Ted Chiang said in an interview that people's fears about AI and technology isn't really about AI or technology, but more about those things in a capiTed Chiang said in an interview that people's fears about AI and technology isn't really about AI or technology, but more about those things in a capitalist system. I think about that all the time. I recommend this to everyone who's disillusioned about how capitalism uses technology to screw everyone over.
As someone who has worked most of her career in startups, I spent the first half going, "Oh no, Wendy. No!" I almost quit reading it, but I'm glad I pushed through. The first half is less a cautionary tale and more of a setup of the author's mindset before their awakening.
The next quarter of the book was about the awakening, which is worth reading, but even better is the last quarter, which answered my question of "Okay, everything is crap and we need to burn it all down, but how???" Liu proposes many different solutions and avenues for further research on how to build a better system.
And yes, I recognize the irony of writing this review on a platform owned by one of the biggest capitalists ever....more