I'll tack a little something onto this. Although a hackneyed phrase, "Man's inhumanity to man" accurately reflects not only the current state of tech but the state of general public discourse around the world.
This isn't even a new thing in history, either. Patterns of exploitation, injustice and generally inhuman treatment of others can be seen throughout history.
But it's also not a thing that we have to feel resigned to. We can do better, and beyond the headlines, we are doing better.
Seeing headlines quoting "industry leaders" claiming "extinction" potential for #AI: 1) underscores how so many people misunderstand what both AI and extinction actually are; and 2) makes me wonder, if these heads were actually concerned about the potential for harm, why they chose to fire their AI ethics teams en masse.
And some are still questioning whether the hype is real or not? It's about #ethics, yo. Harmful people gonna harm, whether it's with guns, nukes or AI.
It reminds me of how ad execs defend the ad economy with "it's here, we have to live with it". Well no, if we learn that our actions are harming people and society, we can choose to stop. It's placing personal material well-being over the well-being of humanity as a whole that's keeping the harm going.
It's natural and good for people to take care of each other and their communities; and no, it doesn't mark you with a particular political stripe. It's called being human.
Anyway. Headlines are headlines, and to be honest, I stopped chasing them long ago. The real talk happens person-to-person, heart-to-heart. As we witness the growth of the #Fediverse, I wonder whether we're creating spaces where that kind of genuine human communication can happen.
It is happening, offline and on. As much as possible, I try to contribute to that. I guess I wonder whether #Pinetta will be part of that, eventually. I hope so, but it depends on the community that gathers around it.
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