PLUS new product answer & a new puzzler, why we won’t notice the end of the world anyway, Klarna can’t stay out of the news, and more. Every Monday is a full meal deal!
I for one, don't mind people using AI so much. Other people who collaborate with me end up just using me to run the entire meeting, provide all the ideas, and then I also execute on them 😆
Perhaps we are losing these cognitive abilities because they are less useful than we think.There must be so many benefits of AI that we're not even yet aware of 🤔
Hi David. First of all, apologies for this simplistic question : Regarding Klarna, ie offering BNPL options to those who can't really afford to ... what's the 'real' game plan for these businesses?
Are you saying that businesses (and their investors, oversights) aren't really bothered with the fact that their customers may not be able to repay their dues, or is there some deeper, insidious and unseen, play happening (maybe like bankruptcy/insurance fraud) ?
As i've mentioned ... i apologise if i don't see the obvious. We hyaenas are pretty simple minded creatures after all, eh?
I never believe in deep insidious plots. People in these new Silicon Valley influenced businesses are long on action and short on reflection. They are driven to add as many customers as possible regardless of revenue or profit. That is the Amazon syndrome, recently perfected by Uber. To survive they need to change their business model after the customer capture process.
Kkarna does earn something from the vendor - like say Little Caesars - but I don’t know how much. They charge interest after you don’t pay back on time and they have just announced a Klarna credit cards. They whole charade stops if enough customers don’t repay as unpaid debt collection for small sums us uneconomic. It started because young people don’t think BNPL is debt
David, woohoo, this is more than my 🏒 hockey brain can digest in one sitting. That being said I'm excited about staying warm and fuzzy with the latest and greatest ( or horrifying) advances in AI thanks to experts like you.
My first run through takes me to your WMD comments about AI being used, especially in combination with open source data and unguarded YouTube videos of how to build items that can be used for nefarious purposes.
It sparks questions for me like:
At what point does free speech and the value of information become a detrimental advancement that leads to destruction?
Thanks for the information and the questions they pose.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I read once that once we started (just after WW2) treating military secrets as products to be sold the whole world changed forever. This AI accessible information extracted with some patience is just another step in the path to our likely self-destruction at some indefinite time in the future
I'm more concerned than excited since humans are still in charge and we have such a poor track record. I prefer to use AI deliberately and strategically. I don't want to be using it for everything and eroding my faculties. But ironically, if I ignore too much of it, I'll be left behind with even less agency.
I hear you about possible loss of agency. But i think, depending on your work life, there are human centered paths with judicious AI augmentation. Interesting for instance that a whole non-AI in movies movement is building momentum
Your Klarna story cracked me up but it’s so real. An AI CEO avatar at an earnings call LMAO? I can barely trust real CEOs, never mind digital ones! It’s a sign of the times I guess.
Actually echo Hans' sentiments on this one. I'm most concerned about critical thinking skills. They've been on a downward trajectory for years and you can see where that has gotten us at least in the US with the current government.
I'm fascinated to keep learning the breadth of AI, and I worry about abstract thinking and critical reasoning if people don't take the time (years) of embodied learning to develop it.
At least AI is helping develop new chemical combinations:)
Thanks as always for the comments Hans. The AI that is helping with chemical combinations is different than the general purpose LLMs. It is in special AIs that knowledge about WMD should reside.
Not sure we are bringing back our human cognitive skills any time soon.
I for one, don't mind people using AI so much. Other people who collaborate with me end up just using me to run the entire meeting, provide all the ideas, and then I also execute on them 😆
Perhaps we are losing these cognitive abilities because they are less useful than we think.There must be so many benefits of AI that we're not even yet aware of 🤔
Interesting perspective. I always thought we over-rated the average person’s ability to think.
Judging by some of the conversations I have... I'd agree 😆
My other hand is that we are far more emotional than we care to admit. Emotions rather than thought control most of our actions
I love the smell of AI in the morning
😆
Hi David. First of all, apologies for this simplistic question : Regarding Klarna, ie offering BNPL options to those who can't really afford to ... what's the 'real' game plan for these businesses?
Are you saying that businesses (and their investors, oversights) aren't really bothered with the fact that their customers may not be able to repay their dues, or is there some deeper, insidious and unseen, play happening (maybe like bankruptcy/insurance fraud) ?
As i've mentioned ... i apologise if i don't see the obvious. We hyaenas are pretty simple minded creatures after all, eh?
I never believe in deep insidious plots. People in these new Silicon Valley influenced businesses are long on action and short on reflection. They are driven to add as many customers as possible regardless of revenue or profit. That is the Amazon syndrome, recently perfected by Uber. To survive they need to change their business model after the customer capture process.
Kkarna does earn something from the vendor - like say Little Caesars - but I don’t know how much. They charge interest after you don’t pay back on time and they have just announced a Klarna credit cards. They whole charade stops if enough customers don’t repay as unpaid debt collection for small sums us uneconomic. It started because young people don’t think BNPL is debt
Thanks for the question
David, woohoo, this is more than my 🏒 hockey brain can digest in one sitting. That being said I'm excited about staying warm and fuzzy with the latest and greatest ( or horrifying) advances in AI thanks to experts like you.
My first run through takes me to your WMD comments about AI being used, especially in combination with open source data and unguarded YouTube videos of how to build items that can be used for nefarious purposes.
It sparks questions for me like:
At what point does free speech and the value of information become a detrimental advancement that leads to destruction?
Thanks for the information and the questions they pose.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I read once that once we started (just after WW2) treating military secrets as products to be sold the whole world changed forever. This AI accessible information extracted with some patience is just another step in the path to our likely self-destruction at some indefinite time in the future
I'm more concerned than excited since humans are still in charge and we have such a poor track record. I prefer to use AI deliberately and strategically. I don't want to be using it for everything and eroding my faculties. But ironically, if I ignore too much of it, I'll be left behind with even less agency.
I hear you about possible loss of agency. But i think, depending on your work life, there are human centered paths with judicious AI augmentation. Interesting for instance that a whole non-AI in movies movement is building momentum
Your Klarna story cracked me up but it’s so real. An AI CEO avatar at an earnings call LMAO? I can barely trust real CEOs, never mind digital ones! It’s a sign of the times I guess.
Happy Tuesday, David.
I hope you had a good weekend.
Hope you had a good long weekend! Ours was nice.
What kind of people are attracted to the Silicon Valley BS? I don’t know any but I must be hanging around with wrong group
You’re not missing much. but I think you know this already.
Glad you had a good weekend.
I had the best time in San Diego.
The weather was perfecto.
Actually echo Hans' sentiments on this one. I'm most concerned about critical thinking skills. They've been on a downward trajectory for years and you can see where that has gotten us at least in the US with the current government.
I agree. The latest AI fuelled cognitive impacts are on a couple of decades of other causal effects.
Polarization and “team” identification also impact thinking
I love Kurt Vonnegut. Thanks for including him.
I'm fascinated to keep learning the breadth of AI, and I worry about abstract thinking and critical reasoning if people don't take the time (years) of embodied learning to develop it.
At least AI is helping develop new chemical combinations:)
I'm singing REM now.
Thanks as always for the comments Hans. The AI that is helping with chemical combinations is different than the general purpose LLMs. It is in special AIs that knowledge about WMD should reside.
Not sure we are bringing back our human cognitive skills any time soon.