cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/46082903
In fairness, the argument that AI is a cult/false religion/false god has been made many times before, however I believe that AI and the AI community most closely aligns with a cult, and here’s why:
Indoctrination techniques:
Generally, techniques that indoctrinate users into the cult tend to follow similar trends, which are notable in many of the AI models having similar effects on the users who subsequently become frequent users of the technology. Broken down, I’d say it’s something like this:
-Innocuous beginnings: Cults are notorious for beginning the indoctrination process with something simple and seemingly harmless on the surface (I.e. conferences, videos, films, games, etc.) these are all real techniques that various cults have used in the past, to somewhat success. Likewise, AI chatbots, image and video generators present just this: an invitation to engage with something fun and seemingly harmless, something that engages the audience and draws their attention.
-Love bombing: Perhaps the most notorious hook of cults is love bombing — giving heaps of praise and complements to the joining members. Likewise, AI chatbots constantly tell you how good your point is or how you’re always on the right track (“you’ve hit the nail on the head”, “that is an amazing point” are but a few I have read of Gemini) This is undoubtedly a form of love bombing.
-Promise of more: Cults often work by enticing their audience with something good, but promising something great (something better) later. Likewise, AI tech companies are always promising more, more, more if you subscribe/follow their work. What better reward for AI users can there be but the promise of bigger and better AI? This is exactly how both cults and AI operate.
Beyond the indoctrination similarities, there are also many, many peripheral similarities (by which I mean subtle, not less important similarities) which include:
-reach and scope: historical cults have often managed to expand their reach across multiple countries around the world. Need I explain how this is similar to the reach and scope of AI?
-withholding/hiding information
-leaders who turn out to be crooks/criminals
-leaders who amass fortunes
And many more.
What do you think? Are the similarities superficial, or could AI actually be a worldwide cult hidden in plain sight?
I don’t use AI (much) I do occasionally ‘test’ it to see how it fares but that’s as much as I do; I certainly don’t use it for life stuff
My community is not exclusive for people who only hate AI; those who like it are welcome too
So you don't use AI much, but you know exactly how everyone else is using AI?
Also is your entire argument about "AI"? Or LLM-based AI in particular?
Cult-like behavior could grow in any community, but shunning the tech itself for no other reason seems backwards?
And what alternatives do you have in mind, if not LLM AI, what would be your ideal next step towards artificial intelligence?
P.S. I hate billionaires and the AI bubble just as much the next person, but these black/white "AI bad" arguments are getting tiring.
To be clear: I read about what happens with AI in the news/on the internet mostly, it’s not hard to google ‘AI news today’ and see what’s going on in the world of AI, or go on Reddit/quora/Lemmy/whatever other boards for discussion they got, and read about people’s experiences etc. That’s how I know how other people are using it.
LLM’s and machine learning (as it is used today) and all other types/forms of AI.
Not really sure about your point of ‘shunning’. Nobody’s shunning AI, we’re having/encouraging/engaging in constructive debate about the nature of this. How can we shun something we haven’t fully scrutinised either by research or discussion?