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Generative AI and The Future of Work

maestroai.substack.com

51–60 of 106 posts

Re: Generative AI and The Future of Work

#51
post #46

GPT3 has shown how ML can be trained on multiple unstructured data sources to produce structured information on demand. Iterate a few more versions from here, so that the models are stronger at producing the correct structured data, and the impact on every office job will be profound. I.e. instead of training a generative model on text from the internet, train it on every single excel file, sql database, word documen…

I disagree.

The value of a human is in reacting to changing requirements, considering context and in understanding other humans. AI cannot do any of that reliably.

Some office tasks can be automated and those that can don't need AI anyway - they need properly labelled data, databases and some coding.

AI will be very good at creating the illusion of competence. AI cannot actually ensure competence or verify it. That will remain the domain of humans.

Re: Generative AI and The Future of Work

#52

ChatGPT help me solve a refactoring bug today. I had spent hours messing around trying to figure out what the issue was until I realized, via asking ChatGPT, that I had misunderstood a piece of the code and the docs. It was able to answer and provide examples (until it had error and crashed) in a way a senior engineer might have been able to. The funny thing is I had tried just pasting in code and saying "find the bu…

Would you mind noting what language you were working in?

Re: Generative AI and The Future of Work

#53

Does anyone else feel like the crypto crowd just migrated to AI?

No, but I do think that both of these things are revealing to us just how bad highly technical people and highly intuitive and empathetic people are at properly communicating with one another.

(It is a broad generalization to assume that these traits are mutually exclusive. They do, of course, co-exist in many people. However, it seems to me that the number of people in whom they coexist robustly are few. However, if is these few from whence come true once-in-a-generation geniuses.)

Re: Generative AI and The Future of Work

#54
post #3

> The results are often wildly creative and spookily accurate, giving these models a human-like feel. or wildly inaccurate, particularly in fields such as programming

Or worse, subtly inaccurate. The problem I have with generative AI right now, its product looks like it makes sense and sometimes it does, but there is always the risk of total nonsense hidden somewhere in the middle. So you still need someone capable to check and correct for most professional work, and sometimes that is harder or more time consuming than making the product itself. The same sort of problem with self…

Which is similar to correcting subpar human results:

Rather than meticulously correcting the works of a subpar programmer it is much more efficient to let a proficient developer produce the code. Or even better, engage a 10x developer.

Re: Generative AI and The Future of Work

#55
ChatGPT and generative AI will not who write these things for a living will definitely have fewer clients. But this is a small percentage of paid writing, and not the most lucrative or desirable.

I do not think that the world is changing because of large language models. That seems to be a controversial opinion so I won't get into it here. But these are powerful new tools, no question. The way I work has changed and I'm very glad to have ChatGPT.

I do believe that in the coming years knowing how to use ChatGPT or similar products will be as important as knowing how to use Google is now. People that know how to leverage LLMs going forward will simply have an advantage over those who don't. It won't be long before it isn't optional for executives and knowledge workers. This will be a big change for many people. But we adapted to Google in the early 2000s and people will adapt to this as well.

Re: Generative AI and The Future of Work

#56

ChatGPT help me solve a refactoring bug today. I had spent hours messing around trying to figure out what the issue was until I realized, via asking ChatGPT, that I had misunderstood a piece of the code and the docs. It was able to answer and provide examples (until it had error and crashed) in a way a senior engineer might have been able to. The funny thing is I had tried just pasting in code and saying "find the bu…

From Star Trek: First Contact: "When you build a machine to do a man's job, you take something away from the man." You surrendered the need to think to the machine. You are lesser for it. I don't think these AIs are just removing drudgery, like, say, a calculator. They actually do the work. Or more correctly, they produce something that will pass for the work. Wholesale embracing of this sort of technology is bad for…

That’s the message of Frank Herbert in the Dune universe regarding machines. They’re useful up until you start letting them do the thinking for you. Which leads to laziness, stagnation and control by an elite. So did reliance on spice for that matter.

Re: Generative AI and The Future of Work

#57
post #46

GPT3 has shown how ML can be trained on multiple unstructured data sources to produce structured information on demand. Iterate a few more versions from here, so that the models are stronger at producing the correct structured data, and the impact on every office job will be profound. I.e. instead of training a generative model on text from the internet, train it on every single excel file, sql database, word documen…

Consider "report generator" as one category, throw in "Buzzfeed writer" and "Stack Overflow copy/paster", and a clear bimodal distribution emerges. The human touch is still necessary to add context and distinguish fact from plausible hallucination, but experts can now scale their contributions 10x as a result of immediate access, minimal latency, and reduced communication costs.

We're moving towards a world of chair-fillers at one end, and maestros at the other. The clearest difference between labor in 2022 and 2026 will be the hollowing-out of the middle.

Re: Generative AI and The Future of Work

#58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From Star Trek: First Contact: "When you build a machine to do a man's job, you take something away from the man." You surrendered the need to think to the machine. You are lesser for it. I don't think these AIs are just removing drudgery, like, say, a calculator. They actually do the work. Or more correctly, they produce something that will pass for the work. Wholesale embracing of this sort of technology is bad for…

I don't know about you but if I had the ability to dictate requirements and to get a program out the other side that matches those requirements, the process of coding has become mere busywork that can be eliminated for the benefit of me and everyone else. I'm sure the buggy whip makers had pride in their work as well.

Yep, it'll free us from the tedium of code writing and give us more time for meetings.

And as everyone knows, meetings are what get real programmers excited.

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