| I've been in this game a long time and I've seen a lot, but this AI hype cycle is exhausting. Like no technology before it I've watched extremely smart and capable engineers fall into AI like it's a cult. I've had colleagues and friends I've known for years drop head first into this shit. At first I was interested in the tech, I deep-dived into it. Understood as much as I could. I understand how an LLM works and what it can and can't do. So, I realised pretty quickly that their use is limited. I figured it would blow over in a few years, the real use cases would be weeded out, and we'd all move on to the next thing like normal. What I didn't account for is how addictive this technology is. The moment something "feels" like a person it's ascribed magical qualities, and people fall for it. Anyone can, doesn't matter how smart you are. For the past six months I've felt nothing beyond a deep melancholic sadness. Not that my industry is changing, it isn't. Not really. These models will not replace people, and anyone who thinks they can is either trying to sell you something or is delusional. The readjustment and the end of the hype cycle will come eventually. But, I fear many people will never be able to let it go. I'm saddened that we're going to lose a generation of brilliant people to fiddling with token predictors, and many of them will never recover from it. AI will set the industry back twenty years. Not because we will be replaced, but because so many people will be dragged into psychosis and addiction or waste decades chasing the future on a lie. And there's nothing any of us can do about it now. |