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Why wordfreq will not be updated

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Re: Why wordfreq will not be updated

#191

Post by Ensorceled »

_lvbh wrote: post #168
Ensorceled wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also, it is shocking how authoritarian the “left” has become in my lifetime. We are going through a general uptick in authoritarian "discussions" online. It's interesting that you are only seeing it on the "left".

They said nothing about it being “only” on the left. I somewhat expect authoritarianism on the right and therefore would hold the left (to which I belong) at a higher standard.

Authoritarianism on the right is becoming its mainstream, while authoritarianism on the left is merely on the rise.

Re: Why wordfreq will not be updated

#192

Post by dotnet00 »

mschuster91 wrote: post #75
hluska wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What was Reddit’s excuse? They did roughly the same thing (and have just as much garbage content). In other words, why is it wrong for X but okay for Reddit? If you ignore one individual’s politics, the two services did the same thing.

Reddit shut their API access down only very recently, after the AI craze went off. Twitter did so right after Musk took over, way before Reddit, way before AI ever went nuts.

X shut down API access in Feb 2023, Reddit shut theirs down at the end of June of the same year. Just barely 6 months apart.

Furthermore, while X had also only announced this in February, Reddit announced their API shutdown just 2 months later in April.

And, to further add to that, X was pretty upfront that they think they have access to a large and powerful dataset in X and didn't want to give it out for free. Reddit used very similar wording when announcing their changes.

Re: Why wordfreq will not be updated

#193

Post by aftbit »

Wow there is so much vitriol both in this post and in the comments here. I understand that there are many ethical and practical problems with generative AI, but when did we stop being hopeful and start seeing the darkest side of everything? Is it just that the average HN reader is now past the age where a new technological development is an exciting opportunity and on to the age where it is a threat? Remember, the Luddites were not opposed to looms, they just wanted to own them.

Re: Why wordfreq will not be updated

#194

Post by Freak_NL »

eszed wrote: post #174
Freak_NL wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It certainly feels like the amount of regurgitated, nonsensical, generated content (nontent?) has risen spectacularly specifically in the past few years. 2021 sounds about right based on just my own experience, even though I can't point to any objective source backing that up.

Upvoted for "nontent" alone: it'll be my go-to term from now on, and I hope it catches on. Is it of your own coinage? When the AI sifts through the digital wreckage of the brief human empire, they may give you the credit.

I do hope it catches on! I did come up with this myself, but I really doubt I'm the only one — and indeed: Wiktionary lists it already with a 2023 vintage:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nontent

Re: Why wordfreq will not be updated

#195

Post by imhoguy »

whywhywhywhy wrote: post #182
imhoguy wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure we should trust a site contaminated by AI graphics. /s

Yeah pay an illustrator if this is important to you. See a lot of people upset about AI still using AI image generation because it's not in their field so they feel less strongly about it and can't create art themselves anyway, hypocritical either use it or don't but don't fuss over it then use it for something thats convenient for you.

I have updated my comment with "/s" as that is closer to what I've meant. However, seriously, from ethical point of view it is unlikely illustrators were asked or compensated for their work being used for training AI to produce the image.

Re: Why wordfreq will not be updated

#196

Post by Eisenstein »

Lerc wrote: post #145
Ensorceled wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also, it is shocking how authoritarian the “left” has become in my lifetime. We are going through a general uptick in authoritarian "discussions" online. It's interesting that you are only seeing it on the "left".

Perhaps they only find the increase shocking on the left. There's a bunch of ways to measure political opinions. The Authoritarian-liberal one being one of many. The economic-left and the economic-right are becoming more separated from the social-left and the social-right. Tribalism also causes people to take on the positions of their 'tribe' which may be distinct to what their own personalities might normally gravit…

Isn't that just what happens when you keep pushing the Overton Window to the right? What would have been 'centrists' have to become more authoritarian to stand ground or else they let their position get absorbed by the stronger leaning side. When one side refuses to compromise even slightly, you have two options: give in or dig in.

Re: Why wordfreq will not be updated

#197

Post by commodoreboxer »

robrtsql wrote: post #167
commodoreboxer wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that for the vast majority of use, LLM output is not revised or edited, and very many times I'm convinced the output wasn't even fully read.

I assume FrustratedMonky's comment was satirical, given that it appears to have been written like an LLM and starts with a "but, but, but" which is how you might represent someone you disagree with presenting their argument.

I thought so, but the rest of the comment is worded quite reasonably, so I decided to not interpret it as hyperbole or irony.

Re: Why wordfreq will not be updated

#198

Post by Freak_NL »

eptcyka wrote: post #131
Freak_NL wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It certainly feels like the amount of regurgitated, nonsensical, generated content (nontent?) has risen spectacularly specifically in the past few years. 2021 sounds about right based on just my own experience, even though I can't point to any objective source backing that up.

I personally am yet to see this beyond some slop on youtube. And I am here for the AI meme videos. I recognize the dangers of this, all I am saying is that I don't feel the effect, yet.

I'm seeing it a lot when searching for some advice in a well-defined subject, like, say, leatherworking or sewing (or recipes, obviously). Instead of finding forums with hobbyists, in-depth blog posts, or manufacturers advice pages, increasingly I find articles which seem like natural language at first, but are composed of paragraphs and headers repeating platitudes and basic tips. It takes a few seconds to realize the site is just pushing generated articles.

Increasingly I find that for in-depth explanations or tutorials Youtube is the only place to go, but even there the search results can lead to loads of videos which just seem… off. But at least those are still made by humans.

Re: Why wordfreq will not be updated

#199

Post by JohnFen »

aftbit wrote: post #193

Wow there is so much vitriol both in this post and in the comments here. I understand that there are many ethical and practical problems with generative AI, but when did we stop being hopeful and start seeing the darkest side of everything? Is it just that the average HN reader is now past the age where a new technological development is an exciting opportunity and on to the age where it is a threat? Remember, the Lu…

> when did we stop being hopeful and start seeing the darkest side of everything?

I think a decade or two ago, when most of the new tech being introduced (at least by our industry) started being unmistakably abusive and dehumanizing. When the recent past shows a strong trend, it's not unreasonable to expect the the near future will continue that trend. Particularly when it makes companies money.

Re: Why wordfreq will not be updated

#200

Post by croes »

greentxt wrote: post #186

I think this person has too high a view of pre-2021, probably for ego reasons. In fact, their attitude seems very ego driven. AI didn't just occur in 2021. Nobody knows how much text was machine generated prior to 2021, it was much harder if not impossible to detect. If anything, it's probably easier now since people are all using the same ai that use words like delve so much much it becomes obvious.

>AI didn't just occur in 2021. Nobody knows how much text was machine generated prior to 2021

But we do know that now it's a lot more, with a big LOT.

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