To be utterly sick of AI already

[snurtifier]

Logged on to my work email this morning to find that Google have added an AI assistant called Gemini, which pops up like a dependent puppy at every turn. It's monumentally annoying and, as far as I can see, completely useless. I contacted our IT dept and it turns out Google are charging us an extra £2 per month per user for this total waste of electricity, with no option to opt out. What's more, individual users don't have the option to switch it off, it's a global setting for the company account.

Meanwhile every online space has been invaded by AI bots, search results are polluted by pointless AI summaries, and our creative industries are being annihilated by generative AI slop. We were told AI would make our lives better, but so far the net effect is almost entirely negative as far as I can see.

AIBU to hate it and wish it would go away?

That's the first thing I thought of. But at least you could turn that annoying feature off, as I recall.

@Abouteating

Just tried putting them through deepl to translate into my native language and nope, couldn't tell the difference

Did it translate them as the same?
Is French your native language? I ask because am I right in saying that the idiom to be stood up is ‘poser un lapin’?
That would stump many automatic translators!

Same!

AI water consumption: https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/how-much-water-does-ai-consume > 2 litres of water per 10 to 50 queries, so my initial figures were overstated but it still guzzles loads of water

AI translation is often plausible but wrong. It also reflects human biases in language, as in this example from Finnish which does not have he/she pronouns.

Assessment for what?

I am part of the recruitment process as work. The number of applications written by chatgpt is crazy.

The worst use I've seen of it lately is lazy / fraudulent candidates using it to fill out job application forms. We did a round of recruitment recently for a specialist, technical content role (NHS). I’d say easily 15% of the supporting statements were AI generated, maybe more. They usually bore no relation to the candidate’s listed job experience, lacked any context or examples, and were just full of nice-sounding ‘fluff’. It might fool someone not working in that area, but it stood out a mile to us. Awful. And such a waste of our time, having to read and score them!

Hey! 👏That's a great idea👏.

• LTB
• Don't even think about letting your own sister into your house when she offered to look after your DC, do your laundry, paint the dog, finish your tax return and make your dinner on that really busy day you have next week.
• Balonz is the perfect name to go with Aweraora-Mae

Let's all keep boundaries for a great work-life balance!

Snap! 😄

The fear surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) stems from a combination of societal, economic, and philosophical concerns. These fears can be categorized into several key areas:
1. Job Displacement and Economic Impact
One of the most prevalent fears is that AI will lead to widespread job loss and economic disruption. Many people worry that as AI technologies advance, they will replace human workers in various sectors, leading to unemployment and increased poverty. Historical predictions about automation eliminating jobs have contributed to this anxiety. For instance, reports from the mid-2000s suggested that up to 47% of jobs could be at risk due to automation. Although these predictions did not materialize as expected—unemployment rates have remained low and new job opportunities have emerged—the fear persists because of the rapid advancements in AI capabilities.
2. Income Inequality
Another significant concern is that AI could exacerbate income inequality. Critics argue that as technology becomes more advanced, it may disproportionately benefit those who already possess wealth and resources, leaving behind lower-income individuals and communities. This fear is rooted in the belief that technological advancements often create a divide between those who can leverage new tools for economic gain and those who cannot.
3. Loss of Control
There is also a fear regarding the potential for AI systems to operate beyond human control or understanding. The idea that machines could become autonomous decision-makers raises ethical questions about accountability and governance. This concern is amplified by sensationalized media portrayals of AI running amok or becoming self-aware, which contribute to public anxiety about losing control over powerful technologies.
4. Ethical Concerns
Ethical considerations play a crucial role in the fear of AI as well. Issues such as privacy violations, surveillance, biased algorithms, and the potential for misuse of AI technologies raise alarms about how these systems might impact society at large. The lack of clear regulations governing AI development further fuels these concerns.
5. Philosophical Questions About Intelligence
Finally, there are deeper philosophical questions regarding what it means to be intelligent or sentient. As AI continues to evolve, discussions around its moral status and rights emerge, challenging traditional notions of consciousness and personhood. This existential aspect adds another layer of complexity to public perceptions of AI.
In summary, while many fears surrounding artificial intelligence are based on speculative outcomes or historical precedents that did not come true, they reflect genuine concerns about job security, economic disparity, ethical implications, loss of control over technology, and fundamental questions about intelligence itself.

I love my AI cat flap. It won’t open if the cat has a mouse or bird in its mouth.

The words to look for are 'deep', 'delve', 'fostered', 'leveraged' and 'underscored'.

I see it doesn't mention its own energy footprint is rhe size of Japan in a world that is supposed to be aiming for net zero. Well, when our kids are dying in the water wars of 2040 at least we will have shit pictures of mutant kittens to look at.

I went googling after reading about the environmental impact on another thread. I was shocked. No wonder it's kept quiet.

Looks like you have a problem with AI? Can I help you with that?

Bloody know it all paperclip!

@AuxArmesCitoyens true enough, although I can imagine crypto mining gives it a run for it’s money.

And sadly no, the world as a whole is not striving for net zero, would be great if it was but it isn’t.

I've been shortlisting for staff this week and a couple of supporting statements were clearly AL generated. Maybe it'll be different in the (near?!) future but they were just clunky and odd.

oh yes. If I see one more 'elevate your wardrobe' and 'the perfect size for any woman' - eh? how can anything be the perfect size for everyone.

It's so repetitive and bland, not good for sales. Actually puts me off those listings as none of the description is of any practical use. Sometime v annoying about the pompous wording, and the fact that it's becoming so pervasive.

The historical AI images are odd too, they apply modern 'beauty' standards to 'historical' pictures, v jarring.

I won't use AI on principle on account of its energy-hungriness. I've no actual bona fide use for it so won't fuck around with generating shit just for the hell of it. I can't stand AI art ‐it's grotesque, as PP said. I'm on a few niche FB groups for practitioners of my quite unusual artisanal craft and we still get trolled frequently by new members posting AI generated images of pieces they've supposedly made. It's gross.

I have far too many of those on my IG 😂

What pisses me off is that I can’t access my ready made reply templates on the gmail app but I’ve got this fucking AI in the app. I wouldn’t need the AI if I can access my same reply to initial emails in the app.

(no I can’t paste it into notes because it then changes the font in the email)

This was also my first thought upon seeing the thread title.

Yes! I have to write a lot for work (contracts, tech summaries etc and people have raved to me to AI it but it’s useless.

Also, my phone still can’t tell what I want to say so until that happens AI is a piece of crap.

Yes cryptocurrency is another environmental disaster zone.

I have some friends that use Ai art in their role playing games, to enhance the experience and add depth to their game. Are they morally wrong for doing this?

If there is a backlash against it for energy consumption wastage, how many will listen to that argument when this is now becoming common? How many would listen to those concerns or be swayed by those arguments?

Im not being goady, i don’t personally use it apart from the one (probably pre scripted) answer I posted as a lame joke. Just wondering how it fits into day to day life.