Leaving them behind
Quick note before we begin: this is the first of two posts I’m publishing today. You’re welcome to skip ahead to: Shin honkaku — it’s far more fun!
I’ve waited long enough! I’ve entertained one “wait six months” too many!
The TL;DR for my updated AI policy has changed:
- I do not currently use AI for professional work.
+ I do not and will not use AI.The absolute vileness of the AI industrial complex knows no bounds.
Beyond morality — because let’s be honest few care — it’s very simple:
There is no worthwhile career in AI-anything.
Simple as that. The AI industry is designed to dehumanise and commoditise labour. Everyone who has dedicated their life to token servitude has become a dull fungible meat proxy.
The software and web development industries are leading this brain drain. I’ve observed devs go from the giddy thrills of gambling with their employer’s tokens, to the depressing realisation that they’ve been fooled by a small group of grifters and influencers.
So many developers are giving up. Many have literally left the industry unable to find meaningful employment. Many more have figuratively quiet-quit. They clock in to babysit chatbots with no incentive to care about the output beyond quantity.
I’m done pretending there is any hope for the AI industry to redeem itself.
I’m moving on to more interesting things. Barring a monumental power shift, collapse of the industrial complex, and rise in free range grass-fed “local AI” (lol) I won’t be looking back. Wake me up if anything changes!
What does that mean, practically?
In practice
First and foremost I will continue to build websites for real people. I set up shop as a limited company after a decade of freelancing to bolster my commitment.
I will observe the AI industrial complex cautiously from afar, but I won’t allow the bullshit I see to rage-bait me. There will be times I’m obliged to call out egregious insults to my profession. Otherwise, I’ll strive to ignore the echo chamber to protect my mental health.
I am distancing myself from peers I once respected who are all-in on chatbots†. It is not my task to help them. I have no interest in anyone wilfully funding billionaires’ fantasies. There are new people to meet who respect humanity.
I feel happier about my future now. There is no longer any lingering doubt. The perpetual tech circus may be a threat to my patience and sanity but it won’t take my career.
So to immediately move on to more interesting things: my latest obsession is shin honkaku detective fiction! I’d highly recommend The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Sōji Shimada, and The Moai Island Puzzle by Alice Arisugawa — both satisfying reads.
Read part two of today’s double feature: Shin honkaku!
† Edit: originally I wrote “lost to chatbot psychosis” here. A poor turn of phrase given the context. It wasn’t meant literally, and I should not be using it derogatorily. I very much emphasise with victims of AI. Chalk it up to frustration with the industry and trying to edit multiple thoughts down to keep this brief.