It's no secret that AI is frigging terrible for us. The experts building it scarcely understand what they've created; the technology is a threat to the environment, and if handed the reins of war machines or infrastructure like hospitals or the power grid, it could cost lives.
Hell, the technology is already being used by business leaders as an excuse to eliminate jobs, stripping folks who want to work of their dignity in favor of padding a company's bottom line.
The folks responsible for top-shelf LLMs used to sing the praises of what the technology could do for humanity. But when it became clear that everyone was on to their bullshit, their song became more pragmatic; more truthful. So much so that AI companies like Anthropic have started engaging in pissing matches with governments looking to weaponize their products. This level of honesty and accountability doesn't tell us anything new: most folks know the downsides of the tech at this point.
But according to Futurism, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella thinks all the honesty being thrown around about artificial intelligence is making it harder to win the hearts and minds of the public. Because he and the rest of the outrageously wealthy of the world don't have quite enough filthy lucre to sleep on, yet.
"You can't say, hey, all white-collar jobs are gone and this could even be a weapon and we will use all the power to build data centers," Nadella told the Wall Street Journal.
That last bit references tech executives who've bragged about AI's ability to automate office work — Microsoft's own AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman very recently claimed AI was on the verge of performing most "professional tasks."
It's not surprising to hear this kind of crap falling out of Nadella's cakehole. He spearheaded the push to get Microsoft's AI tech into the hands of the Israeli government in 2021… just before the shit hit the fan in Gaza. In the wake of atrocities committed by the IDF against the Palestinian people, Microsoft has canceled numerous contracts with the Middle Eastern state: nothing's worse for a company's bottom line than genocide. Unless you're IBM, but I digress. Ending business relationships with the baddies is just PR and, depending on how your products are used, a way to avoid complicity in a war crime.
The next time you look to purchase a computer, game console, or think about subscribing to Microsoft 365, keep in mind that the guy who steers Microsoft's ship is more concerned about making money than he is about anything close to serving the greater good with the breakthrough technologies his company is responsible for. Consider opting for open source computing options and hardware from companies like Valve that find ways to make a buck without screwing their customers.
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