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The EU has begun enforcing the AI Act: first RFIs to model providers

tokenstead.ai

41–50 of 109 posts

Re: The EU has begun enforcing the AI Act: first RFIs to model providers

#41
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really oppose the notion that “European legislation … disproportionately impacts American tech companies”. US tech has a profound impact on the lives of everyday Europeans while the US has almost no checks and balances in place for the tech industry. Europeans are ought to be able decide how they want to live their lives and build a society. This must include deciding how much influence American tech companies shal…

Isn't part of " Europeans are ought to be able to decide how they want to live their lives" that they have the choice of using products of US tech companies?

If my manager's manager's manager decides, for any number of reasons, to buy a product which is using US-based technology, then I don't reasonably have the option to "vote with my feet", but I do have a fallback called Regulation, which works its way all the way up the chain automatically.

Re: The EU has begun enforcing the AI Act: first RFIs to model providers

#42
post #40

Claude slop article aside, this act is one reason why some people say Europe is an open air museum, as it'd rather regulate itself to obscurity while its great works are behind it. Where is Mistral, Le Chaton Fat? They're not competitive anymore. Meanwhile China reaches ever forward because they know that speed and endurance is everything in a race, not shooting oneself in the foot.

The idea was that technology is now powerful enough, everything need not be just competition any more. The world could also work to let every human have a good life. Neither China nor America truly seem to have that goal, despite it being both possible and ethical. Europe at least did, based on our experiences of the horrors of the early/mid C20. It's true that in the last 10 years that vision feels like it has crumb…

This is a very naive viewpoint that does not understand that superintelligence is a race between the West and China.

While the EU is twiddling its thumbs about copyright, it is shooting its own side in the foot during the most important race in human history.

The pure absurdity of this is a reflection of how the EU routinely chooses short term safety and good vibes over long term prosperity and success. This mindset is why the EU has been utterly unable to compete for years -- and now, they want to impose their failed model on the actually successful Western companies.

Re: The EU has begun enforcing the AI Act: first RFIs to model providers

#44
post #32
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’ll get downvoted to oblivion but it’s true in endless ways even before AI. The EUs obsession with green energy and destroying nuclear in Germany, the wealth taxes, the bureaucracy, how it’s 10x easier to get disability than it is to start a corporation. Death by a thousand cuts. I don’t see this improving until real, visible pain is felt. They are so poor economically but the consequences are not being felt yet

The anti-EU comments are always the same shape, unable to separate the EU from individual countries and misattributing country specific policies to the entire EU. Only a few countries in the EU have wealth taxes, and it's not the EU who imposed them. Disability pensions are not easy to get and require a lot of medical paperwork and approvals in most EU countries. And what does "so poor economically" even mean?

Right - the EU is not that powerful. If anything Europe's mistake has been not making it powerful enough, so there is possibility of competing with China and America.

Britain has left it and that's made a negative difference to our productivity. Large home markets are critical, when your two major competitors have large home markets.

Taxes and social services are cultural things in Europe, based on us understanding what a good way to use the wealth technology has given is. America understands this as well - it spends more on state healthcare than Europe does (yes, PPP adjusted), just not universally available.

Re: The EU has begun enforcing the AI Act: first RFIs to model providers

#45
I absolutely hate those bureaucrats, people who never built anything and just want to control, review, and develop their cottage industries of well paid lawyers one needs to retain to operate in the market. Same as with GDPR - absolutely no positive impact on actual privacy, but a lot of burden on everyone.

The worst part is, those people can't be voted out. Because of how EU works, the bureaucrats have an upper hand over the elected officials, and because of lavish compensation for the said elected officials, mostly bad people get elected anyway - those whos domestic careers have ended, or those whose parties want out of active politics, and somewhere "safe" where they can earn good money without causing any trouble. Thats a horrible system.

Re: The EU has begun enforcing the AI Act: first RFIs to model providers

#47
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The key problem for Europe is that they don't want to take strong enough actions against US tech to let their own actors develop. Which is how China has reached tech dominance, and how even a shithole country like Russia can have their own “tech” industry.

Even in a hypothetical world where they somehow killed off US tech completely, they still wouldn't have their own actors develop. There is no collective will, no risk taking mindset. The VCs are cowardly with capital, and people don't follow through on bright ideas. Taxes and regulations suffocate any progress and no one wants to do anything about it. The EU would rather cruise off into perceived comfort and safety r…

> Taxes and regulations suffocate any progress and no one wants to do anything about it.

We could rephrase this as "the shareholders aren't maximizing their value and the average Joe doesn't have a problem with it".

Re: The EU has begun enforcing the AI Act: first RFIs to model providers

#48
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even in a hypothetical world where they somehow killed off US tech completely, they still wouldn't have their own actors develop. There is no collective will, no risk taking mindset. The VCs are cowardly with capital, and people don't follow through on bright ideas. Taxes and regulations suffocate any progress and no one wants to do anything about it. The EU would rather cruise off into perceived comfort and safety r…

> Taxes and regulations suffocate any progress and no one wants to do anything about it. We could rephrase this as "the shareholders aren't maximizing their value and the average Joe doesn't have a problem with it".

You can use as many trendy "capitalism bad" phrases as you want, it doesn't change the reality that the EU has stagnated and fallen behind both economically and on the world stage, and will likely never catch up at this rate. The average Joe's welfare pool will stagnate with it, by the way.

A mindset shift away from the very mindset you espouse is what is necessary for the EU to succeed.

Re: The EU has begun enforcing the AI Act: first RFIs to model providers

#49
post #11

Claude slop article aside, this act is one reason why some people say Europe is an open air museum, as it'd rather regulate itself to obscurity while its great works are behind it. Where is Mistral, Le Chaton Fat? They're not competitive anymore. Meanwhile China reaches ever forward because they know that speed and endurance is everything in a race, not shooting oneself in the foot.

You’ll get downvoted to oblivion but it’s true in endless ways even before AI. The EUs obsession with green energy and destroying nuclear in Germany, the wealth taxes, the bureaucracy, how it’s 10x easier to get disability than it is to start a corporation. Death by a thousand cuts. I don’t see this improving until real, visible pain is felt. They are so poor economically but the consequences are not being felt yet

Nuclear in Germany was destroyed mostly due to unchecked Russian influence. Shroeder got rewarded by putting the final nail by getting all those board positions in Russia. And they had a reason to be blind to it since the industry does want Russian hydrocarbons.

And as sad of a story as it is, it's nothing compared to what Orange did. It will be a good showcase for the future how business is not the economy.

Re: The EU has begun enforcing the AI Act: first RFIs to model providers

#50
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, most US citizens want the same regulations as EU citizens, but only one of them have a functioning government.

No they don't.

Roughly half of American states have passed extensive internet regulation in the last few years to the point of entire businesses exciting their states, and that's the conservative parts of America.

The American public, of various creeds and political orientations is as, if honestly not more skeptical of US tech companies. They simply have no control over their government, which is captured by tech CEOs.

The recent anti datacenter activism extends to IIRC over 40 states now and has roughly 70% largely bipartisan support.

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