They are choosing to abstain from using artificial intelligence for environmental, ethical and personal reasons. Maybe they have a point, writes Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi
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.
So I’m gonna play devil’s advocate here and say that it is. Look at your teeth, humans are omnivores. Cutting out half the diet you evolved to consume is in fact a contriarian position. Not that I have any issues with vegans or vegetarians, just from an anatomical point of view we were designed to eat some meat! I do think calling people who don’t use AI “AI vegans” is absurd though, as diet has absolutely nothing to do with use of AI. Would be more accurate to say their AI fasting if we’re gonna use food related terms.
This^ our global market has made veganism a very healthy option considering we can get foods grown in other environments that are protein rich and such. I think if you were limited to only what’s local, being a healthy vegan would be a lot harder but having access to all manner of foods these days makes it easy
It’s natural to eat animal products, but many humans try to live by ethical standards, not just instincts and traditions. Just because the stronger caveman used to be able to just bash their neighbor’s head in and take their belongings, doesn’t make it acceptable by today’s standards.
So while I do agree with your initial assessment, considering that we have the option nowadays to have a healthy diet based on non animal products, I would also agree with the previous comment saying that it is not wacky contrarian to eat / live vegan.
By definition contrarian is somebody who opposes or rejects popular opinion. So yes by definition being vegan is contrarian lmfao. Not saying I have any issues with it there’s nothing wrong with being vegan I’m just saying it is by definition contrarian to be vegan. And nothing wrong with being contrarian either! Judging by the votes on my original comment, it appears that me stating veganism is contrarian was in fact a contrarian opinion lmfao. I regularly have vegetarian and vegan meals, and I love my meat. Hopefully people didn’t get the wrong idea about my opinions on veganism as there are no negative ones from me …
Kiiiinda confused. Am I fly? Nah, I am a human. And most of us eat mixed diet. That’s normal. Baseline. So, eating only veggies is wacky. Same with eating only meat.
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.
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”.
Not eating animals is not a wacky contrarian position either, and I’m not even vegan
So I’m gonna play devil’s advocate here and say that it is. Look at your teeth, humans are omnivores. Cutting out half the diet you evolved to consume is in fact a contriarian position. Not that I have any issues with vegans or vegetarians, just from an anatomical point of view we were designed to eat some meat! I do think calling people who don’t use AI “AI vegans” is absurd though, as diet has absolutely nothing to do with use of AI. Would be more accurate to say their AI fasting if we’re gonna use food related terms.
It may be natural to eat animals, but in modern society it is definitely not necessary. I eat some meat, but I respect those who don’t.
This^ our global market has made veganism a very healthy option considering we can get foods grown in other environments that are protein rich and such. I think if you were limited to only what’s local, being a healthy vegan would be a lot harder but having access to all manner of foods these days makes it easy
Theft, rape, and murder are “natural” too.
they’re not advocating for any of those, and they’re not committing a falacy.
It’s natural to eat animal products, but many humans try to live by ethical standards, not just instincts and traditions. Just because the stronger caveman used to be able to just bash their neighbor’s head in and take their belongings, doesn’t make it acceptable by today’s standards. So while I do agree with your initial assessment, considering that we have the option nowadays to have a healthy diet based on non animal products, I would also agree with the previous comment saying that it is not wacky contrarian to eat / live vegan.
By definition contrarian is somebody who opposes or rejects popular opinion. So yes by definition being vegan is contrarian lmfao. Not saying I have any issues with it there’s nothing wrong with being vegan I’m just saying it is by definition contrarian to be vegan. And nothing wrong with being contrarian either! Judging by the votes on my original comment, it appears that me stating veganism is contrarian was in fact a contrarian opinion lmfao. I regularly have vegetarian and vegan meals, and I love my meat. Hopefully people didn’t get the wrong idea about my opinions on veganism as there are no negative ones from me …
It is wacky/contrarian as we are still eating meat normally. LLM is stiiiill soso, but soon wacky/contrarian will also apply to not using it, sadly
People, eat shit. Billions of flies can’t be wrong…
Kiiiinda confused. Am I fly? Nah, I am a human. And most of us eat mixed diet. That’s normal. Baseline. So, eating only veggies is wacky. Same with eating only meat.
This guy has the definition of a metaphor on hand but apparently can’t look up what contrarian means 🤣
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/metaphor
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.