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The Waymo effect: how AI is quietly making research less collaborative

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Re: The Waymo effect: how AI is quietly making research less collaborative

#111

Post by fidotron »

neutronicus wrote: post #98
fidotron wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Physics, and to a large degree pure mathematics, has attracted a critical mass of the personality type that needs to feel like the smartest person in the room in any given situation. It has given them a slightly notorious reputation in academia.

From a one-time physics grad student, I do think there advantages to being ... like this. The flip side of being confidently wrong sometimes is that we treat understanding new systems as something approachable. So, yeah, it's annoying that we don't stay in our lane, but, from my boss's perspective, I'm the only one who's actually willing to just read code, investigate, possibly read a paper, and figure out what's goi…

Like your sibling comment I saw this mainly with physics people doing data science:

> Eventually you have to understand something. And part of that process is being wrong and annoying people.

There is nothing more frustrating as a colleague than having a smart person walk in, insist you're all wrong, and then burn all the energy and goodwill in the organisation having to rebuild absolutely everything from the principles they currently understand because they refuse to listen to the experience that has built up already (in the entire field, let alone the organisation), only to produce something worse on every dimension than what already existed.

Re: The Waymo effect: how AI is quietly making research less collaborative

#112

Post by grey-area »

embedding-shape wrote: post #19
meowface wrote: post #4

This article is written by an LLM, by the way. ("Quietly" is... as Claude might put it... "often the quiet tell".)

Which, given the section below from the article, ends up kind of ironic: > There is a deeper cost still, and it concerns the thing LLMs do most impressively: writing. [...] Outsource the writing and you have not accelerated the thinking; you have skipped it. I think the author might not know what "impressive writing" or even "good writing" is, which would explain both how they could put that part into the article, an…

Well perhaps the LLM put that bit in for them.

Re: The Waymo effect: how AI is quietly making research less collaborative

#113

Post by dwedge »

zamadatix wrote: post #53
scronkfinkle wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wanted you to be wrong, and to be able to make this an example of us over-reacting to certain trigger words created by AI, but unfortunately I just scanned the first couple paragraphs with pangram and it reported 100% AI, so you're probably correct. I get a funny feeling in my stomach over the idea that common and effective means of communication (i.e. it's not X it's Y) have become faux pas to use because of AI. I…

Pangram should be paying HNers for how often we pitch needing to use their product by name to believe things as obvious as "a long form news article cramming every AI trope it can fit from start to finish" being AI written. At this point I'm surprised when a news article isn't largely AI written, let alone one using the default tone! I don't even mind it as much as others seem to, it's just turning into more and more…

> Pangram should be paying HNers for how often we pitch needing to use their product by name

I kind of assumed it is, given how it suddenly seemed to start getting namedropped in multiple comment threads. And it's often in response to someone saying content is obviously LLM (with examples) and the shill wedges pangram into the conversation "omg you're right, I didn't believe you but I checked this new product and wow it agreed with you" as though that adds anything to the discussion at all.

Re: The Waymo effect: how AI is quietly making research less collaborative

#114

Post by ticulatedspline »

Frost1x wrote: post #32

I work at an intersection of tech, applied research, and science. Something I’ve noticed in collaboration that does occur is an increased confidence in people outside their domains to say things with conviction. I have people who have limited experience with software pushing out layers and layers of abstracted code that’s fairly sophisticated but often misguided in intent who will say what they’re doing is correct, w…

Isn't this basically the WebMD effect migrating to other domains?

feels like the same lament doctors have had for ages after anyone could google their symptoms then self-diagnose.

While AI is driving it the foundational cause feels like people having easy access to data/opinion that they trust but don't fully comprehend (or have bias towards). People do this in meat-space too, will confidently regurgitate garbage if they were told it from a person they trust as an expert.

Re: The Waymo effect: how AI is quietly making research less collaborative

#115

Post by nicce »

wrsh07 wrote: post #106
nicce wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All these "is this AI" checkers should be banned, as they never can reach 100% accuracy.

This is a truely bizarre claim. Imagine if one said: "Weather forecasts should be banned because they can never reach 100% accuracy"

They are completely different things with different consequences. Someone can point to the sky and prove that the sun is there.

Re: The Waymo effect: how AI is quietly making research less collaborative

#116

Post by torginus »

fidotron wrote: post #97
torginus wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have people who have limited experience with software pushing out layers and layers of abstracted code that’s fairly sophisticated but often misguided in intent who will say what they’re doing is correct, with conviction. Oh my god, physicist code is evolving!

It's a tough call but I'm not sure if physicist code or electronic engineer code is more frightening.

As an EE, I can say that code written by EEs might be frightening, but electronics built by coders is often shocking.

Re: The Waymo effect: how AI is quietly making research less collaborative

#118

Post by bee_rider »

scronkfinkle wrote: post #12
meowface wrote: post #4

This article is written by an LLM, by the way. ("Quietly" is... as Claude might put it... "often the quiet tell".)

I wanted you to be wrong, and to be able to make this an example of us over-reacting to certain trigger words created by AI, but unfortunately I just scanned the first couple paragraphs with pangram and it reported 100% AI, so you're probably correct. I get a funny feeling in my stomach over the idea that common and effective means of communication (i.e. it's not X it's Y) have become faux pas to use because of AI. I…

Em-dashes would be a loss, they can be a better flowing version of a parenthetical. “It’s not X it’s Y” is not a loss. This phrase is a symptom of a situation where the author wants to subvert expectations but doesn’t have the space, ability, or faith in their audience to organically set up X as the thing to be contrasted against.

I suspect it became an LLM tell because it is over-represented in text that’s easily available to the models but that most people don’t actually want to consume: marketing text, LinkedIn posts, that sort of thing.

Re: The Waymo effect: how AI is quietly making research less collaborative

#119

Post by fidotron »

torginus wrote: post #116
fidotron wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a tough call but I'm not sure if physicist code or electronic engineer code is more frightening.

As an EE, I can say that code written by EEs might be frightening, but electronics built by coders is often shocking.

Guilty as charged, but at least somewhat self aware.

Re: The Waymo effect: how AI is quietly making research less collaborative

#120

Post by gradus_ad »

If people want to collaborate, they will. If collaboration makes people more effective, they will want to collaborate. The novelty of any new technology is exciting and disrupting to existing habits but as the years pass we will reflect on what works and what doesn't. At least, those who are willing to reflect and adapt. Humans have a knack for this sort of thing...
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