General Discussion

highplainsdem

(58,046 posts)

66. I love Ed Zitron, whom you just recommended. Have posted a number of threads about him here.

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 12:09 AM

Aug 11

Let's see...

Sam Altman Is Full Of Shit (Ed Zitron of Business Insider, writing in his own blog about the OpenAI CEO)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218970613

Silicon Valley's False Prophet (Ed Zitron uses recent revelations to take OpenAI CEO Sam Altman apart)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219026779

Ed Zitron: There Is No AI Revolution (DAMNING analysis of a house of cards built by con men & venture capitalists)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220066913

Another must-read from Ed Zitron: Make Fun Of Them. Why we should mock the AI bros and not fall for their BS.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220445577

Ed's writing reminds me of Harlan Ellison's scathing takedowns of those who deserved it, decades ago. Justified rage perfectly channeled into great writing.

You wrote:

AI is altogether so offensive, mechanical and brainless that’s its sole use so far is to disgust me into better effort and hopefully that assists in the demise of these awful, ecologically destructive industries.

That's a good reaction. A rational, ethical reaction to AI, described beautifully. It has been inspiring real creators to value real creativity more.

Its demise may come because it's such a bubble. There was something in the WSJ recently about the insane level of spending on AI. Spending to create more of it, chips and infrastructure and so on - not the paltry spending by users on AI tools, which Ed Zitron has written so much about - is as great as all consumer spending. So it's propping up the economy, in this bubble, and when the bubble bursts it will be very bad for the economy. AI has diverted and wasted so much capital that could have been more useful elsewhere. And that's on top of all the other harm it does.

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Don't applaud fake "creativity" in AI-generated garbage. You're applauding a parody of creativity, and [View all] highplainsdem Aug 10 OP

Absolutely agreed, HPD! SheltieLover Aug 10 #1

Just another tool for creating. 4th Aug 10 #2

There is an enormous difference between being inspired by previous works, and plundering vital parts of them and WhiskeyGrinder Aug 10 #4

No, it isn't. No real learning is required. You can prompt AI to give you an image of or treatise on something highplainsdem Aug 10 #5

Not really. Tommy Carcetti Aug 10 #19

A vital part of art is in the process misanthrope Aug 10 #62

There is no creativity or achievement in AI slop. No heart, no irony, no tenderness, no anger. It is a golem that people WhiskeyGrinder Aug 10 #3

Absolutely agree! FalloutShelter Aug 10 #9

The other thing that gets me is that AI slop is just so fuckin boring. Think of the clips from the new South Park eps WhiskeyGrinder Aug 10 #6

Exactly. highplainsdem Aug 10 #59

Using AI, even as its forced on US through searches, business support ect... is helping to accelerate climate change ImNotGod Aug 10 #7

That's the thing that is under reported. Energy and Resource Consumption progressoid Aug 10 #13

They can't copyright AI 'music' speak easy Aug 10 #8

Spotify is saving a lot of money by filling playlists with AI-generated crap. And that's hurting real highplainsdem Aug 10 #10

Got it :( speak easy Aug 10 #11

The people controlling these corporations will be thrilled if their customers will settle for AI slop. Makes highplainsdem Aug 10 #12

Most modern Pop is just computer generated crap anyway. johnp3907 Aug 10 #40

Written entirely by the artist herself. speak easy Aug 10 #43

This message was self-deleted by its author speak easy Aug 10 #14

Nothing hurts Trump more than exposure of what he's actually done. AI-generated fantasies aren't highplainsdem Aug 10 #16

I'm done with going high. speak easy Aug 10 #20

It isn't going low to say Trump's a pedophile, given the evidence. You just can't say he's a convicted pedophile highplainsdem Aug 10 #25

I was happy to join in taunting Vance about sofas, too. speak easy Aug 10 #26

The problem with that sort of thing, though, is that it will hurt your credibility with those who don't want highplainsdem Aug 10 #32

See reply 21 below, which mentions Curtis Yarvin. Vance's admiration for Yarvin is a much more highplainsdem Aug 10 #38

People want max rewards with min effort. SouthBayDem Aug 10 #15

SOME people do. Some people are not only lazy, but are fine with the fraud that is generative AI. I'd highplainsdem Aug 10 #17

Whenever I see an email that begins with, "I hope this email finds you well..." Tommy Carcetti Aug 10 #18

Very well said! 👏🏼 benfranklin1776 Aug 10 #21

Thanks - including for mentioning Curtis Yarvin. highplainsdem Aug 10 #37

You're welcome. benfranklin1776 Aug 13 #95

Rage against the calculators! JCMach1 Aug 10 #22

Calculators weren't built on the theft of the world's intellectual property, as AI was, and they don't give highplainsdem Aug 10 #29

I agree. It's a tool that, like many tools B.See Aug 10 #47

AI should never be used for facts. Ms. Toad Aug 11 #75

The post to which I referred B.See Aug 11 #79

Not a single one of the hundreds of AI summaries with links that I have reviewed - Ms. Toad Aug 12 #82

Look, again, to be clear, I'm not defending the wholesale and unregulated use of AI. In fact B.See Aug 12 #91

You've lost the thread of the conversation. Ms. Toad Aug 12 #92

No, I'm afraid you've lost the point of my response. B.See Aug 12 #93

You've still lost the thread. Ms. Toad Aug 12 #94

AI is NOT technology MorbidButterflyTat Aug 10 #52

No more than any other derivative art, or research JCMach1 Aug 10 #58

What a stupid imitation of Hemingway. Whatever Artificial Idiot plagiarism machine you used there, it's highplainsdem Aug 10 #63

AI is not inherently theft. Ms. Toad Aug 11 #76

Nowadays more than half of what you see on social media is fake AI generated BS appleannie1 Aug 10 #23

It's really destroying the internet. highplainsdem Aug 10 #30

There's always something destroying the internet. 4th Aug 11 #70

LOL! People defending AI love to make incorrect comparisons. And pop-up blockers can't be compared highplainsdem Aug 11 #71

If it does destroy the internet ... 4th Aug 11 #72

If you want the internet replaced by AI models controlled by tech lords, you're really not thinking. highplainsdem Aug 11 #73

Will not happen 4th Aug 11 #80

AI-slop the worst of all worlds... Hugin Aug 10 #24

Those tools generally have much more influence on users than users realize, whether they're highplainsdem Aug 10 #34

Prompting is almost like a meta programming language JCMach1 Aug 10 #60

You can get different results from identical prompts. Which is why image generators, for highplainsdem Aug 10 #61

In a way, I agree with you on that. Hugin Aug 11 #69

Agents will replace a lot eventually, but in the meantime JCMach1 Aug 11 #74

My grandson, at UCF in Florida, and his classmates cachukis Aug 11 #78

The bottom line on generative AI... Hugin Aug 12 #85

Kicking again SheltieLover Aug 10 #27

Thanks! highplainsdem Aug 10 #36

Ty for posting! SheltieLover Aug 10 #39

NO kidding. I can scarcely stand to go on Youtube anymore due to the clickbait AI-generated content... hlthe2b Aug 10 #28

I agree. I've been shocked by how fast AI slop has flooded YouTube. highplainsdem Aug 10 #33

AI? Straw Man Aug 10 #31

Generative AI is the most harmful non-weapon tech ever developed. highplainsdem Aug 10 #35

Here's how my last interaction with ChatGPT went, and I don't feel too awful about it AZJonnie Aug 10 #41

" all I'm doing is costing the company money." And massively increasing your carbon footprint for no gain. WhiskeyGrinder Aug 10 #44

I doubt that I 'massively increased my carbon footprint' as a human by doing this AZJonnie Aug 10 #45

. WhiskeyGrinder Aug 10 #46

Yes, that is what I'm saying AZJonnie Aug 10 #51

. WhiskeyGrinder Aug 10 #54

Okay, but as far as the effect on the earth's climate is concerned, it doesn't matter one whit AZJonnie Aug 10 #56

Mind-boggling. highplainsdem Aug 10 #49

You think I have an aversion to conversations with real people, on their own schedules? AZJonnie Aug 10 #55

Sigh. highplainsdem Aug 10 #57

It's disheartening to see anyone here praise and promote a chatbot. I just skimmed that because I highplainsdem Aug 10 #48

This exchange MorbidButterflyTat Aug 10 #53

That's the 1st thing I noticed about Llama jfz9580m Aug 12 #84

I agree Takket Aug 10 #42

That future is already terrifying artists, and I've met some who sound almost suicidal. They know highplainsdem Aug 10 #50

Couldn't agree more jfz9580m Aug 10 #64

I love Ed Zitron, whom you just recommended. Have posted a number of threads about him here. highplainsdem Aug 11 #66

Well jfz9580m Aug 11 #68

"What works for our side is reality. Showing people the reality of what Trump is, and what he's doing"....... Jack Valentino Aug 10 #65

You're not going to reach the people you want to convince with AI slop. highplainsdem Aug 11 #67

I won't regret using A.I. if it helps me make enough money to keep me alive, Jack Valentino Aug 12 #81

I've said on DU that I sympathize with people forced to use AI for work or school...though I hope they highplainsdem Aug 12 #86

electronic kudzu.... choke out everything IA8IT Aug 11 #77

Good metonym. highplainsdem Aug 12 #87

New Word! Thank You IA8IT Aug 12 #89

speaking as a creative -- i fucking hate AI nt orleans Aug 12 #83

Creatives should hate it. There's no greater threat to creative work. highplainsdem Aug 12 #88

i completely agree! nt orleans Aug 12 #90