| HN Mirror

Of course I believe this. I understand why people might be "uncomfortable" with this. I also understand why people might be "uncomfortable" with all sorts of cases where their hard earned experience and knowledge becomes a commodity for the masses. And yet, it happens all the time, and as a whole we're better for it. Modern internet made early internet explorers "uncomfortable" with how many people could make a web page or publish information without needing to know how to code and how to do it properly. And modern computer languages made early assembly and C developers "uncomfortable" with how it allowed people without the hard earned knowledge and skills to write "programs". And calculators made mathematicians and teachers "uncomfortable" with how it allowed anyone to get the right answer to all sorts of math without knowing how or why it was the right answer. And on and on we can go. The clergy are always uncomfortable when the masses are given the holy books in their language. That might be a bit uncharitable but at the end that's what we're talking about. The uncomfortableness that comes from allowing free common people access to skills, material and capabilities that were previously the domain of the small, elite, learned class, and the realization that it means those same learned class can no longer control the output of those skills and capabilities.

>The grandma doesn't need generative fonts. She already has fonts that ship with her phone and computer. She already has iMovie for her grandkid videos. Does she need the ability to generate videos of political figures saying things they didn't say?

Would you say the same about people, their computers and programing languages? You already have the programs that ship with your computer. You already have Internet Explorer and Solitaire. Do you really need the ability make viruses and worms? Do you really need the power to create ransomware or crash the network?

>Obviously, what concerns us is a race to the bottom for the value of all human output.

The value of human output will always be there. Go get a quote for a hand carved and built table. Go get a quote for a bespoke set of clothes. See how much a custom song will cost you. Commission a book and get back to me on the price. Heck just go get a quote for some contractor work. Human output is in no danger of losing value.

What people are really concerned about is the reduction in the number of people that can capitalize on that output at any given time. When only 100 people can craft a custom font, 100 people have lots of work for lots of money as long as there is demand for custom fonts of any type. When a machine can generate a custom font for anyone, the only people that can make money from crafting a font are the number that can fulfill the demand for HUMAN created custom fonts. That's what people are worried about. Automation comes for us all, and we'd be better off spending time figuring out how to ensure people can still live a healthy, productive and free life in that new world than wringing our hands about how "depressing" it all is and fighting against the inevitable march of technology.