Also WaPo posting this about Khashoggi? So much for solidarity in the newsroom

The success of this entire newsletter hinges upon the actions of the Guillemot family

Borked national statistics? Yep

Loads of people legging it from a stagnant economy? Yuh-huh.

Still believing all of our problems are related to inward migration? Of course.

Put a fork in us because we are done 🧑‍🍳

Anyway, a general recommendation for games journalists to pop along to the next AI and Games Conference.

Lots of handy talks from people who've been on the AI frontlines before Sam Altman-Jones had barely left high school.

www.videogamesindustrymemo.com/p/four-thing...

And I think it's particularly true because if you push out the more reasonable people who'll experiment on the basis of those handy behind the scenes improvements, the 'boosters' of gen-AI get even more power.

Given the size of the bubble, that's...not a good thing.

It doesn't mean we should ignore IP considerations (we absolutely shouldn't). We should point and laugh at any exec treating AI as a form of magic.

But given that we all benefit from existing AI tech like machine learning on a daily basis (hello, autocorrect), I think there's room for more balance

Generative AI as a technology? Well, turns out its kinda useful for a games company to use it to consolidate complaint tickets in a product management tool. Or allowing an artist to search a massive asset library for a specific texture or asset by writing a description, rather than a file name.

Generative AI as an industry? A dumpster fire. Companies with wildly hyped valuations. Revenue never ever going to get close enough to match it. Circular deal-making to keep things afloat. Enormous IP infringement. Running over law, policy, decency to try to 'win' a massively destructive battle.

Steve, if you think this then you'll also expect me to say that I think most of Stalinism was bad but I'm thankful for Shostakovich.

Accept that we can hold seemingly contradictory ideas in one mind. Breathe out. Regain your day.

I think our disagreement is based on a philosophical question of whether we think that a mouse should be grateful for the brief taste of cheese they get before a trap decapitates them.

I think not. You think so. Hence, the impasse.

Much more the confiscation of assets, the rolling back of post-war norms around protecting asylum seekers, the continual adoption of far right policies in the mistaken belief the wolves will walk away from the bleeding body etc