2 months ago
- The current AI boom parallels historical manias like tulip bulbs and crypto, with animal spirits driving markets and CEOs using AI to justify layoffs.
- AI is described as a self-replicating meme that co-opts humans, echoing Thoreau's idea that men become tools of their tools.
- The industry lacks transparency on energy use, water consumption, and data ownership, while externalities like strain on resources and infrastructure are ignored.
- Repeated broken promises (e.g., self-driving cars by Elon Musk) highlight the gap between hype and reality, while coding survives despite predictions of its extinction.
- A shift toward community-owned, place-based compute (like agrivoltaics) could reframe technology as a public utility serving people and the planet.