Hacker News Reader

Comment by mcpackieh | Hacker News Reader

Again, it really doesn't matter to my point whether or not you buy into the idea of William Gibson's intent being to warn people against AI. The point is that decades of media have given people ample reason to fear AI, such that present fear of AI cannot be solely attributed to present day fear mongering campaigns.

People have been spooked by the possibility for a long time. That's the point. If you really want to persist in arguing I can provide a long list of media in which AI is dangerous if not outright villainous. Will you make me do this, or will you accept that I can do this?

View on HN

We're talking about big tech employees. So you are saying they study computer science, spend decades studying machine learning, but they get night terrors based on what a English literature major who had never used a computer in his life banged out on a typewriter in the 1980s?

You use advanced mathematics to create LLM's and keep up with the latest published research but when you consider the risks of these models it's "the CGI in that Hollywood movie makes a very compelling argument?" Probably missing the point that the Hollywood movie robot baddie is probably a metaphor for communism or just a twist on slasher baddies, or whatever?

> We're talking about big tech employees.

Maybe you are. I am talking about all AI fear.

"The premise that AI fear and/or fearmongering is primarily coming from people with a commercial incentive to promote fear, from people attempting to create regulatory capture, is obviously false. The risks of AI have been discussed in literature and media for literally decades, long before anybody had any plausible commercial stake in the promotion of this fear."

Here's the list you've requested: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AIIsACrapshoot

The linked article is talking about lobbying by big tech, including a letter signed by 1100 industry leaders and also statements by big tech employees insighting fear in people. Whether your grandma is scared of AI for unrelated reasons because she watched Terminator isn't really relevant, it seems to me.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com