Parker C

The direction language models indeed prompt you to follow (pun intended) often leads you somewhere boring — to the land of averages

As it happens,

this was a central claim of Marxism, that the owners of the means of production – the bourgeoisie – would inevitably steal all societal wealth from the people who do the actual work – the proletariat. This is another fallacy that simply will not die no matter how often it’s disproved by reality. But let’s drive a stake through its... See more

Generative AI’s first

year out the gate—“Act 1”—came from the

technology-out

. We discovered a new “hammer”—foundation models—and unleashed a wave of novelty apps that were lightweight demonstrations of cool new technology.

We now believe

the market is entering “Act 2”—which will be from the

customer-back

. Act 2 will solve human problems end-to-end.... See more

Historically, every new

technology that matters, from electric lighting to automobiles to radio to the Internet, has sparked a moral panic – a social contagion that convinces people the new technology is going to destroy the world, or society, or both. The fine folks at Pessimists Archive have documented these technology-driven moral panics over the... See more

First, recall that

John Von Neumann responded to Robert Oppenheimer’s famous hand-wringing about his role creating nuclear weapons – which helped end World War II and prevent World War III – with, “Some people confess guilt to claim credit for the sin.” What is the most dramatic way one can claim credit for the importance of one’s work without... See more

When's the last time you watched something other than a screen for that long without checking your phone?