I write about technology, education, and human flourishing all through the lens of a prototyping mindset. | Husband, Dad, Engineering Prof. at Harvey Mudd, Coffee roaster, Pizzaiolo
Maybe I’m just salty, but for all the discussion around using AI to create something new, it sure seems like a lot of it is focused on diluting the value and beauty of something that already exists.
This is not the only way! But the fact that this is the path being taken should tell us something.
March 30, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Maybe I’m just salty, but for all the discussion around using AI to create something new, it sure seems like a lot of it is focused on diluting the value and beauty of something that already exists.
This is not the only way! But the fact that this is the path being taken should tell us something.
What we need is something like fair trade AI. Models that are built on a dataset that is clearly disclosed so that we can trace the origins. Even then, there are issues around proper citation of sources that will remain, but at least we’ll know the ingredients in the soup.
March 29, 2025 at 9:30 PM
What we need is something like fair trade AI. Models that are built on a dataset that is clearly disclosed so that we can trace the origins. Even then, there are issues around proper citation of sources that will remain, but at least we’ll know the ingredients in the soup.
LLMs by their very structure cut against this grain. By nature, LLMs mix things together into a soup in such a way that it is very hard to untangle the provenance of the inputs. Of course, this is a feature, not a bug. Particularly helpful if you want to obscure the training data.
March 29, 2025 at 9:30 PM
LLMs by their very structure cut against this grain. By nature, LLMs mix things together into a soup in such a way that it is very hard to untangle the provenance of the inputs. Of course, this is a feature, not a bug. Particularly helpful if you want to obscure the training data.
With that said, I understand (and agree!) with the underlying thesis: there are lots of way that schooling wastes energy. This is parasitic friction which saps us. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
March 13, 2025 at 9:49 PM
With that said, I understand (and agree!) with the underlying thesis: there are lots of way that schooling wastes energy. This is parasitic friction which saps us. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.