@ngaylinn@tech.lgbt cover
@ngaylinn@tech.lgbt avatar

ngaylinn

@[email protected]

CS PhD candidate at UVM
Intelligence researcher, software engineer, philosopher, and blogger.
White, he / him. :flag_pansexual: :flag_demisexual: :ms_furry_pride:

#science #ai #alife #evolution #philosophy #programming #academicchatter

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. View on remote instance

@ngaylinn@tech.lgbt avatar ngaylinn , to random

My needs a refresh.

I'm a student at the University of , studying the of . I'm into , , , and , because I want to understand , , and using my native language of . I share my musings and on my . I love generally, and am full of bitchy .

I was a in for many years, but left in 2021. I'm glad I did, and now I feel a bit betrayed by the . I've been going back to my roots, and gradually ing my life. I still love to talk about , , and healthy . Recently I've been enjoying , mostly in .

I have a wife and a . I love , , , and .

All kinds of people are valid and worthy, but people, folks on the spectrum, and get a shout out right now because they need our support.

@ngaylinn@tech.lgbt avatar ngaylinn , to random

My friend seems genuinely baffled that I am an AI researcher who refuses to use AI! Not only that, but I argue against it from theory, not experience. Why don't I just give it a try for a while, and see what it's really about before I judge it?

I guess I see where he's coming from. Part of the problem is the word "AI." LLMs are not my research focus, so it's less of a contradiction than it sounds. But I admit, being a non-user makes my arguments against LLMs less credible.

I just don't understand why I owe it to anybody to give AI a shot. I know how LLMs work in gory detail, and I don't trust them. I've seen the mediocre work they produce. I've read studies about the seductive illusion of competence and caring they create, and how people fall for that. I know it's all built on an incredibly exploitative business model.

I feel entirely justified in not giving them a chance. I guess I'm just as baffled by how badly he wants me to try it, and how sure he seems to be that it would change my mind.

ngaylinn OP ,
@ngaylinn@tech.lgbt avatar

@futurebird Indeed. I'm also confused that he feels it's been such an improvement in his life! In our exchange, he let an LLM edit one of his replies. Not only did I spot it immediately, but it was noticeably worse than the rest of our dialog. "Hollow" is a good word for it.

There's no convincing him. And I wasn't trying to convince him, which is the weirdest part. He just got defensive and started trying to convince me...

@ngaylinn@tech.lgbt avatar ngaylinn , to random

A photo of a large clump of moss inside a Japanese garden. There seem to be two varieties of moss. On the bottom, rich green moss hangs out and downward, looking a bit like fresh herbs. Above, the moss reaches upward, brown at its base but fading into bright green and branching like a bottle brush. It is very cute, and fluffy!
ALT
@ngaylinn@tech.lgbt avatar ngaylinn , to random

This whole "dire wolf" thing seems like a great example of how smart people deceive themselves.

The folks at Colossal Biosciences are focused on designer organisms, supposedly to help patch damaged ecosystems to keep them from collapsing. Good intention, for sure! And an enormous technical challenge that would be incredibly valuable, if solved.

But I see two huge problems with what they're doing. From the interviews I've seen, the leaders at Colossal see them, too, but have totally convinced themselves that this is the Right Thing (TM) to do.

ngaylinn OP ,
@ngaylinn@tech.lgbt avatar