HN reacts to a New Yorker piece on the “obscene energy demands of AI” with exactly the same arguments coiners use when confronted with the energy cost of blockchain - the product is valuable in of itself, demands for more energy will spur investment in energy generation, and what about the energy costs of painting oil on canvas, hmmmmmm???

Maybe it’s just my newness antennae needing calibrating, but I do feel the extreme energy requirements for what’s arguably just a frivolous toy is gonna cause AI boosters big problems, especially as energy demands ramp up in the US in the warmer months. Expect the narrative to adjust to counter it.

  • @200fifty
    link
    English
    111 year ago

    yeah, I definitely think machine learning has obvious use cases to benefit the common good (youtube auto captions being Actually Pretty Decent Now is one that comes to mind easily) but I’m much less certain about most of the stuff being presently marketed as “AI”

    • David GerardMA
      link
      English
      71 year ago

      i’m pretty cool with ELIZA

      • @geriksonOP
        link
        English
        11
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Can you tell me more about why you’re pretty cool with ELIZA? 😉

        • David GerardMA
          link
          English
          91 year ago

          we’re talking about you not me. come come elucidate your thoughts. can you elaborate on that?

          • @froztbyte
            link
            English
            91 year ago

            (meta: has any llm actually exceeded this level of engagement? I can’t recall seeing a single example. some changes in the sophistication of the language perhaps, but otherwise nothing)