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0 pointsbgwalter1y ago0 comments

Using the Upton Sinclair quote in this context is a sign of not understanding the quote. The original quote means that you ignore gross injustices of your employer in order to stay employed.

It was never used in the sense of denigrating potential competitors in order to stay employed.

> People like this have banked their futures on AI not working out.

If "AI" succeeds, which is unlikely, what is your recommendation to journalists? Should they learn how to code? Should they become prostitutes for the 1%?

Perhaps the only option would be to make arrangements with the Mafia like dock workers to protect their jobs. At least it works: Dock workers have self confidence and do not constantly talk about replacing themselves. /s

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whynotminot1y ago· 2 in thread

I think the quote makes perfect sense in this context, regardless of the prior application.

As to my recommendation to what they do — I dunno man. I’m a software engineer. I don’t know what I am going to do yet. But I’m sure as shit not burying my head in the sand.

bgwalterOP1y ago

Even if you apply the quote in a different sense, which would take away all its pithiness, you are still presupposing that "AI" will turn out to be a success.

The gross injustices in the original quote were already a fact, which makes the quote so powerful.

whynotminot1y ago

AI as is, is already a success, which is why I find it so baffling that people continue to write pieces like this.

We don’t need AGI for there to be large displacement of human labor. What’s here is already good enough to replace many of us.

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