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Rob Pike goes nuclear over GenAI

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Re: Rob Pike goes nuclear over GenAI

#101

Post by vkou »

neilv wrote: post #46

Maybe you could organize a lot of big-sounding names in computing (names that look major to people not in the field, such as winners of top awards) to speak out against the various rampant and accelerating baggery of our field. But the culture of our field right is in such a state that you won't influence many of the people in the field itself. And so much economic power is behind the baggery now, that citizens outsi…

> Maybe you could organize a lot of big-sounding names in computing (names that look major to people not in the field, such as winners of top awards) to speak out against the various rampant and accelerating baggery of our field.

The voices of a hundred Rob Pikes won't speak half as loud as the voice of one billionaire, because he will speak with his wallet.

Re: Rob Pike goes nuclear over GenAI

#102

Post by zem »

aurareturn wrote: post #56

From my point of view, many programmers hate Gen AI because they feel like they've lost a lot of power. With LLMs advancing, they go from kings of the company to normal employees. This is not unlike many industries where some technology or machine automates much of what they do and they resist. For programmers, they lose the power to command a huge salary writing software and to "bully" non-technical people in the co…

I'm a programmer, and am intensely aware of the huge gap between the quantity of software the world could use and the total production capacity of the existing body of programmers. my distaste for AI has nothing to do with some real or imagined loss of power; if there were genuinely a system that produced good code and wasn't heavily geared towards reinforcing various structural inequalities I would be all for it. AI does not produce good code, and pretty much all the uses I've seen are trying to give people with power even more advantages and leverage over people without, so I remain against it.

Re: Rob Pike goes nuclear over GenAI

#103

Post by aurareturn »

machinationu wrote: post #62
aurareturn wrote: post #56

From my point of view, many programmers hate Gen AI because they feel like they've lost a lot of power. With LLMs advancing, they go from kings of the company to normal employees. This is not unlike many industries where some technology or machine automates much of what they do and they resist. For programmers, they lose the power to command a huge salary writing software and to "bully" non-technical people in the co…

You're absolutely right. But no one is safe. Soon the AI will be better at CEOing.

That's the singularity you're talking about. AI takes every role humans can do and humans just enjoy life and live forever.

Re: Rob Pike goes nuclear over GenAI

#104

Post by vkou »

mmooss wrote: post #49
neilv wrote: post #46

Maybe you could organize a lot of big-sounding names in computing (names that look major to people not in the field, such as winners of top awards) to speak out against the various rampant and accelerating baggery of our field. But the culture of our field right is in such a state that you won't influence many of the people in the field itself. And so much economic power is behind the baggery now, that citizens outsi…

Every problem these days is met with a lecture on helplessness. People have all the power they need; they just have believe it and use it. Congress and the President can easily be pressured to vote in laws that the public wants - they all want to win the next election.

Trump's third term will not be the product of a free and fair election in a society bound by the rule of law.

Re: Rob Pike goes nuclear over GenAI

#105

Post by llmslave2 »

It's nice to see a name like Rob Pike, a personal hero and legend, put words to what we are all feeling. Gen AI has valid use cases and can be a useful tool, but the way it has been portrayed and used in the last few years is appalling and anti-human. Not to mention the social and environmental costs which are staggering.

I try to keep a balanced perspective but I find myself pushed more and more into the fervent anti-AI camp. I don't blame Pike for finally snapping like this. Despite recognizing the valid use cases for gen AI if I was pushed, I would absolutely chose the outright abolishment of it rather than continue on our current path.

I think it's enough however to reject it outright for any artistic or creative pursuit, an to be extremely skeptical of any uses outside of direct language to language translation work.

Re: Rob Pike goes nuclear over GenAI

#106

Post by avaer »

nromiun wrote: post #72

Funny how so many people in this comment section are saying Rob Pike is just feeling insecure about AI. Rob Pike created UTF-8, Go, Plan-9 etc. On the other hand I am trying hard to remember anything famous created by any LLM. Any famous tech product at all. It is always the eternal tomorrow with AI.

> On the other hand I am trying hard to remember anything famous created by any LLM.

That's because the credit is taken by the person running the AI, and every problem is blamed on the AI. LLMs don't have rights.

Re: Rob Pike goes nuclear over GenAI

#107

Post by devsda »

aurareturn wrote: post #56

From my point of view, many programmers hate Gen AI because they feel like they've lost a lot of power. With LLMs advancing, they go from kings of the company to normal employees. This is not unlike many industries where some technology or machine automates much of what they do and they resist. For programmers, they lose the power to command a huge salary writing software and to "bully" non-technical people in the co…

> I remember the CEO of my tech company having to bend the knees to keep the software team happy so they don't leave and because he doesn't have insights into how the software is written.

It is precisely the lack of knowledge and greed of leadership everywhere that's the problem.

The new screwdriver salesmen are selling them as if they are the best invention since the wheel. The naive boss having paid huge money is expecting the workers to deliver 10x work while the new screwdriver's effectiveness is nowhere closer to the sales pitch and it creates fragile items or more work at worst. People are accusing that the workers are complaining about screwdrivers because they can potentially replace them.

Re: Rob Pike goes nuclear over GenAI

#108

Post by aurareturn »

empressplay wrote: post #92
aurareturn wrote: post #56

From my point of view, many programmers hate Gen AI because they feel like they've lost a lot of power. With LLMs advancing, they go from kings of the company to normal employees. This is not unlike many industries where some technology or machine automates much of what they do and they resist. For programmers, they lose the power to command a huge salary writing software and to "bully" non-technical people in the co…

> When a product manager can generate a highly detailed and working demo of what he wants in 5 minutes using gen AI The GenAI is also better at analyzing telemetry, designing features and prioritizing issues than a human product manager. Nobody is really safe.

Agreed.

Hence, I'm heavily invested in compute and energy stocks. At the end of the day, the person who has more compute and energy will win.

Re: Rob Pike goes nuclear over GenAI

#109

Post by petre »

machinationu wrote: post #62
aurareturn wrote: post #56

From my point of view, many programmers hate Gen AI because they feel like they've lost a lot of power. With LLMs advancing, they go from kings of the company to normal employees. This is not unlike many industries where some technology or machine automates much of what they do and they resist. For programmers, they lose the power to command a huge salary writing software and to "bully" non-technical people in the co…

You're absolutely right. But no one is safe. Soon the AI will be better at CEOing.

Why, more psychopathic than Musk?
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