So, I got this email from my friend, Reid Hoffman. I’d stick some scare quotes in
there, but you know, he sends me stuff, he’s on my Christmas card list, and I really
do think he’s a decent human being. Even if he’s so amazingly busy that he doesn’t
actually have time for things that aren’t on his agenda. I love this guy, even though
he sometimes needs to pull his head out of…somewhere. You know. He’s in mi corazón.
Anyway:
Email pimping a Substack and a WaPo article. “AI For All Americans”
America needs to lead in AI, and that leadership needs to deliver greater prosperity and economic security for Americans. We should hold ourselves accountable for both. People should be able to see what this progress means for their families and communities, whether that’s better access to medical guidance, more affordable expertise, or new opportunities to learn and earn.
OMG, Reid, are you running for office? WTF is this with “…for Americans,” and, “…prosperity…”? How about, “…for HUMANS?”
Here’s what I think, and I know that Reid isn’t going to read this but maybe his AI agent is (seriously, dude was at my wedding but doesn’t answer my emails). So: go back to the basics. Solve actual problems that real humans have. Humans matter. Other people matter. I know you know this, and I know you are directing your strategic thinking around this, but seriously: the AI communication is clearly targeted at misanthropic techbros. Stop trying to solve the problems of psychopaths (e.g.: hate dealing with people? Let your AI agent do it for you!) and think about actual humans and their actual problems! For instance: how is AI (which is, let’s remember, just a really fancy and really expensive text autocomplete) going to help me deal with the fact that the woods keep encroaching on my house and winter is coming and there are mice in the crawlspace snd my church needs a new sewer line and there are groceries and I’m in the middle of fucking nowhere and… life, man. There’s a lot. Everyone wants something, and I’m drowning in paper. WTF can Claude or ChatGPT or Gemini or Siri do about the fact that my trash needs taking to the curb? Nothing. The glowing rectangle that’s displaying this stuff? It has nothing to do with the real material world. There are bridges, sure, but there is no post you can make to social media that will stop the war in Ukraine.
Sure. But careful what you wish for because in a month or two Tesla will sell you a robot that will take out your trash and mow your lawn.