[ceejayoz]

> Again: It's unbelievable that someone (like this) would be using an LLM to compose an email to their boss for the first time.

There's always a first time.

> He's a lazy fuck office stiff (yet still manages to warrant an iMac desktop), you're telling me he's just now starting to use an LLM to compose emails?

I know plenty of "lazy fuck" people not yet using LLMs. Having it built in to the device is likely to change that.

> Even the bastion of pretentious journalism Fast Company has this headline: "In Apple’s new ads for AI tools, we’re all total idiots"

That's fairly standard for ads. Cleaning supplies are sold on a "so easy dads can use it" sort of basis. Prepared food is sold on a "because you can't cook, obviously" basis. etc. I have managers at work who ask me to write client emails for them, even, because I'm a pretty good writer.

> If you're intuitive enough to conclude that an otherwise inarticulate douchebag probably used an LLM to compose an email, why would you "pretend" to be confused?

The actor is pretending. The character is shocked - for comic effect - that such a nice email came from someone who never sends professional ones. In the real world the response is obviously more likely to be "ah, they used ChatGPT this time", but if you expect realism in ads...

This really isn't as complicated to understand as you're making it.

[epcoa]

> This really isn't as complicated to understand as you're making it.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vGAVcSjqMps

This is just running defense for the reality distortion field.

> I know plenty of "lazy fuck" people not yet using LLMs. Having it built in to the device is likely to change that.

Sorry I just don't live in this world. Everybody and their dog uses LLM. Especially the professional crowd affluent enough to afford Apple devices. The untapped market here is tiny.

I use an iPhone, a MacBook, I use a HomePod as part of a home automation system. I'm not an anti Apple fanboy. This shit is completely stupid and underwhelming.

> That's fairly standard for ads.

Now you're just being a condescending prat. I don't need a lesson in the obvious. I told you it's stupid for specific reasons that you simply care to not acknowledge, fine. Think whatever you want, you obviously love these ads. Great.

And since when was, other things are shitty too so this must be good even a worthwhile observation?

> Prepared food is sold on a "because you can't cook, obviously"

But, if you could actually cook that particular day, you wouldn't be using the prepared food. (Whether you can cook any day or not is another thing). As someone who cooks regularly, neither prepared food nor McDonalds are beneath me. On the otherhand, you obviously could easily be using an LLM for the last two years to write emails. So this is dumb. As a dad, I'm ok with "dads are stupid" tropes if there are other redeeming qualities. Your Apple ads have none.

I can relate with someone that can't cook. All I want to do with that Walter is punch him in the face. And, no, the knowing acknowledgement from token Asian doesn't improve things.

My prediction, like the Google ad, that ad is going to tank like the turd it is.

[ceejayoz]

> Sorry I just don't live in this world. Everybody and their dog uses LLM.

We do indeed live in very different worlds.

[epcoa]

Last month the moral panic in the 24 hour mainstream (pretty much every major media outlet in the US) news cycle was the environmental impact of LLM for writing emails, a bottle of water per email, think of the kittens, etc. Not to comment on the merits of this reporting, but among the middle and upper middle class US this is common, mainstream stuff. This is Apple's demographic, we're not talking $100 Android shit phones.

[ceejayoz]

"The media talks about it a lot" is our standard to determine "widely used"?

We had a similar "moral panic" about Satanic child sacrifices in the 1980s. Satanic child sacrifices were not a widespread practice, though.

[epcoa]

> Satanic child sacrifices were not a widespread practice, though.

You got me. This isn't debate club. If you want to think Apple's incumbent base isn't heavily using (or actively avoiding) LLMs either ChatGPT and Gemini or the 10k other B2B remixes, you can think that. And for the ones that aren't are they just holding out for Apple's flacid offering?

I don't know what to tell you. I work in midwest academic medicine, not tech, I'm not in the SV bubble. The people that don't use this stuff for either clinical (the only fucking rule I need in ad block seems to be freed.ai) or research work are still very aware of it, they're not waiting for Apple. It isn't a friction issue. People working in management consulting, it is used heavily because there is at least a desire to provide a professional sounding voice to customers. The thing is that in the real world J (the draft email should have said nigga, that would have been funny) knows Walter is still an idiot, yet Walter is still employed so what possible benefit is there to using an LLM. For internal stuff, you know you're not fooling any body, that is often the reason you don't use it. Not because you can't, but because it's pointless.

I don't think Apple is marketing a compelling product with that effort. The people that really want state of the art wordsmithing have had options, and what is Apple giving the naysayers? Is this better than ChatGPT, that example in the ad sure as hell isn't.

Maybe you're right that Apple is really reaching out with a compelling novel email writing product to their base, I'm just not convinced.

I don't use HomeKit as a core, but I use it because it integrates with iDevices. I am very much looking forward to Siri being less of a dumbass. Still think this marketing effort is lame.