The response has been very positive. Like most people they have never been exposed to any of this history. I spend a good deal of time on the Vietnam War and the fact that during the cold war, wars of liberation were fought using guerrilla tactics. As you point out, military leaders understood that data was critical to both winning "hearts and minds" and for undermining popular movements. Students also found that connection between the counter culture/hippie libertarianism and the emerging national security state fascinating.
AI has always appeared like a low-priority thing for humanity to focus on. A few years ago I'd always dismiss my friend obessed with it. We can't even feed everyone. It's clearly more of a pump the stock scheme which nearly all "products" have become.
As tool, e.g. data retrieval or parsing through text, AI is a real game changer. I don't think we have even begun to see the potential. On the other hand, everything that Yasha said. In my mind the problem with AI is complex partly it stems from the fact that it's such an elite tool, designed by and for elites rather than normal folk. Also it uses a lot of energy and creates waste. Finally as mentioned it apes humans and feeds stuff back to us based on rather limited, although modifiable, rules and assumptions. AI might ultimately stunt human development, forcing us to constantly reconsider pre-digested versions of already existing culture rather than blazing into new territory.
Training wheels they won't ever learn to take off of their mental cycles.
Cordless power tool of the mind, enabling the less experienced & talented to craft shoddy work at higher speeds, making more mistakes faster and with less skull sweat.
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This is fun, what similes can YOU all come up with?!
Not only as good as the top OpenAI product, they did it at a tiny fraction of the cost, open sourced it, and make running the full version on their cloud also a tiny fraction of the cost. Setting aside the larger issue of AI generally, it's truly an embarrassing, massive blow out in so many ways - I feel like this is the juicier part of the story.
"PS: I really should work on reissuing Surveillance Valley with a new updated epilogue focusing on the final stage of internet weapon development: the AI arms race..."
I agree but your epilogue might turn into Surveillance Valley volume 2. Or just wait til you run into some runaway Israelis who've worked the security angle of AI for their surveillance.
Funny thing was, 20 minutes ago, I was just working AI and getting it to write me a data storage and retrieval program. It worked.
I'm looking forward to your reissue of your book. I use it in a course I teach on the cold war.
How do students respond to it?
The response has been very positive. Like most people they have never been exposed to any of this history. I spend a good deal of time on the Vietnam War and the fact that during the cold war, wars of liberation were fought using guerrilla tactics. As you point out, military leaders understood that data was critical to both winning "hearts and minds" and for undermining popular movements. Students also found that connection between the counter culture/hippie libertarianism and the emerging national security state fascinating.
AI has always appeared like a low-priority thing for humanity to focus on. A few years ago I'd always dismiss my friend obessed with it. We can't even feed everyone. It's clearly more of a pump the stock scheme which nearly all "products" have become.
As tool, e.g. data retrieval or parsing through text, AI is a real game changer. I don't think we have even begun to see the potential. On the other hand, everything that Yasha said. In my mind the problem with AI is complex partly it stems from the fact that it's such an elite tool, designed by and for elites rather than normal folk. Also it uses a lot of energy and creates waste. Finally as mentioned it apes humans and feeds stuff back to us based on rather limited, although modifiable, rules and assumptions. AI might ultimately stunt human development, forcing us to constantly reconsider pre-digested versions of already existing culture rather than blazing into new territory.
@MTC
AI- The lazy "knowledge wrangler's" friend?
Training wheels they won't ever learn to take off of their mental cycles.
Cordless power tool of the mind, enabling the less experienced & talented to craft shoddy work at higher speeds, making more mistakes faster and with less skull sweat.
----------
This is fun, what similes can YOU all come up with?!
Not only as good as the top OpenAI product, they did it at a tiny fraction of the cost, open sourced it, and make running the full version on their cloud also a tiny fraction of the cost. Setting aside the larger issue of AI generally, it's truly an embarrassing, massive blow out in so many ways - I feel like this is the juicier part of the story.
https://x.com/morganb/status/1883686180656660557
I'd buy a re-issue.
"PS: I really should work on reissuing Surveillance Valley with a new updated epilogue focusing on the final stage of internet weapon development: the AI arms race..."
I agree but your epilogue might turn into Surveillance Valley volume 2. Or just wait til you run into some runaway Israelis who've worked the security angle of AI for their surveillance.
Funny thing was, 20 minutes ago, I was just working AI and getting it to write me a data storage and retrieval program. It worked.
yeah it’s bottomless. but i know a good way to eulogize the internet. one chapter for me is enough!