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The force-feeding of AI features on an unwilling public

(www.honest-broker.com)
451 points imartin2k | 5 comments | 06 Jul 25 06:19 UTC | HN request time: 0.879s | source
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mrob ◴[06 Jul 25 08:32 UTC] No.44478895[source]▶
>Everybody wanted the Internet.

I don't think this is true. A lot of people had no interest until smartphones arrived. Doing anything on a smartphone is a miserable experience compared to using a desktop computer, but it's more convenient. "Worse but more convenient" is the same sales pitch as for AI, so I can only assume that AI will be accepted by the masses too.

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1. relaxing ◴[06 Jul 25 12:13 UTC] No.44480076[source]▶
Yes, everyone wanted the internet. It was massively hyped and the uptake was widespread and rapid.

Obviously saying “everyone” is hyperbole. There were luddites and skeptics about it just like with electricity and telephones. Nevertheless the dotcom boom is what every new industry hopes to be.

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2. brookst ◴[06 Jul 25 12:33 UTC] No.44480230[source]▶
I was there. There was massive skepticism, endless jokes about internet-enabled toasters and the uselessness and undesirability of connecting everything to the internet, people bemoaning the loss of critical skills like using library card catalogs, all the same stuff we see today.

In 20 years AI will be pervasive and nobody will remember being one of the luddites.

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3. relaxing ◴[06 Jul 25 14:16 UTC] No.44481004[source]▶
I was there too. You’re forgetting internet addiction, pornography, stranger danger, hacking and cybercrime, etc.

Whether the opposition was massive or not, in proportion to the enthusiasm and optimism about the globally connected information superhighway, isn’t something I can quantify, so I’ll bow out of the conversation.

4. watwut ◴[06 Jul 25 14:27 UTC] No.44481099[source]▶
Toasters in fact dot need internet and jokes about them are entirely valid. Quite a lot of devices that dont need internet have useless internet slapped on them.

Internet of things was largely BS.

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5. brookst ◴[06 Jul 25 15:36 UTC] No.44481654{3}[source]▶
That’s my point. People are making the same mistake today: hey, there’s this idiotic use case, therefore the entire technology is useless and will be a fad.