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The Fallout from the Weirdness at OpenAI

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Re: The Fallout from the Weirdness at OpenAI

#61
post #38
post #3

Why do I get a feeling we are going to see an explosion of secular cults that have weird beliefs in AI and worship AGI?

Even worse if the beliefs are true! Ian Banks' Culture series takes this idea to the extreme, feels like it's getting more relevant by the day in the past week.

"We are close to gods, and on the far side."

Well, Minds are friendly, so I'd take it.

Re: The Fallout from the Weirdness at OpenAI

#62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least with anything AI there is something that anyone can use hands-on for actual legitimate work. Crypto/NFT failed to materialize any benefit beyond anonymous payments for drugs and other contraband.

People are quietly just using crypto right now. I'm sorry if this conflicts with your worldview but trustless programmable currency divorced from the economic levers and dials of world governments is a useful thing.

I can't see why it would conflict with their world view? - they gave 2 very good reasons why someone would want a "trustless programmable currency divorced from the economic levers and dials of world governments "

Re: The Fallout from the Weirdness at OpenAI

#63
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it is. FTX collapses (November 2-11, 2022), crypto hustle-scam is over, the decision is made to release whatever there is at the moment at OpenAI to start the next cycle, a few weeks later (November 30, 2022) there we go. Same thing as always: some investors -- mostly white males -- get filthy rich meanwhile some others get exploited -- this time it's Kenyan workers -- and many, many people get hoodwinked a…

At least with anything AI there is something that anyone can use hands-on for actual legitimate work. Crypto/NFT failed to materialize any benefit beyond anonymous payments for drugs and other contraband.

"Actual legitimate work" often ends up being bullshit job busywork that probably has no reason for existing in the first place, if we're being honest.

Crypto often had to invent new pyramid schemes from whole cloth, so it was easier for people to see the grift for what it was. Whereas AI is slotting into the long-established pyramid scheme of bullshit jobs, and just pushing out a growing number of human operators. It's harder for us to perceive the ultimate pointlessness of much of AI's current application because we have a vested interest in believing our own role as humans amounts to something more than it actually does.

Re: The Fallout from the Weirdness at OpenAI

#64
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it is. FTX collapses (November 2-11, 2022), crypto hustle-scam is over, the decision is made to release whatever there is at the moment at OpenAI to start the next cycle, a few weeks later (November 30, 2022) there we go. Same thing as always: some investors -- mostly white males -- get filthy rich meanwhile some others get exploited -- this time it's Kenyan workers -- and many, many people get hoodwinked a…

At least with anything AI there is something that anyone can use hands-on for actual legitimate work. Crypto/NFT failed to materialize any benefit beyond anonymous payments for drugs and other contraband.

So they say. It is a nice toy that utilizes plagiarism and theft, but I can do the same with Google.

Re: The Fallout from the Weirdness at OpenAI

#65
1. Originally, what was the purpose of having it be a non-profit?

* A legal structure for the joint effort of some tycoons, because they need a structure?

* Tax advantages for the donors?

* Attract some top talent, which happened to be idealistic?

* Some PR shield they thought they might need?

* Genuine interest in the non-profit's charter?

2. Whatever the original purpose of there being a non-profit, what percentage of the current people there are aligned with that? (Rather than preferring being at a for-profit?)

3. With the company higher-profile now, with huge monetary valuation, and a national security/dominance asset, and much of the value committed to MS... who actually wants there to be a non-profit? (Only a handful of idealists, maybe a few structure officials, and maybe MS?)

Re: The Fallout from the Weirdness at OpenAI

#67
post #3

Why do I get a feeling we are going to see an explosion of secular cults that have weird beliefs in AI and worship AGI?

Sign me up. Its undeniable that we exist at or very near the point in time marking a phase change I'm the nature of complex thought in pur little corner of the universe. There have been many such phase changes - when we managed to capture mitochondria, when we formed complex multicellular life, when we began to construct tiered food chains, etc et. All the way up until we construct a machine capable of outthinking us…

> Its undeniable that we exist at or very near the point in time marking a phase change I'm the nature of complex thought in pur little corner of the universe.

I’d question whether it is “undeniable”, but I do think this sounds like the exact sort of foundational mythology necessary to establish a religion oriented around AI.

Re: The Fallout from the Weirdness at OpenAI

#68
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When has that ever stopped the march of technology? Fission reactors. Human cloning. Nuremberg code for medical ethics in general.

When has that ever stopped the march of technology beside fission reactors, human cloning and through the Nuremberg code for medical ethics in general ?

I guess "What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?" [1] never gets old.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc7HmhrgTuQ

Re: The Fallout from the Weirdness at OpenAI

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least with anything AI there is something that anyone can use hands-on for actual legitimate work. Crypto/NFT failed to materialize any benefit beyond anonymous payments for drugs and other contraband.

People are quietly just using crypto right now. I'm sorry if this conflicts with your worldview but trustless programmable currency divorced from the economic levers and dials of world governments is a useful thing.

> trustless programmable currency divorced from the economic levers and dials of world governments

https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2018/04/05/debunking-bu...

> Ordinary person: “Your weird Internet money sucks to use. It’s slow and expensive. I lost my coins by mistake and it can’t be fixed. If I get hacked it can’t be fixed either.”

> Bitcoin advocate: “But everyone wants [list of ideological aims held only by weird people]! Everyone I know, anyway.”

Re: The Fallout from the Weirdness at OpenAI

#70
post #56

Does anyone literally not care about this at all? I think 50% of my meeting time this week was dedicated to hearing people gush about this. The "OMG THIS WOULD MAKE A GREAT NETFLIX SPECIAL", the hero worship of Altman, the rumors of a "singularity" like AI break-through, the genius of Satya/MSFT, the unity of the brave OpenAI employees ... I am so happy that my Thanksgiving guests barely know what a computer is.

Don't forget the conflicted board member potentially blindsided and furious his own firm's Hail Mary revenue generating feature was announced at prior week's dev day to be bundled free.
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