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Multiple commencement speakers booed for AI comments during graduation speeches

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Re: Multiple commencement speakers booed for AI comments during graduation speeches

#51

Post by SlinkyOnStairs »

muglug wrote: post #7

I’m reasonably certain that Schmidt anticipated that reaction after the first speaker was booed. It had the vibe of “These people need to hear the Truth”.

> It had the vibe of “These people need to hear the Truth”.

Schmidt anticipated the response, but does not understand it.

He falls flat on his face here precisely because "needing to hear the truth" is a self-contradiction. The very fact that he has to go around saying 'AI is inevitable, suck it up you live in our world now', proves that it's not true. Nothing that is actually inevitable is declared as such. Nobody goes to say "The sun will rise tomorrow!"

And this failure is pretty serious. The kids (and wider public) instinctively understand this dynamic even if Schmidt doesn't.

No matter how it's phrased, the only thing these kids will hear is "We are ruining your life", "We are taking everything from you".

It's all but inevitable than worryingly soon, some of them will go "Nothing to lose? Bet." and we will see far worse violence than the failed property damage against Sam Altman's house.

Re: Multiple commencement speakers booed for AI comments during graduation speeches

#52

Post by maccard »

va1a wrote: post #31

I've noticed, as a student, that many college students - particularly those not in STEM/engineering fields - have an almost irrational hatred of AI. It's to the point where they'll mock you for using it, even when it provides such an insane productivity boost. I understand the disdain for trying to inject the concept everywhere, and like any new technology, it's apt to be used where it is unneeded, and mentioned when…

> particularly those not in STEM/engineering fields - have an almost irrational hatred of AI. It's to the point where they'll mock you for using it, even when it provides such an insane productivity boost.

What "insane productivity boosts" are non-coding fields seeing from AI? If anything, coding is the most affected space, and even there I'm not sure I'd classify it as an "insane" productivity boost yet.

Re: Multiple commencement speakers booed for AI comments during graduation speeches

#53

Post by Dumblydorr »

va1a wrote: post #31

I've noticed, as a student, that many college students - particularly those not in STEM/engineering fields - have an almost irrational hatred of AI. It's to the point where they'll mock you for using it, even when it provides such an insane productivity boost. I understand the disdain for trying to inject the concept everywhere, and like any new technology, it's apt to be used where it is unneeded, and mentioned when…

Maybe they see it eradicating their job prospects and being used to cheat and invalidate their hard studying by others who want an insane productivity boost? That’s not fair to them if others are cheating and they’re learning properly.

Re: Multiple commencement speakers booed for AI comments during graduation speeches

#54

Post by pixlmint »

vermilingua wrote: post #44
va1a wrote: post #31

I've noticed, as a student, that many college students - particularly those not in STEM/engineering fields - have an almost irrational hatred of AI. It's to the point where they'll mock you for using it, even when it provides such an insane productivity boost. I understand the disdain for trying to inject the concept everywhere, and like any new technology, it's apt to be used where it is unneeded, and mentioned when…

I find my hatred of AI to be incredibly rational, and the cultlike veneration of the “insane productivity boost” it gives you to be truly irrational (whether or not that boost actually exists). Productivity as the be-all-and-end-all of personal aspiration exemplifies what is rotten in our industry and society at large: more for the sake of more, faster for the sake of better, no matter the consequences and with certa…

As a software engineer I am so deeply ashamed of how quick so many in the field have done a complete 180 on "productivity cannot be measured by lines of code" to wearing lines of code like a badge of honour.

Re: Multiple commencement speakers booed for AI comments during graduation speeches

#55

Post by keybored »

Levitz wrote: post #40
keybored wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It isn’t every day that Big Tech execs get to hear the truth of everyperson sentiment.

I don't think college campuses are exactly representative of "everyperson sentiment". There was a time in which they deserved some respect, as a result of free exchange of ideas among intellectuals. That's far behind by now.

Culture War topics about college campus value systems are irrelevant here.

Re: Multiple commencement speakers booed for AI comments during graduation speeches

#56

Post by cubefox »

Mizza wrote: post #39
muglug wrote: post #7

I’m reasonably certain that Schmidt anticipated that reaction after the first speaker was booed. It had the vibe of “These people need to hear the Truth”.

Eric Schmidt also raped a woman forty years younger than him, the students were objecting to that as much as the AI. Maybe don't schedule public speaking events after being accused of rape if you don't want to get booed.

You are equating accusation of rape with rape. I shouldn't have to point out there is a big difference.

Re: Multiple commencement speakers booed for AI comments during graduation speeches

#58

Post by jorvi »

cryptopian wrote: post #46
piva00 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my 20+ years of career it has definitely felt the most tyrannical rollout of a technology I ever experienced. Every other world-transforming technology I got in contact with was more organic: the personal computer, the internet, high-speed internet, the smartphone, all of those followed the usual adoption curve. Even technical tools like cloud computing which carried a bit of the anxiety from execs about "being le…

To some extent, I also think the global mood around Silicon Valley has soured. I remember just starting university when Facebook was taking off in the UK, and there was genuine buzz and excitement around being able to keep up with all your old friends. Years marched on and we started to uncover all the problems with social media, and their carelessness around their own impacts to society, so most people I know who we…

Social media aren't disruptive, things like Facebook and Twitter worked great with chronological feeds. Same with YouTube. God, I miss pre-2012 YouTube when things mostly just got popular organically.

Once they started to have algorithmic feeds and those algorithms got tuned for maximum engagement at the detriment of every other factor, that's when things started to spiral downward.

Re: Multiple commencement speakers booed for AI comments during graduation speeches

#59

Post by weregiraffe »

Mizza wrote: post #39
muglug wrote: post #7

I’m reasonably certain that Schmidt anticipated that reaction after the first speaker was booed. It had the vibe of “These people need to hear the Truth”.

Eric Schmidt also raped a woman forty years younger than him, the students were objecting to that as much as the AI. Maybe don't schedule public speaking events after being accused of rape if you don't want to get booed.

Is "accused of rape" and "raped" the same in your mind?
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