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I feel that there is a massive double standard between those perceived as “skeptics” and “optimists.”

To be skeptical of AI is to commit yourself to near-constant demands to prove yourself, and endless nags of “but what about?” with each one — no matter how small — presented as a fact that defeats any points you may have. Conversely, being an “optimist” allows you to take things like AI 2027 seriously to the point that you can write an entire feature about fan fiction in the New York Times and nobody will bat an eyelid.

In any case, things are beginning to fall apart. Two of the actual reporters at the New York Times (rather than a “columnist”) reported out last week that Meta is yet again “restructuring” its AI department for the fourth time, and that it’s considering “downsizing the A.I. division overall,” which sure doesn’t seem like something you’d do if you thought AI was the future.

Meanwhile, the markets are also thoroughly spooked by an MIT study covered by Fortune that found that 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing, and though MIT NANDA has now replaced the link to the study with a Google Form to request access, you can find the full PDF here.

Nevertheless, boosters will still find a way to twist this study to mean something else. They’ll claim that AI is still early, that the opportunity is still there, that we “didn’t confirm that the internet or smartphones were productivity boosting,” or that we’re in “the early days” of AI, somehow, three years and hundreds of billions and thousands of articles in.

I’m tired of having the same arguments with these people, and I’m sure you are too. No matter how much blindly obvious evidence there is to the contrary they will find ways to ignore it. They continually make smug comments about people “wishing things would be bad” or suggesting you are stupid — and yes, that is their belief! — for not believing generative AI is disruptive.

Today, I’m going to give you the tools to fight back against the AI boosters in your life. I’m going to go into the generalities of the booster movement — the way they argue, the tropes they cling to, and the ways in which they use your own self-doubt against you.

  • panda_abyss@lemmy.ca
    4·
    10 days ago

    So, an AI booster is not, in many cases, an actual fan of artificial intelligence. People like Simon Willison or Max Woolf who actually work with LLMs on a daily basis don’t see the need to repeatedly harass everybody, or talk down to them about their unwillingness to pledge allegiance to the graveyard smash of generative AI. In fact, the closer I’ve found somebody to actually building things with LLMs, the less likely they are to emphatically argue that I’m missing out by not doing so myself.

    I would say I’m in this actually building things group. I hate the “AI will do everything and take all your jobs” ai bro types.

    I work as a data scientist, over the last 6 months I’ve built 5 real “AI” tools that have succeeded. I know AI is dumb dumb stupid and I only use LLM tools where they actually make sense.

    Projects work because I’m building tools to automate annoying busy work that everyone hates doing, or I’m giving people tools that makes it easier to access the information they need to do their job better.

    I know this is the fuck AI community and I’m saying I use AI, but 100% with you all on saying fuck the AI boosters.

    The amount of overhype is insane, and it’s mostly by people who barely know how any of this works pitching it to people who don’t know how it works at all.

    I’ve watched so many stupid projects get green lit to just basically light money on fire with zero value just to say “we’re using AI”. I’ve seen shitty chatbots created and deployed. I’ve watched these AI hype people getting promoted and given huge bonuses. It’s asinine.