[-] maol@awful.systems 6 points 1 day ago

I curse the day I found out what remilia was.

[-] maol@awful.systems 11 points 1 day ago

I have discovered from an unrelated Google search that there is a subreddit called r/TherapyGPT. We're in hell

[-] maol@awful.systems 4 points 2 days ago

It seems possible, but they don't actually explain....

[-] maol@awful.systems 10 points 3 days ago

AI shite creeping into everyday life, example #1928748392:

I was out mattress shopping today. It was enjoyably ridiculous - the sales assistant measured my "pillow size" using a big contraption (apparently I'm a 2). However while testing a mattress I saw a video display advertising an "AI" widget to go with a specific "motion" mattress.

Baffled, I searched this up later.

AI voice control & Anti-snore box

Create your own spa-like oasis from the comfort of your own home by combining this Anti-snore Voice Control Box with our U210 and N700 motion bases. This range combines the very best and innovative technology with unbeatable comfort to give you the ultimate relaxation experience. Whether you want the optimal sleeping position or to spend your evenings unwinding with a good book, set offers luxurious comfort at the tip of your fingers.

I think this is un-enjoyably ridiculous. It's not really clear what's "AI" about it.

[-] maol@awful.systems 6 points 5 days ago

You see this particular kind of bigotry quite a bit in relation to neurodivervence and disability. It's an attempt to beat people advocating for equality and justice by claiming a moral high ground. Oh, you think disabled people can have meaningful and worthwhile lives and that differences should be celebrated?? You must be too ignorant to know just how awful life is for people who really have that disability!

[-] maol@awful.systems 7 points 5 days ago

A close friend of Epstein told me he was an integral part of a group called Edge, a strange organization involved in what my source called “the TED Talk community” that would serve as his primary gateway to the scientific world.

Edge, which has called itself “the world’s smartest website” and claims to “redefine who we what and are,” would hold TED Talk afterparties in Monterey Bay called “The Billionaire’s Dinner,” where people like Jeff Bezos, Eric Schmidt of Google, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Pinker, Richard Thaler, Joichi Ito, Margaret Levi, Frank Wilczek, Richard Dawkins, and many of the world’s high-profile scientists (including Nobel prize winners), business executives, and intellectuals would show up. Edge’s website calls itself the online version of “The Reality Club” which, the site claims, was an “informal gathering of intellectuals who met from 1981 to 1996 in Chinese restaurants, artist lofts, investment banking firms, ballrooms, museums, living rooms and elsewhere,” the hallmark of which was a “rigorous and sometimes impolite (but not ad hominem) discourse.”

Epstein had close ties with Edge’s founder, John Brockman, a self-described cultural impresario who on his bio page introduces himself with an uncredited quote that reads, “If the creation of contemporary culture had a global hero, his name would coincide with that of John Brockman.” He claims to have invented the term “intermedia” as well as “intermedia kinetic environments.” Epstein bankrolled Edge’s events and financed the majority of the organization—from 2001 to 2017 Epstein provided $638,000 out of a total $857,000 received by Edge. He was photographed at Edge’s premiere annual event, The Billionaire’s Dinner, several times between 1999 and 2011. Multiple photos of him have been scrubbed from the website, such as one with Brockman’s son in 2003.

Media coverage of the Epstein case has given considerable attention to his absurd scientific pursuits, like the New York Times story about how he wanted to seed the human race with his DNA, or how he wanted to have his penis frozen and resuscitated in the future, and I myself heard from people in the black book that Epstein had told them he had a cloning lab down in Mexico and that he was very into “transhumanism.” Followers of the Epstein story have debated whether these were signs of a true mad-genius supervillain or whether they were elitist hot air. I’m here to tell you that all of this bullshit, every bit of it, came from Edge and its assemblage of chinstrokers. The transhumanism, the cloning, the “What is up? What is down?”—all of it is perfectly at home on the deranged pages of Edge.org.

From "I Called Everyone In Jeffrey Epstein's Little Black Book" by Leland Nally, Mother Jones, October 2020

[-] maol@awful.systems 20 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Some good news for once: Dublin punk bar the Thomas House have had enough of AI slop.

alt textA picture of a "no AI" symbol next to the Thomas House logo.

"So for the future (literally) we're not accepting AI posters or flyers for the pub.

We're right next to Ireland's biggest Art College, lads. It's not a good look.

We understand bands can be skint but relying on some earth killing app from some paedo Island billionaire is not the way. We got by without it and we'll get by again. If you're stuck, we'll help.

Yes it has been used here before but consider this the start of the end of it. Thanks, humans."

76
submitted 11 months ago by maol@awful.systems to c/techtakes@awful.systems

God help us. These workers are employed by a subcontractor, Covalen.

Multiple workers from Covalen’s ‘AI annotation’ service spoke to The Journal Investigates about their roles. Their day-to-day work involves creating prompts that are fed to Meta’s AI platform so the system can be trained according to guidelines.

In order to do this, some workers have spent entire shifts pretending to be paedophiles online seeking child sex abuse related information, or suicidal people looking for details on how to kill or hurt themselves.

Covalen also does moderation for Meta, with workers forced to watch extremely violent and disturbing footage that has been flagged for moderation.

“Sometimes in my dreams I am the victim, but sometimes – and this is far worse – I am the perpetrator,” they said.

One bright spot:

Over 100 Covalen employees have now joined the Communications Workers Union (CWU). The toll that dealing with sensitive content and inconsistencies in wellness break length were extra motivating factors for the move.

They are also asking for a better rate of pay, as they are currently earning an average of €29,700 per year.

[-] maol@awful.systems 29 points 2 years ago

She's entitled to a "default mode of victimhood"! She is your victim!

26

"Total demand for electricity last year grew by 4.4pc, or 1.3 terawatts (TW), but 80pc of that increase, or 1.1TW, was from data centre growth."

Training data for LLMs = higher energy prices and environmental degradation.

[-] maol@awful.systems 28 points 2 years ago

"poor people have had it too good for too long and slavery is the only answer. I consider myself a pragmatic centrist"

[-] maol@awful.systems 45 points 2 years ago

They bought this house and the one next door for $575,000; they allow their neighbours to live in the second house rent free, in exchange for childcare.

Seems normal !

13

A video interview with the artist John Wild about AI, AGI, eugenics and Silicon Valley TESCREAL cultism. Posting without watching.

[-] maol@awful.systems 40 points 2 years ago

OH WOW WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED THIS

5

"AI for dummies" interview from Irish radio with Dr Abeba Birhane, who's on a UN advisory board about AI.

22

According to wikipedia, Runaway received "mixed reviews".

7

Interview on Australian anti-fascist radio show Yeah Nah Pasaran! with Dan McQuillan, computer lecturer and author of "Resisting AI: An Anti-fascist Approach To Artificial Intelligence". Interesting comments on AI as a tool of/for austerity politics, and an argument that AI is inherently anti-worker. Probably nothing new to people in here, but eloquently stated and put into a wider political context.

52

Sure, why attempt to improve the climate resilience or affordable housing in the cities where millions of people already live, when you can just buy land upstate and get a whole new toy to play with? And why tell local, state or national government anything - they'll only be supplying the land, water, sewerage, utilities & transport links. You pay your taxes, you deserve to get something back.

This is going to be one hell of a planning application. What's the land use code for "feudal stronghold"?

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maol

joined 2 years ago