Revolver
Everyone from Big Tech to Wall Street is gambling on AI like it’s a sure thing, but the cracks are already showing. According to recent research, nearly every major company pouring billions into generative AI still hasn’t seen a real return. Even the insiders — from Sam Altman to Jeff Bezos — are starting to admit what’s obvious: this gold rush feels a lot more like a bubble than a breakthrough.
The experts say, this time it’s different. But is it? Sure, the crash might not happen overnight. Maybe instead of one big nuclear pop, the AI balloon could deflate slowly, choking out the weaker players while the giants tighten their grip. But most agree that the warning signs are all there: massive investments backed by a whole lotta hype, self, and tech valuations that don’t come close to reality. More
Whoopee
My company is absolutely snake-charmed with this crap, mostly 1-2 senior execs.
It’s fun to search a topic you have personal command of and read the utter bullshit A I spews out like gospel.
AI could show a gopher and an octopus dancing the waltz in the middle of the Sahara Desert and some people would believe it to be true.
“Humans doing the hard jobs on minimum wage while the robots write poetry and paint is not the future I wanted.”
-Karl Sharro
https://bookhaven.stanford.edu/2023/05/scott-timberg-and-boom-times-at-the-end-of-the-world-the-future-that-none-of-us-wanted/
I think I cracked the Northern Lights.
Do you want to see?
Will we get the credits?
We need a fixed layer, and some plots.
I would ask AI but I do not have it.
Anyone want to ask it for me?
Anyone who writes software knows it will be tinted with the buyers wants.
I remember back in the 90’s our employer gave us an option for a deferred savings program it was low yield secure savings thru Hartford OR you could go with the risky high yield investments which were primarily in the TECH industry. I didn’t have the time to spare to look into those investments, so I just stayed with Hartford.
My friends would rag on me for it while telling me about how they’re making money hand over fist…AND THEN THE BUBBLE BURST!!!
They didn’t say shit after that I was still in great shape.
I think it is OpenAI (Altman, Musk, et al) which is at the center of congressional hearings about its ChatGPT interactive AI and the deaths by suicide of at least two children (that were spoken about by their parents) who started using that technology for help with school work. I can’t be sure, but I think it was Altman who admitted that they jumped the gun with ChatGPT and the safety rails which were not in place for use by kids. They were in such a hurry to beat their competition to the market place, they undoubtedly factored-in the lawsuits which would invariably follow. I haven’t heard anything else about this particular AI technology or the culpability of OpenAI and its owners. It is beyond shameful they were willing to risk the lives of innocent child users who they must have known would be the canaries in the mines.
Other than this particular situation, the only other obvious problem with AI on search engines is that unless one is widely read and knows better, these various AI internet aggregators summarize the majority opinions and (mostly) liberal/progressive views on the internet. AI, at this point at least, seems to simply be a distillation of all the crap that fills the pages and pages of old-fashioned search results.
Is this really AI? I don’t think so. True AI should be self aware. Isn’t this just an extension of modern computing with lightening fast clocking speeds? As bad at it is if they achieve that it will be much worse. But it seems to me that’s a totally different technology. Hey, I’m a dinosaur, tell me I’m wrong and why.
Brad, of course you are not wrong. However, I’m not looking forward to AI being self aware. That’s like asking libs to be self aware, it will never happen. I think the immediate problem with AI investment as it stands now is that there is a mad dash to be #1, and they are spending so much money to be #1, that the return on investment isn’t going to be there. By the time all these new facilities are built and operational much of their technology will already be obsolete. There could be a major, rude awakening, for these AI build ups. And that doesn’t even begin to address the electrical demands placed on residential rate payers. This is a problem that hasn’t presented itself yet.
joe6pak
I think my point is, and I certainly could be wrong here, what they are currently spending tons of money on, and tons of energy on, has nothing to do with true AI. Meaning the path they are taking will not ultimatum lead to a self aware computer/network that will kill all of humanity. I dunno. I worry about my kids and grand kids because of what stupid fucks are doing.
joe6pak
Also, all my kids are extremely mechanical. Meaning the can quickly get those X and O. I know you have at least one grand kid that’s the same. Sadly it will be up to them to save this country eventually. And they’re out numbered as all hell. So far.
I worry about my kids and grandkids every frickin day! I know we are on the same page, it’s not just what these trillion dollar corporations are doing, it’s that they are in cahoots with our government. They are not on our team! They are the enemies of free people!
Bad_Brad: “Tell me I’m wrong and why”
OK: You’re Wrong. The reason you are wrong is just because”
” you have been so so often in the past.
Page Break, that’s certainly a strong argument. You’d be a strong debate adversary. Vote lib?
Took a course in this 20 years ago when I was getting my CS degree. I didn’t think it was ready for prime time and still don’t.
Most of what I’ve seen of AI seems geared to keeping people too lazy (or stupid) from using their own brain.
YMMV
Quantum computing, and other tech in development, will be able to produce a self-aware AI. Human consciousness is quantum mechanical.
Brad, you are correct in that the current “AI” only collects, organizes and manipulates information already created by humans.
This results in “AI” having zero concept of right and wrong, which explains the suicides of children that have parents that do not monitor what their kids are doing on their computers.
i worry how ai will fill a void in society of the expert class. we used to have experts in medicine, science, tech, climate …seems to me they sold out to the highest bidder. covid and climate is a great example. ai is going to settle the science for most people. i think that is why we see huge investment. its control of the population. once a believer there is only one expert to answer. reading i came across a comment about how people have ditched the search engine on their phones and use the chat gpt exclusive for internet searches, say its much cleaner without all the ads, popups, tracking…. its a push to ai. my brave browser for pc has ai feature with traditional search, and i must say ai is impressive for a straight forward answer without searching pages and pages of websites. i found ai feature is especially useful for medical questions. im not advocating for ai, but warning. ai is powerful, impressive and accurate to date. ai is how i envisioned the information highway. in its infancy i suspect ai will convert many users to staunch believers, its after the honeymoon and eminent corruption i worry about.
Can you say Tech Bubble of 2008?
I knew you could.
AI=EV
Toxic D, 2008 was the real estate bubble. Tech was 2001. But you’re on to something. We seem to have politicians that like the economy blowing bubbles. When they pop and the economy crashes, they get richer, and we get fleeced.
The AI scene is almost certainly in bubble territory. The prime actors are just making arrangements to exit with their bag of loot. The real question is how will this couple with the rest of the economy? I’m betting Mitsubishi & GE will take hits when all the powerplant turbines get cancelled.
I will also add, that working with the hardware is annoying as hell. You go from 2U servers with 50 watts of fans to 4U servers with 700+ watts in fans. Hearing protection mandatory. You can barely stand next to them when they spin up. I’ve seen metal stud commercial walls go resonant and people evacuate meeting rooms next to server rooms. They’ve introduced liquid cooled racks, and have upped the energy density to something like 2MW per standard 19 in rack. Yea, like I want to wrench on stuff that mixes liquids and 2MW power supplies…
KR