Thoughts about AI

LLMs are intelligence without agency—what we might call "vox sine persona": voice without person. Not the voice of someone, not even the collective voice of many someones, but a voice emanating from no one at all.

— Benj Edwards

[Claude Code] has the potential to transform all of tech. I also think we’re going to see a real split in the tech industry (and everywhere code is written) between people who are outcome-driven and are excited to get to the part where they can test their work with users faster, and people who are process-driven and get their meaning from the

... See more

Better than the cheap alternative

Frozen pizza changed the game for many pizzerias. If you couldn’t offer something better than what I had in my freezer, what do I need you for?

If the wedding photographer can’t deliver more magic than the phone in my guest’s pocket, no thanks.

Does working with your non-profit make me feel better than putting a... See more

Casual cruelty

Is it okay to dress your cat in a ridiculous costume?

What about giving a poodle a haircut that subjects him to ridicule?

The cat and the dog probably don’t know or care, but we think less of their person if it happens.

At Disney, the costumed characters need security guards. Kids (and more often) adults would bother or even pinch the... See more

Productivity, AI and pushback

Typesetters did not like the laser printer. Wedding photographers still hate the iphone. And some musicians are outraged that AI is now making mediocre pop music.

One group of esteemed authors is demanding that book publishers refuse to use AI in designing book covers, recording audiobooks or a range of other tasks.

As... See more

Trusting AI

For generations, humans have been entrusting their lives to computers. Air Traffic Control, statistical analysis of bridge resilience, bar codes for drug delivery, even the way stop lights are controlled. But computers aren’t the same as the LLMs that run on them.

Claude.ai is my favorite LLM, but even Claude makes errors. Should we wait... See more

Why AI won’t take your job

Levie is outspoken in his support for AI, but he doesn’t believe it spells the end of human jobs. According to him, AI excels at automating “tasks,” but “jobs” encompass a lot more than that. They’re a “collection of tasks” that require judgment, collaboration, and context. And while AI agents expand what we might call a... See more

Create a document, several pages long, that explains who you are. What sort of learner are you? Do you have degrees or expertise? What sort of change are you making, who works with you, what are your standards? How do you want to engage?

Periodically, upload the doc to the chat you’re having with an LLM. Let it know you’re offering a reminder of how... See more