It really bums me out that I keep seeing blog posts from technical people like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of LLMs, I'm interested in evaluating whether they can be useful for my work."
-
@Joshsharp This is almost word for word what my boss told me today, except replace "I'm interested in" with "you better start".
Part of why this tactic is successful (certainly in my case) is that the job market makes "screw you then, I quit" not a viable alternative. -
It really bums me out that I keep seeing blog posts from technical people like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of LLMs, I'm interested in evaluating whether they can be useful for my work."
Like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical concerns of breaking into my neighbours' houses, I'm interested in evaluating whether this can be useful for acquiring other people's valuables."
@Joshsharp "Putting aside the moral and ethical implications, don't you think I'd look hot wearing these conflict diamonds?"
-
It really bums me out that I keep seeing blog posts from technical people like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of LLMs, I'm interested in evaluating whether they can be useful for my work."
Like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical concerns of breaking into my neighbours' houses, I'm interested in evaluating whether this can be useful for acquiring other people's valuables."
@Joshsharp maybe it’s about trying to find where to draw a line about morals and ethics in capitalism.
I’d argue that there have been no moral or ethical roles in corporate tech for decades, and anyone claiming there are is already compromised. I make no claims about my own complicity or lack thereof this millennium.
-
It really bums me out that I keep seeing blog posts from technical people like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of LLMs, I'm interested in evaluating whether they can be useful for my work."
Like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical concerns of breaking into my neighbours' houses, I'm interested in evaluating whether this can be useful for acquiring other people's valuables."
@Joshsharp
I have said this, but it was sardonic -
It really bums me out that I keep seeing blog posts from technical people like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of LLMs, I'm interested in evaluating whether they can be useful for my work."
Like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical concerns of breaking into my neighbours' houses, I'm interested in evaluating whether this can be useful for acquiring other people's valuables."
"but other than that, mrs lincoln, how was the play?"
-
My dude, if there are obvious moral and ethical implications, how are you able to "put them aside" so easily? I just don't get it
@Joshsharp
Honest answer: The same way that I'm writing this on a phone which both in the production process and as a software-social ecosystem has obvious moral and ethical implications. Or how I use retirement investment funds which likely prop up the price of many terrible corporations. Nothing's perfect and we make imperfect choices of balancing comfort of life with the world impact every single day. -
It really bums me out that I keep seeing blog posts from technical people like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of LLMs, I'm interested in evaluating whether they can be useful for my work."
Like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical concerns of breaking into my neighbours' houses, I'm interested in evaluating whether this can be useful for acquiring other people's valuables."
@Joshsharp I find it deeply disappointing too, especially when I see it coming from people who are in control of their own working conditions.
Sometimes I think the intent is to find a way of engaging with people who clearly do not subscribe to those moral and ethical concerns (you'll never convince someone who doesn't care about the environmental impact to see the environmental impact as a dealbreaker) in order to convey that there are still insurmountable problems/shortcomings
-
It really bums me out that I keep seeing blog posts from technical people like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of LLMs, I'm interested in evaluating whether they can be useful for my work."
Like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical concerns of breaking into my neighbours' houses, I'm interested in evaluating whether this can be useful for acquiring other people's valuables."
@Joshsharp reminds me of my friends who care about animal welfare but do research on health impacts of different diets "Putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of eating animals, I'm interested in evaluating whether non-vegan products like meat could be useful for my health."
-
@Joshsharp I find it deeply disappointing too, especially when I see it coming from people who are in control of their own working conditions.
Sometimes I think the intent is to find a way of engaging with people who clearly do not subscribe to those moral and ethical concerns (you'll never convince someone who doesn't care about the environmental impact to see the environmental impact as a dealbreaker) in order to convey that there are still insurmountable problems/shortcomings
@Joshsharp But personally, I find this just gives a framing that encourages an imagined future where things have fewer technical problems is fine, when (to me at least), the kind of LLM bollocks everybody's pushing right now would not be the slightest bit desirable even if it had no technical problems.
-
It really bums me out that I keep seeing blog posts from technical people like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of LLMs, I'm interested in evaluating whether they can be useful for my work."
Like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical concerns of breaking into my neighbours' houses, I'm interested in evaluating whether this can be useful for acquiring other people's valuables."
@Joshsharp
What that literally means is, "I don't care that LLMs are obviously immoral and unethical, I want to use them anyway if they can be useful in my work." -
It really bums me out that I keep seeing blog posts from technical people like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of LLMs, I'm interested in evaluating whether they can be useful for my work."
Like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical concerns of breaking into my neighbours' houses, I'm interested in evaluating whether this can be useful for acquiring other people's valuables."
Any paragraph which starts with "Like" is inevitably a cheap shot.
-
It really bums me out that I keep seeing blog posts from technical people like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of LLMs, I'm interested in evaluating whether they can be useful for my work."
Like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical concerns of breaking into my neighbours' houses, I'm interested in evaluating whether this can be useful for acquiring other people's valuables."
@Joshsharp Well said!
-
@Joshsharp But personally, I find this just gives a framing that encourages an imagined future where things have fewer technical problems is fine, when (to me at least), the kind of LLM bollocks everybody's pushing right now would not be the slightest bit desirable even if it had no technical problems.
@Cheeseness I think you're totally right in your perception of their intent. And yeah, the end result still doesn't help anybody. If you've already ceded the ground that the ethics are irrelevant, in order to debate their practical value, inevitably you'll lose the argument on that point too. Well put!
-
My dude, if there are obvious moral and ethical implications, how are you able to "put them aside" so easily? I just don't get it
@Joshsharp i can put them aside *temporarily*, while i make the argument that they don't work from a pragmatic perspective. because if they don't work, the only reason to use them is for the moral and ethical implications…
-
My dude, if there are obvious moral and ethical implications, how are you able to "put them aside" so easily? I just don't get it
@Joshsharp you don't get far in the tech industry if you're not able to
-
@Joshsharp
Honest answer: The same way that I'm writing this on a phone which both in the production process and as a software-social ecosystem has obvious moral and ethical implications. Or how I use retirement investment funds which likely prop up the price of many terrible corporations. Nothing's perfect and we make imperfect choices of balancing comfort of life with the world impact every single day. -
@Joshsharp you don't get far in the tech industry if you're not able to
@Dangerous_beans probably explains why, despite being in tech, I am also poor
-
"but other than that, mrs lincoln, how was the play?"
@paul_ipv6 @Joshsharp I love this quote so much.
-
It really bums me out that I keep seeing blog posts from technical people like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical implications of LLMs, I'm interested in evaluating whether they can be useful for my work."
Like "putting aside the obvious moral and ethical concerns of breaking into my neighbours' houses, I'm interested in evaluating whether this can be useful for acquiring other people's valuables."
@Joshsharp computers make copying near-free. LLMs are just another step in that. They bring no new dilemmas.
-
@Dangerous_beans probably explains why, despite being in tech, I am also poor
@Joshsharp yeah, it was my problem too