I think it’s surreal that to read this article I had to grow accustomed to a phone fitting in my hand, containing a camera that can take selfies anywhere and also be a regular digital camera. I got used to writing and publishing stories after reading stories like this one on two different platforms. Being accustomed to waking up to comments on my work from people in their day while I sleep. Being inundated by lists of the greatest ways… hacks to pleasure yourself with your phone.
I ignore messages and let them pile up without a twinge of guilt. It’s not that way for most young students.
I turn off my phone and know how to live comfortably without it. Just like I know how to live well with no electricity. Most young students don’t.
Now AI is being asked questions and will lie or mislead about what it doesn’t know. People regularly blame the algorithm and feel no obligation to make amends when things go off the rails. I abhor technology that tries to praise me or soothe me. It feels like the worst of having a fair weather friend.
Young people think it’s just the way things are.
Some older people slavishly become its followers.
This is a thought provoking article that I sat here reading on this handheld phone instead of getting up for breakfast.
Thanks so much for your insightful comments. You are right in the groove I’m making.
I am tired of people blaming the algorithm; it is caused by following too many people per platform AND using the wrong feed. Each platform allows you somehow to just see who you want to. But convenience seems to now be a major value. I explained how to one person on LinkedIn but change one dropdown to Recent from Top. Too much work was the answer
It is surreal indeed at the changes now driving so many lives
On the new layout at Medium you need to hit the list icon and then all people you follow are easy to find. Or look up a name or article name and they are there
I also vary who I read by searching for people suggested by Topic.
On Substack, I dropped all the Push notifications and just scan names to see most recent postings. It’s also possible to search for people to read under each topic.
I tend to look for people to see what they’re up to.
No I mean in general cross platforms. Look at how many individual people are following: it is thousands. X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Bluesky, Pinterest, etc.
No one can keep up with thousands, which is why an algorithm is needed. That is mistake one
Each of those tools gives you a feature to show only who you follow in reverse chronological order, so you only get ads (more or less by platform). You don’t get viral stuff, trending stuff. On Substack it is simple called Following but so many use home or the other tabs. But if you are following too many you can’t keep up
Looking forward to the rest of the series, David. People get lost for many reasons; a bad map, a broken compass, a fog that rolls in unexpectedly. Agency is always a factor, but we shouldn’t ignore how bad actors have rigged the path, lining it with seductive scenery and shortcuts that lead straight into honey traps. Most who wander these paths don't understand the perils.
Doug: thanks for your perceptive comments. My fourth article deals with possible strategies. Agency is only one half of the equation. I love your other “lost” similes. Don’t be surprised if I pilfer one or two of them
You paint an unsettling picture, David, which I recognise. For some people, tools have become part of their identity. It's bad enough for adults who have had a chance to form their personalities already before becoming obsessed. But with children and adolescents I fear they may never be able to extricate themselves. Thanks for linking to my post.
I think you have summarised my primary thesis perfectly. My wife and I just discussed over dinner how can we promote our 5 year old granddaughter to really read. She loves being read to. We decided to try passing around the book so the 3 of us each read. As a first step.
"In other words, AI is a solid marketing lie that people believe their lives depend on David" - I'm I right?
My world is still very traditional. I don’t think we are yet to be very acclaimed with AI and how dangerous or how good it can possibly be, but I do know that I have a lot of friends who swim on TikTok, and Facebook happens to be there newly built mansion.
It would be horrible to loose a friend to a lie whom they need constantly as a blood transfusion. I love your amazing take on this.
Several people have focused on AI but it is ALL the other technologies in conjunction together that cause problems. Ai is just the icing; I’m also getting at the cake we are accepting
If I disappear into GPT, please send snacks and remind me that I once had hobbies that didn’t require a prompt.
I’ve also seen friends who started using ChatGPT casually for writing prompts but now base major creative or professional decisions on what the AI suggests. Their entire worldview changes around that tool, subtly changing how they relate to others and even themselves. It's wild, David.
I believe that if we accept that these tools have become immersive worlds, then reclaiming our agency means learning to live with the tools, NOT IN the tools.
I’m laughing hard as I asked Perplexity the question what are recent causes for concern at Workday. Ot came back with 6 issues, 4 of which sound serious (insider trading, customers suing for botched implementations). Presumably you were referring to the AI discrimination in recruiting suit
I think the Con in Silly Con is Convenience suddenly the most important ACTUAL personal value (which maybe is why virtue signalling is so important)
I don’t know about the Workday issue as I’m a retired guy snatching the precious few days of sumner we are allotted here visiting with friends on a stat holiday. I’m so out of it. Will investigate now
I really appreciate this and look forward to the whole series. I have for a while now felt that "tool" is a mischaracterization and a misleading metaphor for LLMs. Thanks for referring to Jonathan Haidt and Jing Hu and more.
Thats for your feedback Hans. Much appreciated. In the third article I will go through a range of dysfunctions endemic in our society which are much more than the current excesses of Generative AI.
I think it’s surreal that to read this article I had to grow accustomed to a phone fitting in my hand, containing a camera that can take selfies anywhere and also be a regular digital camera. I got used to writing and publishing stories after reading stories like this one on two different platforms. Being accustomed to waking up to comments on my work from people in their day while I sleep. Being inundated by lists of the greatest ways… hacks to pleasure yourself with your phone.
I ignore messages and let them pile up without a twinge of guilt. It’s not that way for most young students.
I turn off my phone and know how to live comfortably without it. Just like I know how to live well with no electricity. Most young students don’t.
Now AI is being asked questions and will lie or mislead about what it doesn’t know. People regularly blame the algorithm and feel no obligation to make amends when things go off the rails. I abhor technology that tries to praise me or soothe me. It feels like the worst of having a fair weather friend.
Young people think it’s just the way things are.
Some older people slavishly become its followers.
This is a thought provoking article that I sat here reading on this handheld phone instead of getting up for breakfast.
Feels so surreal.🌹
Thanks so much for your insightful comments. You are right in the groove I’m making.
I am tired of people blaming the algorithm; it is caused by following too many people per platform AND using the wrong feed. Each platform allows you somehow to just see who you want to. But convenience seems to now be a major value. I explained how to one person on LinkedIn but change one dropdown to Recent from Top. Too much work was the answer
It is surreal indeed at the changes now driving so many lives
Did you mean recent people that posted?
On the new layout at Medium you need to hit the list icon and then all people you follow are easy to find. Or look up a name or article name and they are there
I also vary who I read by searching for people suggested by Topic.
On Substack, I dropped all the Push notifications and just scan names to see most recent postings. It’s also possible to search for people to read under each topic.
I tend to look for people to see what they’re up to.
Old habits from using card catalogs I guess.🌹
No I mean in general cross platforms. Look at how many individual people are following: it is thousands. X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Bluesky, Pinterest, etc.
No one can keep up with thousands, which is why an algorithm is needed. That is mistake one
Each of those tools gives you a feature to show only who you follow in reverse chronological order, so you only get ads (more or less by platform). You don’t get viral stuff, trending stuff. On Substack it is simple called Following but so many use home or the other tabs. But if you are following too many you can’t keep up
That makes sense. I look for following and on Substack I check the people at the top of each topic.
Sometimes the bestsellers are of interest but, often not because I have wider interests.
Also, I search for people who leave I interesting responses.🌹
Looking forward to the rest of the series, David. People get lost for many reasons; a bad map, a broken compass, a fog that rolls in unexpectedly. Agency is always a factor, but we shouldn’t ignore how bad actors have rigged the path, lining it with seductive scenery and shortcuts that lead straight into honey traps. Most who wander these paths don't understand the perils.
Doug: thanks for your perceptive comments. My fourth article deals with possible strategies. Agency is only one half of the equation. I love your other “lost” similes. Don’t be surprised if I pilfer one or two of them
You paint an unsettling picture, David, which I recognise. For some people, tools have become part of their identity. It's bad enough for adults who have had a chance to form their personalities already before becoming obsessed. But with children and adolescents I fear they may never be able to extricate themselves. Thanks for linking to my post.
I think you have summarised my primary thesis perfectly. My wife and I just discussed over dinner how can we promote our 5 year old granddaughter to really read. She loves being read to. We decided to try passing around the book so the 3 of us each read. As a first step.
Thanks so much for your comments
"In other words, AI is a solid marketing lie that people believe their lives depend on David" - I'm I right?
My world is still very traditional. I don’t think we are yet to be very acclaimed with AI and how dangerous or how good it can possibly be, but I do know that I have a lot of friends who swim on TikTok, and Facebook happens to be there newly built mansion.
It would be horrible to loose a friend to a lie whom they need constantly as a blood transfusion. I love your amazing take on this.
Yes but
Several people have focused on AI but it is ALL the other technologies in conjunction together that cause problems. Ai is just the icing; I’m also getting at the cake we are accepting
Thats for your comments
Happy Saturday, David,
If I disappear into GPT, please send snacks and remind me that I once had hobbies that didn’t require a prompt.
I’ve also seen friends who started using ChatGPT casually for writing prompts but now base major creative or professional decisions on what the AI suggests. Their entire worldview changes around that tool, subtly changing how they relate to others and even themselves. It's wild, David.
I believe that if we accept that these tools have become immersive worlds, then reclaiming our agency means learning to live with the tools, NOT IN the tools.
Indeed. Article 4. But do people even care? But you hit on one of my keys: agency
Honestly people don’t care.
There are a handful of us who do and well…are you following the Workday situation? It’s going to get interesting David.
I’m laughing hard as I asked Perplexity the question what are recent causes for concern at Workday. Ot came back with 6 issues, 4 of which sound serious (insider trading, customers suing for botched implementations). Presumably you were referring to the AI discrimination in recruiting suit
correct lol
That was the one which could be problematic for them.
https://www.hrdive.com/news/workday-must-supply-list-of-employers-who-enabled-hiredscore-ai/756506/
I am going to write an article about this soon.
I have one being published this week on Medium on Microsoft’s AI findings. Will share when published.
I look forward to reading them!
I think the Con in Silly Con is Convenience suddenly the most important ACTUAL personal value (which maybe is why virtue signalling is so important)
I don’t know about the Workday issue as I’m a retired guy snatching the precious few days of sumner we are allotted here visiting with friends on a stat holiday. I’m so out of it. Will investigate now
Have a great week!
Thank you so much David…
Thank you, David. This is a very interesting article.
Thanks for the comment Maria. Much appreciated
I really appreciate this and look forward to the whole series. I have for a while now felt that "tool" is a mischaracterization and a misleading metaphor for LLMs. Thanks for referring to Jonathan Haidt and Jing Hu and more.
Thats for your feedback Hans. Much appreciated. In the third article I will go through a range of dysfunctions endemic in our society which are much more than the current excesses of Generative AI.
Thanks for the teaser 🤣