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Microsoft AI CEO pushes back against critics after recent Windows AI backlash

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Re: Microsoft AI CEO pushes back against critics after recent Windows AI backlash

#81

> it's hard to believe we're going to see a version of Windows that isn't bloated with AI functionality most people didn't ask for. All the leadership need to do is read these types of articles and they’ll see what’s going on outside the walls. One wonders how the internal incentives can be so wrong.

Reminds me of the Xbox One reveal disaster.

Re: Microsoft AI CEO pushes back against critics after recent Windows AI backlash

#82
post #5

> The fact that people are unimpressed that we can have a fluent conversation with a super smart AI that can generate any image/video is mindblowing to me. It's not that people are unimpressed with AI - they're just tired of constantly being bombarded with it, and it sneaking its way into where it's not wanted. "Generate any image you want!" "Analyse this thing with AI!" gets pretty tiring. If I want AI I'll actively…

It’s partly that, but it’s also partly that the quality SUCKS. I’m frustrated with AI blogspam because it doesn’t in any way help me figure out whatever I’m researching. It’s such low quality. What I want and need is higher quality primary sources — in depth research, investigation, presented in an engaging way. Or with movies and shows, I want something genuine. With a genuine story that feels real, characters that…

The thing is, for us normal consumers AI only has downsides. AI blogspam is made to serve you ads and make you buy stuff.

AI posts / comments on Reddit are made to make you buy stuff.

AI videos are made to keep you engaged, and then serve you ads which at the end make you buy stuff.

Soon ChatGPT will start to weave ads into their output because they'll need to make $.

Re: Microsoft AI CEO pushes back against critics after recent Windows AI backlash

#83

This Microsoft response reminds me of the 2018 Blizzcon event, where the Diablo Immortal developer challenged the audience with "Do you guys not have phones?" when the audience asked if the game was coming to PC. Then - like now - it seemed that they couldn't understand that what they made was not what their customers wanted.

My thought exactly. From hindsight, Diablo immortal is not a bad game, but that moment was really…not great. I guess the guy knew that phone games were getting momentum but unfortunately that specific group of users in Blizzcon didn’t want a phone game.

Re: Microsoft AI CEO pushes back against critics after recent Windows AI backlash

#84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll take Charms, mouse gestures, and the Start Screen over Copilot any day.

At least those things felt like a sincere attempt to move HCI forward. Perhaps not very well tested to understand how all the parts work together, but at least sincere. MS' Copilot brand is a broken solution in search of a problem. It's almost like the kind of trap a lot of solo devs get into where they build a thing that is interesting to them but then can't find anyone else interested. But at least the solo devs bu…

It wasn't even ten years ago when I was participating in user studies as a developer at MS. And it was the real deal: we had a bunch of people, specifically selected to give a diverse cross-cut of the user base (so varying backgrounds, experience level etc), sit down and try to do some simple tasks with our product, while devs and PMs watched over a camera. And, crucially, you couldn't ask questions or provide guidance during that time - only after they were done. That was incredibly informative, much more so than any telemetry I've seen before or after, and I wish that was the norm in all companies; but, in any case, Microsoft definitely had both the resources and the inclination to do that.

The problem is that no amount of studies or A/B testing is going to change a political decision inside the company. And with AI, I'm convinced that for all the big players it is political at this point simply because all the execs have bet so much money on it. If they can't make it work, we're talking about literally billions of dollars of responsibility. Hence these desperate attempts to shove it everywhere in hopes that something somewhere would work well enough, if not to recoup the investment, then at least to postpone the moment it all comes crashing down.

Re: Microsoft AI CEO pushes back against critics after recent Windows AI backlash

#86
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s partly that, but it’s also partly that the quality SUCKS. I’m frustrated with AI blogspam because it doesn’t in any way help me figure out whatever I’m researching. It’s such low quality. What I want and need is higher quality primary sources — in depth research, investigation, presented in an engaging way. Or with movies and shows, I want something genuine. With a genuine story that feels real, characters that…

I experimented with some ai generated political spam on YouTube. The reality is a lot of people can’t tell the difference or don’t care. Given the demographic this site selects for, it’s easy to forget how many dumb people there are in the world.

I know people who get confused and consume AI content but when you point out that it's AI they're embarrassed they were fooled and upset. I've never heard the response "I don't care that it's AI." The tech bros will say that it's a "revealed preference" for AI, but it's really just tricking people into engaging.

Re: Microsoft AI CEO pushes back against critics after recent Windows AI backlash

#87
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s partly that, but it’s also partly that the quality SUCKS. I’m frustrated with AI blogspam because it doesn’t in any way help me figure out whatever I’m researching. It’s such low quality. What I want and need is higher quality primary sources — in depth research, investigation, presented in an engaging way. Or with movies and shows, I want something genuine. With a genuine story that feels real, characters that…

I experimented with some ai generated political spam on YouTube. The reality is a lot of people can’t tell the difference or don’t care. Given the demographic this site selects for, it’s easy to forget how many dumb people there are in the world.

Remember that even ELIZA fooled people.

That doesn't make it useful, unless you think fooling people is itself a goal.

Re: Microsoft AI CEO pushes back against critics after recent Windows AI backlash

#89
Strawmanning, trying to distort the narrative and gaslight us by attacking a made-up perspective instead of the real arguments/feelings of the opposition. We aren't so much unimpressed, we're wary of our MOST PRIVATE data being stolen, then sold to the highest bidder or further stolen by hackers yet again. We have a bad taste in our mouth from ONEDRIVE. BEING. LITERALLY. IMPOSSIBLE. TO. TURN. OFF. (Unless you switch to Linux which is I guess the only choice now.) And the fact that they have shown they don't care about consumer preferences and will always continue to push their juggernaut of bad decisions on us out of monopolistic hubris. I thought this guy was smart but I guess he's just another AI-assist tool.

Re: Microsoft AI CEO pushes back against critics after recent Windows AI backlash

#90
post #5

> The fact that people are unimpressed that we can have a fluent conversation with a super smart AI that can generate any image/video is mindblowing to me. It's not that people are unimpressed with AI - they're just tired of constantly being bombarded with it, and it sneaking its way into where it's not wanted. "Generate any image you want!" "Analyse this thing with AI!" gets pretty tiring. If I want AI I'll actively…

I use AI everyday and it’s now integral to my workflow. However, even I still hate the hype train and having it constantly stuffed down my throat. Nevermind AI slop.

Windows 11 is already adware. No wonder people are complaining about more ads.

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