I wouldn’t say all “AI” was a grift. Machine learning is a useful tool, like a hammer, it’s just not a magic genie for everything. Always has been, always will be.
Same with blockchain, albeit in a much narrower niche. I do think it’s a terrible system for a widely-used currency, though.
Same with quantum computing. It’s a niche.
The pattern is that Tech Bros inflate something narrowly interesting into a “it’s going to ascend the human race if you give us enough money” FOMO thing.
…And, currently, the next target seems to be space travel.
Again, I emphasize. Very useful in certain niches, like science. Stupendously impractical outside of them.
I hate how “AI” is abused in many ways. But it is a huge help for me transitioning to Linux. It’s such a time saver, plus I actually learn from it as I always ask what the commands are for and to explain them to me. Often I can then detect if it’s right or wrong and then come up with better alternatives. I’m a bit ashamed to admit this honestly.
Most of Lemmy are idiots and poor people that hate everything. Don’t listen to most the idiots here.
Why do folks think quantum computing is a grift? I haven’t heard that yet.
The technology itself isn’t, but companies will probably abuse the word ‘quantum’ until it loses all meaning, like they have with AI.
Is your cloud Quantum Safe™?
…which is something I actually consider. I does indeed actually bother me that very few companies have actually adopted post-quantum cryptography yet. What is even the point of my VPN, for example, if there is a potential that everything is cracked 40 years down the line? NIST has already basically approved the standards. It should be an option for sensitive things, like anything to do with banking, data storage, and VPN.
He’s from the future where we call it a grift
I think Fire and Stick have a long future ahead of them still. Also a big fan of Wheel and Stardew Valley.
I think Fire and Stick have a long future ahead of them still. Also a big fan of Wheel and Stardew Valley.
Uh…one of these is not like the others.
Are we sure
Wheelhas the long term practical staying power of the others in this list?It’s not great in bogs and up hills I’ll admit
The four great innovations
There’s quite a lot happening in 3d printing that is kind of life changing, and not getting any press coverage because no single obscenely wealthy person can use it to hype a pump and dump.
Weird specific stuff exists now, that never did before - like custom cases for weird sizes of batteries, and a pen-holder that looks exactly like the latest manga character to make a splash.
Do elaborate more on the 3D printing stuff
Do elaborate more on the 3D printing stuff
There’s all kinds of mechanical things that can be directly 3d printed, now - screws, and hinges and springs!
Someone invented a 3-way zipper that allows a structure to be rigid when zipped or flexible when unzipped. Supposedly we’re going to get a bunch of cool new more convenient tents and field furniture with it, soon.
Yeah 3D printing has either allowed me to print out stuff that helps around the house that I don’t necessarily want to spend money on (a basic flowerpot for example), or things that are obscenely overpriced that I can print at the fraction of the cost (a case for clarinet reeds, with some cases going for nearly 100$ for a basic plastic case with a space for a silica gel packet).
At first I picked up my printer thinking it would be useful for robotics and prototyping some cases for electronics projects. Turns out its playing a big role in me just not going out to buy stuff anymore.
I got some parts for a very cheap keyboard that Logitech doesn’t sell (for obvious reasons, it’s Logitech lol). Just hit up a 3d webshop and they were delivered in less than a week.
Not to mention the high-end stuff that is being used for like, medical innovations.
Quantum non-fungible tokens won’t be a grift. Trust me.
(Hopefully this obvious sarcasm is obvious.)
Stuff made open source/without a profit motive.
If there’s a profit motive, it’s not looking to solve a problem or make things better. It’s looking to make profit.
I’m hoping repairable tech is going to become more and more common. So far neither Framework nor Fairphone seem like grifters while some that came before didn’t end up fulfilling their promises.
None of them really, they were all novel technology ideas snd advancements that every company and their mom adopted because it became the next silicon valley investment money printer.
Blockchain started out as a decentralized network concept that’s still useful today.
AI started out as a tensor statistical concept that’s still useful today.
People say QC is a grift because every silicon valley giant has invested heavily into it because they want to be the first if it becomes viable. It’s just what they do. They throw money into everything and if they get something successful, they pump it as much as they can before it dumps.
Even FOSS software isn’t invulnerable. Half of AWS’s SaaS platforms are just automated FOSS software running on their cloud infrastructure without so much as a hint of donation or development into the project itself. They just want money, they don’t care how they get it.
The technologies themselves aren’t grifts, but grifters are notoriously “first-adopters” of new technologies.
Really without major social or political change all commercial technology will serve incumbent power.
AI is not a grift but it is very much a dangerous rudderless ship right now.
Quantum computing is also not a grift.
Hell I feel dirty saying this but you could argue blockchain is not a grift either.
The problem in all these things is the people not the technology.
It’s worth remembering the hype cycle when it comes to these things.
That’s the thing. When you were browsing bitcoin subreddits during the “golden days” it was pretty bizzare to see people talking about how cool it is and thia is the future and all, and to make it viable, you have to use it, like you know… A currency. But then they also made fun of the guy who bought a pizza with his bitcoin. Haha what a loser, he bought. A pizza for 40k no now 100k dollars. We are all holding, right, no one is selling, right guys?? We’re all in the same boat.
Motherfucker, it’s so obvious that EVERYONE was treating it like a get rich quick scheme.
Holy loaded question batman! Yeah I’m not gonna take this seriously with you just making these sweeping assertions with no evidence.
The assertion that lemmy users call Blockchain and AI a grift is not without evidence(just browse around on any thread related to the topic) people calling QC a grift is more nuanced and something I have picked up on, you could make the case when ‘it happens’ lemmites would call QC a grift.
I think we are in a key moment for change to happen at a big societal level. As others have said the problem isn’t any of the technologies listed, it’s how they are being exploited and the perception of them maligned by said exploitation.
Capitalism is a big part of this problem. As is the messy elastic way that human society implements change over time. tl;dr - some people will pull society forward, others pull it back a bit. That’s the “elasticity” at a macro level.
For most of my life I’ve witnessed a gradual degradation, a reduction, entropy and resignation. Balance requires that we now leap forward again. I remain hopeful that a great correction is not just inevitable, it’s coming in my lifetime.
