I treat AI, the mobile phone, Technocapital, as animal-like and powerful daemons that could I ride but would devour me if I'm not careful and I'm not ready for the dangerous ride. It seems to be working.
This really chimes with me. I’ve spent the last two years or so chained to Cursor building app after app. Some I’m very proud of. Others, well you can always put it down as a learning experience. Slowly, over that time I’ve managed to find the trigger points and use those to redirect some of that manic energy into other pursuits: editing my novel, gardening, decorating. It works, sometimes. Still got 15 chapters of novel to tidy up. And when, as you say, it feels like someone had handed you a magic wand, it’s difficult not to whip it out at every opportunity. I guess the thing is that, like everything, we tend to go all in, too far, then have a period of confusion - what is too much? what is not enough? These things settle in time. Would be interested in your book club.
Definitely interested in the reading club. This is a helpful and honest take on using AI. I like how you pointed out the potential downfall (i.e. addiction) as something that we need to be conscious of. I think I've had a lot of hesitation to jumping "full-boar" into building things with AI, in part due to the fear of the addiction. Also, it's just generally intimidating at first, but like anything else, I know that comfort and ease will come quickly.
Thank you for these words stringed together and a great metaphor for facing how our culture evolves.
The book “Dopamine Addiction” has been haunting my thoughts recently on all the ways technology and other substances/behaviors are making us less capable of sitting with our own discomfort and unwilling to face challenges that humans have been facing for ages.
I replied on email, Rob, but in case that gets lost somewhere in your inbox, adding a comment here too. Your perspective resonates. Would never call myself a coder, but know my way around some HTML and CSS and used to know some JavaScript and old server-side languages, so it's been exhilarating to see my outdated and limited knowledge so enhanced by LLMs. On the flipside, I also write for clients (businesses and executives) and grappling with the LLMs has been a regular thorn in the side.
Interested in whatever group you might convene. I feel like a lot of people are going through a similar day-to-day experience that wildly vacillates from possibility to doom. So if you do something, count me in.
Definitely interested in a reading/writing club around tech. AI is one thing, but even the daily stuff -- phones, streaming, email. It's all great and it's all horrific. I'd love to discuss it with like-minded people.
Your reading/writing club would inspire me to grapple with my questions and concerns, rather than hover and observe. We need to admit that we are in this trench. I’d love to be in your company)))
For me AI is mostly a fun tool that lets me do things I couldn’t otherwise, but sometimes it’s terribly stupid and annoying. And because of the latter, I use it less than I probably should.
Especially since I really want to try making AI fantasy films, because it (in theory) could let me include things normally way beyond my budget. But last time I tried making a book trailer for my short story, it replaced the guy’s head with Jack-o lantern 🤦🏻♀️. And he was in a spacesuit. Nothing pumpkiny about him. Seriously, why?
Possibly because I was using the free option in GooogleFlow and I’m still learning prompting right…
On the other hand, I can easily make pretty book covers for all my short stories that’ll probably sell under 5 copies 😂
I used to use Claude a lot to organize thoughts and plans, and I found it very useful until I didn’t and now I mostly use it for having it make up recipes from random ingredients I don’t know what to do with 😂
I tried having it write some of the stories I care least about, but it always goes for the most drama with cliche conflicts and purple prose and it’s over all terrible at it.
I treat AI, the mobile phone, Technocapital, as animal-like and powerful daemons that could I ride but would devour me if I'm not careful and I'm not ready for the dangerous ride. It seems to be working.
This really chimes with me. I’ve spent the last two years or so chained to Cursor building app after app. Some I’m very proud of. Others, well you can always put it down as a learning experience. Slowly, over that time I’ve managed to find the trigger points and use those to redirect some of that manic energy into other pursuits: editing my novel, gardening, decorating. It works, sometimes. Still got 15 chapters of novel to tidy up. And when, as you say, it feels like someone had handed you a magic wand, it’s difficult not to whip it out at every opportunity. I guess the thing is that, like everything, we tend to go all in, too far, then have a period of confusion - what is too much? what is not enough? These things settle in time. Would be interested in your book club.
Definitely interested in the reading club. This is a helpful and honest take on using AI. I like how you pointed out the potential downfall (i.e. addiction) as something that we need to be conscious of. I think I've had a lot of hesitation to jumping "full-boar" into building things with AI, in part due to the fear of the addiction. Also, it's just generally intimidating at first, but like anything else, I know that comfort and ease will come quickly.
Might we call this group “the secret third”?
Thank you for these words stringed together and a great metaphor for facing how our culture evolves.
The book “Dopamine Addiction” has been haunting my thoughts recently on all the ways technology and other substances/behaviors are making us less capable of sitting with our own discomfort and unwilling to face challenges that humans have been facing for ages.
I replied on email, Rob, but in case that gets lost somewhere in your inbox, adding a comment here too. Your perspective resonates. Would never call myself a coder, but know my way around some HTML and CSS and used to know some JavaScript and old server-side languages, so it's been exhilarating to see my outdated and limited knowledge so enhanced by LLMs. On the flipside, I also write for clients (businesses and executives) and grappling with the LLMs has been a regular thorn in the side.
Interested in whatever group you might convene. I feel like a lot of people are going through a similar day-to-day experience that wildly vacillates from possibility to doom. So if you do something, count me in.
Definitely interested in a reading/writing club around tech. AI is one thing, but even the daily stuff -- phones, streaming, email. It's all great and it's all horrific. I'd love to discuss it with like-minded people.
Your reading/writing club would inspire me to grapple with my questions and concerns, rather than hover and observe. We need to admit that we are in this trench. I’d love to be in your company)))
Yes! Yes! Yes! I would be interested in your reading/writing club.
For me AI is mostly a fun tool that lets me do things I couldn’t otherwise, but sometimes it’s terribly stupid and annoying. And because of the latter, I use it less than I probably should.
Especially since I really want to try making AI fantasy films, because it (in theory) could let me include things normally way beyond my budget. But last time I tried making a book trailer for my short story, it replaced the guy’s head with Jack-o lantern 🤦🏻♀️. And he was in a spacesuit. Nothing pumpkiny about him. Seriously, why?
Possibly because I was using the free option in GooogleFlow and I’m still learning prompting right…
On the other hand, I can easily make pretty book covers for all my short stories that’ll probably sell under 5 copies 😂
I used to use Claude a lot to organize thoughts and plans, and I found it very useful until I didn’t and now I mostly use it for having it make up recipes from random ingredients I don’t know what to do with 😂
I tried having it write some of the stories I care least about, but it always goes for the most drama with cliche conflicts and purple prose and it’s over all terrible at it.