suggests prohibiting fake porn and only allowing porn of real people to be posted. Clearly failing Welcome to the Internet 101. Curiously, he also presumes that content is always shared in a *broadcast* fashion, rather than casually with some friends (which is fairly common). He also demands a "fully moderated" social network where every post is carefully scrutinized by a company prior to being posted (impossible and harmful).

I wanted to take the time to cover this guy, because there is a small subset of out of touch people who like to "brainstorm" some really stupid ideas (completely out of touch with the real world), then talk as if they are "practical" things to do. People like this waste mental bandwidth from more serious discourse.

https://reason.com/2024/07/18/want-to-catch-serial-killers-faster-listen-to-sex-workers/
"To catch current and future serial predators targeting sex workers in #NewYork, lawmakers should have taken up and passed an immunity bill introduced by state Sen. Luis R. Sepúlveda (D–Bronx) in 2023. The bill would have empowered victims of human trafficking and sex workers who experience or witness crimes to make a report and seek help without fear of being prosecuted for prostitution."
#HumanRights

https://reason.com/2024/07/18/fcc-will-cap-the-cost-of-prison-phone-calls/
""The Federal Communications Commission today voted to end exorbitant phone and video call rates that have burdened incarcerated people and their families for decades," the agency announced in a Thursday press release."

"Many of the over 1.2 million Americans incarcerated at any given time depend upon prison calls to maintain ties to friends and family. "Research shows frequent phone calls to family members increase jail safety, promote positive mental health outcomes, and help maintain connections with loved ones," wrote Nicole Loonstyn and Alice Galley of the Urban Institute in 2023."
#FreeSpeech #HumanRights

"teachers should tell parents if their kids are trans at school"
An obvious problem with this is if their parents are abusive.

I'll repost this for now.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/19/chris-packham-celebrities-outcry-over-severity-just-stop-oil-sentences
"Chris Packham has called for a meeting with the attorney general for England and Wales as he joined a chorus of prominent voices condemning long jail terms for Just Stop Oil protesters.

Speaking after five activists were sentenced to up to five years for planning protests on the M25, the broadcaster and naturalist said: “Be clear, be very, very clear, this is not just about climate activism."
#HumanRights #ukpol

https://medium.com/@josiah.alen.brown/running-a-local-llm-for-dnd-campaign-creation-fd653bceeab9 Apparently, someone uses LLMs for DND campaigns.

As I've said before, someone might pitch something as a "standard", then later on in the cycle, they'll pitch what someone is already doing (which was formally pitched as "standard") as "negligence" and that someone "has to be" even more intrusive.

From what I've seen from a few advocates, there also never seem to be any lines which they decide they won't cross. Maybe, a low rate of accuracy, or violating the rights of innocent people. It is only about more state power / control.