This is just the start, just wait until most LLM can outperform junior devs on the quality of generated code.
Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
51–60 of 563 posts
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#52Oh no. I thought tech only took jobs away from “low skill” people, e.g., cashiers or baristas and let the smart retire early… I guess the days of pushing a couple emails with cushy AF perks are over.
This is sarcasm BTW (somewhat).
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#53I wonder if all company owners just fire everyone and replace them with AI, who will pay for their products and services?
They already tried by not raising inflation-adjusted wages for 50 years, and the solution to that problem was: lower the interest rate and push people to borrow to consume.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#54This is good for society just like any productivity enhancing invention. You'd think a place like HN would know that the only way the world has ever gotten better has been innovation improving per-human output.
in theory: customer support automation frees up support workers from focusing on repetetive customer issues to being able to devote more time to those difficult issues, providing better service at lower cost in practise: have you ever used any automated customer support for anything? it speaks for itself - it's literally worse than nothing.
Phone tree support is awful. AI of GPT4 level works because it is 100x better than that. And it will only get better in the next 5 years.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#55If you work with AI, it's on you to refuse those jobs.
No it's not. Everyone has obligations. You cannot un-invent this stuff. That's like trying to stop air planes, rockets, photography, combustion engine, calculators, the personal pc, etc. It's the next phase of technology and it will be developed regardless if you like it or not. It's here to stay and thinking otherwise does everyone a disservice. We should be trying to figure out how to leverage this and ride the nex…
> many times I've used support and the person is some entry level tech who has no idea.
Yes, roughly all the times. every single time. As far as I can tell, most “first line of support” reps are empowered to read you FAQs, and to maybe perform actions you are better able to do yourself online. If like me, the caller is only calling as a last resort after figuring out the task is impossible online, they just repeat a FAQ or tell them misleading garbage information, blame a third party, or transfer them in circles.
Oddly, the “social media support” reps that cell phone companies have that you can message on Messenger or Twitter DMs are 10x as competent as the phone people, with the bonus that you can work through the problem asynchronously, which is a godsend for busy people.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#56I don't understand why everyone (excluding people who were replaced) is so "outraged".
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why? Have you ever sat in a customer service chat with someone who wasn't very helpful and very slow sat the same time? There were probably handling several other chats at the same time. Why shouldn't we replace those interactions with an AI that is fast and infinitely patient and friendly? I am willing to be convinced otherwise, but I don't see how fighting technological progress that is net positive for almost ever…
Because up to this point my experience with automated systems in banks, phone companies and web services companies has been awful even for trivial requests. Until shit improves, I will be bashing on those and prefer companies that allow me to get human interaction asap.
Many "human interactions" are little more than automated bots, since they are cost-optimized call centers with scripts they are locked into with no power to act autonomously.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#58This is good for society just like any productivity enhancing invention. You'd think a place like HN would know that the only way the world has ever gotten better has been innovation improving per-human output.
in theory: customer support automation frees up support workers from focusing on repetetive customer issues to being able to devote more time to those difficult issues, providing better service at lower cost in practise: have you ever used any automated customer support for anything? it speaks for itself - it's literally worse than nothing.
We've never had a gpt powered customer support though. It will be fine tuned on all of their recorded customer interactions ever. I could see this being way better than typical customer support where you have minimally trained, low wage employees who barely know how to use a computer just reading a script.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
The people labeling data for $15/h are supposed to take the stand?
No one is talking about 15$ an hour data labeling and I’m pretty sure you know that. Being obtuse on purpose. If you’re actively replacing people’s jobs rather than helping people… well, you’ve got to look at yourself in the mirror every night.
What if replacing people's jobs is helping people?
Milk men, computers (the people kind), horse carriage chauffeurs, people who light lamp posts (when they were oil based) we could go on here.
You are clearly coming from empathic place, but I am not sure your premise is nuanced enough. Lots of progress has "victims" but that doesn't necessarily make progress had.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
Same goes for almost all grocery shops here - Publix, Kroger, target etc replacing checkout with self-checkout kiosks completely. I absolute hate using self-checkout for non-packaged groceries items. Especially if I have lots of stuff. Freaking "unintended item in baggage area". Not to mention, I feel like Publix etc in particular employed lots of folks with disability. It warmed my heart to talk to them. I don't kno…
Grocery stores and others absolutely still need cashier checkout. If I have a handful of items I can barcode swipe and even a couple pieces of produce that's fine. But they simply aren't designed for a full shopping cart which includes a ton of non-barcoded items. Ditto with home repair stores. Scan a new smoke detector? Sure. Check out a bunch of lumber etc. That would be no. In my experience, most stores are findin…
I would say it is getting harder. Walmart for example I think has switched to largely self-checkout with some helpers thrown in.
Other stores where had more than 3 or 4 human manned lanes, now have just 1 most of the time.