We need to have a conversation about the conversation about AI.
Because where is the nuance??
If you haven't figured it out by now, I am vehemently against the tech industry's push to make AI happen. Not because I think AI is inherently bad β I'm pretty sure I've talked in a previous newsletter (or maybe on Threads? idk I yap a lot) about how AI is just a tool, like anything else, and it's up to humans to figure out how to use it responsibly.
But the whole "up to humans" part is where things get messy.
In case you missed it, Meta has been making some changes to the way they label AI on their platforms. This is to remain in compliance with international laws (specifically in the EU) about identifying AI to ensure that people can determine what is or isn't real.
Allegedly.
What actually seems to be happening is that Meta AI is labeling things willy nilly, whether the whole entire post is ChatGPT-generated or whether someone just used Canva's background remover tool.
It's giving malicious compliance π
β@caseyconnects wrote a whole thread on this, complete with examples of where AI labels have gone awry and conspiracy theories as to why this is happening. And y'all ... fetch me my tin foil hat, because I fully believe ALL OF THEM.
Here's what I see currently happening: Some people are buying into the new world of AI. A lot of people, actually. ChatGPT is suddenly everyone's therapist, best friend, business advisor, and graphic designer. And it's gotten to the point where there is a lot of pushback because people do still want to be in community with real people (not "AI users"), they do still value real art and literature (not "art" generated by LLMs that are stealing from existing work and repurposing it), and they want to know β beyond a shadow of a doubt instilled in them by these AI labels β that the real stuff is what they're dealing with.
But Meta wants what Meta wants. And what they want is for AI to be lucrative. They want their AI tools and their AI creators and their AI avatars to make them money. And the only way that will happen is if people accept those things as the norm. If people think everything is AI, then an AI label isn't the scarlet letter it might have been in months or years prior. There is suddenly less pushback to these new AI features. And there is much, much less risk to Meta's bottom line.
So keep this in mind as you navigate social media going forward. It's going to require a lot of critical thinking and discernment β skills that are actively undermined by AI usage β to determine what is made by AI vs. made with AI. Meta and the rest of the tech oligarchs are counting on us not exercising that discernment, getting tired of thinking critically, and giving in to their greed. It's up to us to stand firm in our belief that real people, real connection, and real creativity is worth fighting back.
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