Microsoft and other tech giants have made AI mandatory at work. In South Africa, some developers say their managers are pushing it hard. Productivity must go up. Costs must go down. Warnings about technical debt and other problems are ignored. One programmer called it the “nuke-it-from-orbit” approach to software complexity.
AI is everywhere. But there’s also resistance.
The new gluten
Remember when "gluten-free" was the new buzz word? Some people are truly gluten intolerant. But gluten became a food super-villian. Marketers saw an opportunity to cash in. From bananas to bottled water, you could find it with the gluten-free label.
Now we’re seeing the "100% AI-Free" label. It’s popping up on crafts, poems, and even soap.
New Yorkers defaced an advert for an AI startup called Friend. The Aerie clothing brand launched a social media campaign in which they promised not to use AI in their ads. They are not the only ones. Some businesses are proudly declaring they are AI-free (for certain things, anyway).
Mechanic vs machine
A mechanic told Lewis about a recent customer interaction.
He was trying to find an inconsistent and elusive oil leak. As part of the effort, he drove the car up and down the road in front of his workshop many times, totalling about 45km. The customer complained that, according to AI, it should only have taken 3km to find the leak. The mechanic was not amused. He told the customer to fetch the car and let AI fix it.
No AI added
The World Aerial Championships took place in Argentina this week. I was blown away by the performance of one of the winners. Her skill, strength, grace and creativitity was amazing. It was breath-taking. It was awe-inspiring. It was 100% human.
Finding the balance
Are you starting to feel “AI-fatigue”? I read that term for the first time this week.
AI is the most common topic in both tech news and business news. It’s as contraversial as Trump. People can’t agree on future predictions. Will the AI bubble burst? Will AI take over the world? Should we invest in GPUs? Should we stock up on baked beans and survival kits?
Tristan Harris gave a TED talk titled "Why AI Is Our Ultimate Test and Greatest Invitation". It is the most insightful and rational video I’ve seen on the future of AI.
AI is not going away. But it will force us to confront what it means to be human, who gets to decide, and how far we’re willing to go. Watch the video.
I’d love to hear your comments.