Meet the AI vegans. They are refusing to use artificial intelligence for environmental, ethical and personal reasons
-
I find it hilarious that most people in this thread are complaining about being called a "something vegan", like I can understand not being happy with the current AI trend, but it seems like the word "vegan" is what makes everyone ticks, it's NOT an insult, the "normal" vegan are very happy to be called like that, because what it refers too is something that they agree and identify with. If you agree and identify yourself with what those journalist are calling "AI vegans", the name doesn't matter, embrace it, call yourself that to easily express what you believe about AI.
Vegan is not an insult, it is a compliment.
Well, one is a group of smug uninformed zealots pretending their choices are somehow saving the environment from something that isn't a problem in the first place... you know the punchline
-
This makes about as much sense as calling Linux users "Windows vegans".
Choosing to not use AI isn't some wacky contrarian position, it's a tame position that can easily be justified. (Don't want to use AI? Then don't.) If anything, trying to assert that constantly using AI for everything would be the new normal is the wacky position.
In terms of office work, the technology pretty much already exists to cause a change akin to the change that happened from pre-photocopier (so typing pools), only the odd phone line per office building, no fax, obviously no computers/email/internet/mobile phones era office work to the office work of today.
The energy use is unconscionable. The people currently owning the tech that runs large language models are awful, but it is possible for companies and individuals to run their own llm's.
Anyway, the point is, would it be daft for anyone to insist on working in a typing pool in a 1950s office today? I get why people dislike ai. I am not really trying to defend it, I'm just saying that it really is a mistake for anyone to just try and ignore it.
-
Missed opportunity to coin the term “Aitheist”
Fools.VAIgans.
-
Most vegans are normal reasonable people too.
Agreed, and they are also marginalized
-
Agreed, and they are also marginalized
.... not because they're called vegan tho.
-
The Platonic Ion makes similar cynical claims. The idea that art is mimetic is compelling enough without gen AI.
Okay, I feel like we're doing a motte and bailey here. I'm not arguing that art is never mimetic.
There's a lot of diversity in the stories we tell. If we were "simply copying as a form of craft," where is this diversity coming from? Do you mean something different than what I'm interpreting?
Keep in mind, the thing that I am contending with is that the nature of people retelling stories is not unlike a robot that lacks a conscious. I think this is downright silly.
-
.... not because they're called vegan tho.
Right, but the word transfers the marginalization of vegans to 'ai vegans'.
-
Right, but the word transfers the marginalization of vegans to 'ai vegans'.
wrote last edited by [email protected]Only if you personally marginalise vegans.
So for reasonable people it won't marginalise them, and changing your behaviour for unreasonable people makes no sense.
-
"Newspaper which uses AI to write its articles concocts derogatory term for people who doesn't use AI"
wrote last edited by [email protected]Wow, thank you so much for sharing this. What a major blow to the Guardian's credibility
-
"Enlighten yourself" you mean make your argument for you?
You do you bb. Keep believing whatever makes you feel best.
-
I find it hilarious that most people in this thread are complaining about being called a "something vegan", like I can understand not being happy with the current AI trend, but it seems like the word "vegan" is what makes everyone ticks, it's NOT an insult, the "normal" vegan are very happy to be called like that, because what it refers too is something that they agree and identify with. If you agree and identify yourself with what those journalist are calling "AI vegans", the name doesn't matter, embrace it, call yourself that to easily express what you believe about AI.
Vegan is not an insult, it is a compliment.
Vegan is not an insult, it is a compliment.
It also has nothing to do with AI. It would be like calling them "AI feminists".
-
This makes about as much sense as calling Linux users "Windows vegans".
Choosing to not use AI isn't some wacky contrarian position, it's a tame position that can easily be justified. (Don't want to use AI? Then don't.) If anything, trying to assert that constantly using AI for everything would be the new normal is the wacky position.
Imagine thinking that veganism is "wacky".
-
Only if you personally marginalise vegans.
So for reasonable people it won't marginalise them, and changing your behaviour for unreasonable people makes no sense.
Me? The marginalisation of a group depends on my personal conceptions???
Society marginalises groups, not a single person. Its a cultural phenomenon that affects these groups whether we like it or not.
-
Can we please stop coming up with words that describe that we do not do a thing like it is not normal?
Just like having to call yourself an atheist because you do not believe. You should call yourself a theist if you believe, because you actively do it. Call yourself what you are, do, or see fit, not what you are not.Part of becoming socially acceptable is being visible so that people understand that atheists aren't some kind of scary monster. We are your doctors, scientists, fire fighters, etc. You might even be friends with one! There might be one (or more!) in your own family! And the only way that is going to happen is if atheists identify as such.
-
Im also a gun vegan, a car vegan, a facebook vegan, an exercise vegan (unfortunately), a windows vegan, ... just not actual vegan.
I feel like thats a bad way to use the word vegan.
Yeah... It's just abstaining from something. Veganism didn't invent that. Dumb headline
-
wrote last edited by [email protected]
I hate the term AI vegan. I prefer mistechnitinoimosyne. More classy.
-
"AI vegans"? I knew guardian was already bought by tech bros, but wtf is that phrasing lmao I dont use AI either, simply because it is wrong more often than not and I am still capable of googling myself, but being cautious equals to being vegan in tech bro eyes?
I don't agree with the framing, either, but they're drawing parallels between people not using something due to a principled moral stance. (As well as some not-so-subtle implication that these people are holier-than-thou, too.)
-
There's a huge push right now to salvage the AI hype bubble as people realize the tech can't live up to the promises. They are also trying to prevent regulation.
This includes the pushes to humanize the tool, like saying it deserves rights or that there may be some kind of racism against the tool.
like saying it deserves rights or that there may be some kind of racism against the tool.
Wait, who's saying this?!
-
They're trying to pretend it's real AI rather than extremely complicated text prediction. Hell, the less knowledgeable among them might even believe it. LLMs are a sort of language pareidolia.
Hell, the less knowledgeable among them might even believe it.
What's weird is that the people who run the fucking companies apparently believe this. Or they're trying to convince us that they believe this.
-
The irony of environmental activists using the word "veganism" while not being vegan
(being vegan is one of the most significant reduction to greenhouse emissions that is within your personal choice)They aren't using the word. Other people are using it and applying it to them.
