Skip Navigation

InitialsDiceBearhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearhttps://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/„Initials” (https://github.com/dicebear/dicebear) by „DiceBear”, licensed under „CC0 1.0” (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)L

LesserAbe

@ LesserAbe @lemmy.world

Posts
17
Comments
187
Joined
3 yr. ago

  • Banning noise will be a disaster for statistical data products

    Jump

  • Interesting look into an area I was completely unaware of.

  • Opensource AI Must Win

    Jump

  • Yeah, it's in AI companies interest to hype how all powerful their product is. I'm not necessarily talking about that.

    When I say potentially, I'm not a doomer, so not trying to say there's no hope, I do think we can make the world better than it is.

    That said, one example of dystopian future: one of my clients makes networked security cameras. I saw a presentation where they were showing off their AI search capability. They had a static shot of an expressway, with hours of footage, and they said "I want to find a person in a bus wearing a brown shirt" and just like that pulled up the relevant moment. Not something you want an authoritarian to have. They're going to get it anyways. But would love to have similar power available to the people.

    Likewise when you think about accumulation of capital, which is shorthand for accumulation of power. AI will allow elites to accelerate that accumulation and have less use for people. "Who cares if you go on strike? I don't need you."

    Having open source AI can turn the tables: "Who cares if you raised the price? I'll make it myself."

  • Opensource AI Must Win

    Jump

  • I don't think you're engaging with what I'm saying sincerely, and I'm trying to do that with you.

  • Opensource AI Must Win

    Jump

  • You're right, we don't "need" most modern conveniences. But they save us time and provide an improved quality of life. Why do we need power tools? Why motors? Why electricity, running water, artificial light? I joke, but AI is one of a long chain of tools designed to save us time, or extend our capabilities and reach. Why are you particularly opposed to this one over others? I return to my argument: AI is concerning because of its potential for change. I don't think we can prevent it from existing, but we can make it accessible to normal people and not solely the domain of the rich.

  • Opensource AI Must Win

    Jump

  • It doesn't need to be our new cyber god for it to matter. All the software developers I know use AI as a tool. One person I know who heads a department at a publicly traded company you've probably heard of said they're not hiring more junior developers, and is worried about his long term career outlook.

    That's concerning right? Capitalists who have a choice between hiring ten people or hiring one person who supervises an AI doing the work of nine are going to choose the cheaper option, and pocket the difference.

    To say that LLMs are not useful to me indicates a lack of familiarity. I'm not taking about bullshit "write this email for me" type stuff, I mean like "write this web app for me" "find this type of document in this massive trove of documents" "troubleshoot this technical issue". And it can do it.

    LLMs are not replacing humans, but they are reducing labor required for many tasks. Who receives the benefit from that reduced labor? Right now, owners. That's why I support open source AI or preferably democratic-entity-only open source AI.

  • Opensource AI Must Win

    Jump

  • I don't see it as fear mongering. What do you think of open source software like Linux, Firefox, VLC and so on? Because a similar argument is made there - we need to use these tools day to day, and the only option being to pay a corporation to use them would make us literally poorer, and we also wouldn't have the features and quality we see in Windows, Mac, Chrome etc if there weren't open source competitors.

    Is lack of open source AI currently a civilizational existential threat? No. Could it be if current trends continue? Potentially. Things could get pretty dystopian if only the mega rich control tools with ultra-intelligence.

    There are some open models right now, but they're mostly ones created by private enterprise that were released to the public. Creating models is more resource intensive than making open source software. So it makes sense to pool resources for the public good.

  • Opensource AI Must Win

    Jump

  • You're right that global warming is an existential threat. And right now the power grid is contributing to it.

    At the same time, we're seeing constant innovations in solar power and battery technology, while the cost of both are going down. Solar is now the cheapest source of energy per unit. There is enough energy from the sun to cover multiples of all current energy use by humans.

    AI models started out as extremely energy intensive, but are becoming increasingly more efficient. You can now run models on your phone with abilities which previously required a server running dedicated graphics cards.

    You're also right that we shouldn't outsource critical thinking. Still to say AI has "all the worst use cases" is wrong. Yes, it has plenty of bad use cases, by many great ones. I use it in my day to day work to save time.

    Something like a law banning the use of AI will never pass, and if it did, other countries wouldn't also pass it. A country which uses AI will outperform one that does not (economically, although probably militarily as well). In that scenario, leaving AI capability in the hands of private enterprise makes us subject to the whims of rich elites. For an analog see the case of Elon Musk turning Starlink on/off in Ukraine. Which again is why I do think there's value in open source AI, and more specifically AI only available to democratically controlled entities - nation states but also things like worker cooperatives to compete with corporations.

  • Opensource AI Must Win

    Jump

  • I bet me and the person I'm responding to have a ton in common. Likewise me and the person who wrote that post. But I don't relate to the position of "all AI should stop."

    I think there should be democratically accountable AI development. I'm interested in open source but the problem with it is that private corporations take advantage of it until they get big enough to try to lock out competitors. (See Google with Android) I would love to see an "open source" license which allows use by individuals and democratic entities, but forbids use by private enterprise.

  • Opensource AI Must Win

    Jump

  • It's not going to. Saying all AI should stop is like saying "all gunpowder should stop". Would everyone be better off if no one was using it? Maybe. But that's not going to happen at this point, and will give you a strategic disadvantage if you unilaterally disarm.

    And to be clear I'm not talking about using AI to write a screenplay or something creative, I mean like using it to write software, to optimize industrial processes etc.

  • Didn't think this through

    Jump

  • As soon as aliens take over they would all starve right? They've got to save some food for later.

    Ok I only watched the first movie. But in the comics seems like it's usually humans keeping them around so they can make super weapons, they don't exist in a sustainable ecosystem.

  • Didn't think this through

    Jump

  • Newsom to impose 100% tax on California payees of Trump’s $1.8bn fund

    Jump

  • Well Newsom is just the governor of California, so not like he has ultimate power. He's also problematic in a lot of ways, but this one seems like a good move as far as it goes.

  • Newsom to impose 100% tax on California payees of Trump’s $1.8bn fund

    Jump

  • It doesn't say they would only tax jan 6ers, it says any state residents who receive a payout

  • Japan's 1,200-Year-Old ‘Eternal Flame’ Survives Massive Temple Fire

    Jump

  • Sometimes you've got to fight fire with fire

  • W Celsius

    Jump

  • I'm curious, what are the areas that matter that you see metric having replaced imperial?

    I still see imperial used for building materials, tools, furniture, product dimensions, food packaging, recipes, travel distances. The doctor still tells me my weight in pounds. It's what we use at my job when describing products to clients.

  • W Celsius

    Jump

  • I too live in America and grew up here. I know what metric is. But it's not dominant, which I think you know.

  • W Celsius

    Jump

  • Hey I'm American and think we should switch to metric. While Celsius has a more objective basis than Fahrenheit, doesn't seem like the same slam dunk as the other measurements.

    Are there applications where we're measuring in centicelsius or kilocelsius? There aren't weird non-base ten increments of Fahrenheit. In Fahrenheit 0 is cold and 100 is hot as well...

    I'm still fine changing to it, just doesn't seem to have the same "in your face" value for this graphic.

  • Mastodon will get end-to-end encryption for private messages thanks to Sovereign Tech Agency

    Jump

  • As I said here, both the admin of the sending and receiving instances are able to view direct messages. If DMs are encrypted that's no longer a concern, which is why in my comment starting this thread I said this news was good.

  • Mastodon will get end-to-end encryption for private messages thanks to Sovereign Tech Agency

    Jump

  • Direct messages aren't intended to be public

  • Ask Lemmy @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    If you were forced to play one professional sport as your job until you were 65, which would you pick?

  • News @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    10 arrested in connection with Texas detention center shooting that was ‘planned ambush,’ U.S. attorney says

    www.pbs.org /newshour/politics/10-arrested-in-connection-with-texas-detention-center-shooting-that-was-planned-ambush-u-s-attorney-says
  • Ask Lemmy @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    How do you manage tasks / to do lists at your job?

  • Ask Lemmy @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    What would you replace the "pledge of allegiance" with?

  • Ask Lemmy @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    What are the most important holidays for each major religion?

  • Programming @programming.dev
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    Anyone here heard of Wikifunctions, and if so what do you think?

    www.wikifunctions.org /wiki/Wikifunctions:Main_Page
  • Technology @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    Q: “Are we doomed?” A: “We would be, if not for the amazing developments in renewable energy.”

    powering-the-planet.ghost.io /untitled-3/
  • Ask Lemmy @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    What's a thing that increased your power?

  • Comic Strips @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    All aboard the Cat and Girl train

  • Comic Strips @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    A fish out of water

  • Today I Learned @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    TIL if you live in Pennsylvania and make minimum wage you'd have to work 105 hours a week to afford a "modest" one bedroom rental.

    nlihc.org /oor/state/pa
  • Technology @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    Attendees at Bored Ape NFT event report vision loss and extreme pain

    www.theverge.com /2023/11/6/23948464/bored-ape-nft-event-eye-injury-sunburn-uv-exposure
  • politics @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    Universal Basic Income: In July three Pennsylvania lawmakers said they were going to introduce a bill calling for study of UBI. Has anyone seen updates since then?

    www.penncapital-star.com /blog/state-lawmakers-to-introduce-legislation-for-universal-basic-income-study/
  • Ask Lemmy @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    What are some places you can spend time where you're protected from the elements and it doesn't cost anything to be there?

  • politics @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    House speaker elections can be better with ranked choice voting

    fairvote.org /house-speaker-elections-can-be-better-with-ranked-choice-voting/
  • Ask Lemmy @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    How many patients can one doctor take care of per year? How many people can one farmer feed a year?

  • Ask Lemmy @lemmy.world
    LesserAbe @lemmy.world

    How did you first get to know your neighbors?