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Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements

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Re: Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements

#81

Post by hsuduebc2 »

mbgerring wrote: post #16
ethanplant wrote: post #5

I’m genuinely confused as to why the speakers are baffled by the boos. Everyone, and especially new grads constantly hear that AI is going to replace every job. And absolutely no one seems to be interested in answering the question of “okay, then what?” Of course people are going to react negatively when they hear, “the machines are going to take your jobs from you. No, we don’t care how you’ll be able to pay your re…

The people who are faced with this question are so far removed from the idea that losing your job means not being able to eat or pay rent that it seems pointless to ask them. Whenever I try to get serious answers to this question I get far-future projections about how much better people’s lives will be in the aggregate, at some point in the future, on the assumption that their baseless, faith-based projections about…

I'm becoming more and more convinced that this will eventually be leading to violence. This kind of selfishness has historically fueled movements like Marxism across many countries. It feels like the Industrial Revolution repeating itself, except now the pressure extends across far more of the so called society classes as well.

I do not wish for it but humans have ugly trait to prevent fires only when it is burning all around them.

Re: Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements

#82

Post by littlexsparkee »

havblue wrote: post #67
ethanplant wrote: post #5

I’m genuinely confused as to why the speakers are baffled by the boos. Everyone, and especially new grads constantly hear that AI is going to replace every job. And absolutely no one seems to be interested in answering the question of “okay, then what?” Of course people are going to react negatively when they hear, “the machines are going to take your jobs from you. No, we don’t care how you’ll be able to pay your re…

When I was in high school, the guidance counselors never really talked about job headwinds. Those were things that would presumably happen to other kids. The recipient of a motivational speech has infinite potential. It's the same logic with discussing AI. The audience is the cream of the crop and will adapt to the future and benefit from technology. It's those other kids who didn't get your advice that might have to…

This is the harm of meritocracy - the idea is so pervasive that if you don't make it, you believe it to be a deficit in you. Then your lack of success is stigma and keeps you there.

Re: Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements

#83

Post by harimau777 »

neksn wrote: post #36
ethanplant wrote: post #5

I’m genuinely confused as to why the speakers are baffled by the boos. Everyone, and especially new grads constantly hear that AI is going to replace every job. And absolutely no one seems to be interested in answering the question of “okay, then what?” Of course people are going to react negatively when they hear, “the machines are going to take your jobs from you. No, we don’t care how you’ll be able to pay your re…

> And absolutely no one seems to be interested in answering the question of “okay, then what?” I don’t see why the people being booed should be responsible for answering this question. How many such questions did the inventor of the tractor have to answer?

They caused the problems, so they are responsible.

Re: Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements

#84

Post by neksn »

Rantenki wrote: post #77
neksn wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And absolutely no one seems to be interested in answering the question of “okay, then what?” I don’t see why the people being booed should be responsible for answering this question. How many such questions did the inventor of the tractor have to answer?

It would absolutely have been valid to ask that question of the inventor of the tractor too. It's even more relevant to ask of the CEO/CTO/COO/etc. of the companies that are selling hard on eliminating humans from as many workflows as possible.

They are selling a reduction in labour costs which has been the primary selling point of automation since humans began automating things.

Re: Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements

#85

Post by dsign »

ethanplant wrote: post #5

I’m genuinely confused as to why the speakers are baffled by the boos. Everyone, and especially new grads constantly hear that AI is going to replace every job. And absolutely no one seems to be interested in answering the question of “okay, then what?” Of course people are going to react negatively when they hear, “the machines are going to take your jobs from you. No, we don’t care how you’ll be able to pay your re…

> And absolutely no one seems to be interested in answering the question of “okay, then what?”

I don't think those speakers have anything kind, useful and meaningful to say, otherwise, smart people that they are, they would say it. Which leaves truthful, heartfelt answers but a bad fit for the occasion. Imagine yourself standing on that podium and saying: "After centuries of hard work, capital is on the verge of getting rid of labor. I'm well-paid to be joyous about that, although I don't know for how much longer....". Here's another: "As you know, one day people will have to stand united and make a revolution against the Machines. But it won't be this decade, nor the next, and between now and then the systems of learning that made humans great are going to suffer terribly while AI will get better by the day. If there's going to be hope, and until that day of the Grim Revolt comes, it falls to you to raise a new generation and do their home-schooling away from the Machines...Go now, throw that diploma in the thrash, get yourself a remote wood cabin in Kentucky and get some kids..."

Re: Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements

#86

Post by ferguess_k »

mbgerring wrote: post #75
vitally3643 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "I got mine, fuck you" mindset is genuinely going to be the death of the USA. It's genuinely astonishing how many people are willing to burn everything including their own house to spite random strangers.

I don’t disagree, but the actual beliefs of the AGI cult are much worse, and much more dangerous, than “I got mine, fuck you”

It's more like "I'm Holy and All, bow before me. Why don't you like me? I don't understand" type.

I mean at least Jesus gave free wine and bread.

Re: Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements

#87

Post by slg »

ch4s3 wrote: post #76
weard_beard wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

CEOs: “Do something about it.” Luigi Mangione: … CEOs: “Not like that… I’m not suggesting that it’s a good response. I’m suggesting that this interpretation of what CEOs are saying is wrong.

This is a deeply sick way of thinking. Mangione was and is a fool, a 3rd rate thinker. His manifesto is muddled, factually mistaken, and by his own words he understood the topic poorly. You only need a cursory knowledge of the late 60s and early 70s to know that political violence rarely achieves its aims and is much more likely to empower reactionaries. There's no quick fix for political change.

>political violence rarely achieves its aims

This country was founded on political violence. When the political violence works, we tend to stop considering it political violence.

Re: Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements

#88

Post by yoyohello13 »

weard_beard wrote: post #48
bryan0 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Schmidt offered a similar message to graduates: Their fear is rational, but they have the power to shape how AI develops. This doesn't sound like being baffled by it. It sounds like they are trying to shake the students and say: "fine boo, but you need do something about it." You can't just wallow and complain about it. I mean you can but it's a path to failure.

CEOs: “Do something about it.” Luigi Mangione: … CEOs: “Not like that… I’m not suggesting that it’s a good response. I’m suggesting that this interpretation of what CEOs are saying is wrong.

Downvoted... but not wrong. People who think we can automate 50% of jobs without subsequent violence are fooling themselves.

Re: Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements

#89

Post by littlexsparkee »

joe_mamba wrote: post #74
dakiol wrote: post #44

People are not idiots. AI benefits only the ones at the top of the chain, and the 10% of the rest of us. Are you in the top 10%? No, you typically are in the bottom 90%. So we don't want AI, we don't want the top getting richer at our expenses. We just want a job to bring bread home and keeping pushing our store while being "happy". You take that away from us, just so you can double your net worth, and well, bad thin…

[flagged]

I wouldn't write it off so quickly, history is not finished. To capitulate so easily, you hand them their victory.

Re: Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements

#90

Post by DonsDiscountGas »

> “His speech was incredibly disrespectful to students,” said Malone. “We as students are discouraged from using it and penalized for using it. And then to have our speaker be the champion of AI is just like, OK? Why?”

It's a perfectly fair question and the answer is that being a practitioner is different from being a student. If you want to hear some nice music you can learn to play and then record yourself, or you can buy/rent/freely acquire an existing recording. Both valid options, one is obviously a lot faster. If you want to be able to play music yourself, you have to do it yourself. Learning can't be outsourced.

Somebody really should be explaining that to students.

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