Writers: Generative AI models were built on our stolen works, are deeply unethical, and risk devaluing our entire profession.

@jamesthomson @michaelrowe01 I don't think the developers will be so enthusiastic when they vibe code themselves out of a job.

@jamesthomson Except the programmers who know that coding is just as creative as writing and "art"

@jamesthomson the externalizes were hidden with things like cigarettes, and one rich idiot in particular I used to have some respect for is on a podcast comparing this technology to the switch from programming assembly to c. The switch to fucking C didn't include belching fumes into people's homes and ripping off everyone so a few libertarian shitbags can get rich quick.

@jamesthomson Not all developers! — I'll see myself out @benroyce

@jamesthomson @agiletortoise @Drwave
They say music is the food of love
Let's see if you're hungry enough
Take a bite, take another
Just like a good boy would
Get a sweet thing on the side
Home cooking, homicide
Side order, could be your daughter
Finger licking good

@jamesthomson @ryanvade yeah there is a lot of managerial pressure and a lot of “use AI or your career will be over” FOMO.

It does suck.

@jamesthomson @ryanvade and AI is now used massively in hiring - to the point where AI is involved in the decision making process.

We got to this point t really quick

@jamesthomson
Developers: producing bloaded and insecure code until nobody is left to fix it (what is a horrible mess if you know what your doing)

@davebauerart @jamesthomson
as someone who studied softwarelocalisation: programmers who actually know what they were doing always have been a rare breed...

@jamesthomson publishing and music companies: We’ll sign any contract with AI companies, especially if it requires us to hand over our writers/artists works little to no compensation for them.

@jamesthomson not all developers

Seriously though… if it wasn’t mandated by management, I wonder how many would stick with it, considering how bad a lot of the outcomes are

@schwa @jamesthomson @ryanvade

It feels like part of the tech bro / Trump coup, and planned for years.

@owlex Are the training sets licensed or just strip mined from the web/redit/github/sourceforge? This was the cause for their “AI is theft” statement.

From a technical standpoint: Are these training sets free from bugs? If you use an ai tool to generate tests, are they useful tests? A useful test is one that tries to break the code instead of showing that the code “works. Tests that that exercise the interfaces or cover the code tend to not be “useful” tests.

@jamesthomson I can't begin to state how many times I've seen open-source developers (mostly web developers, to the surprise of nobody) just vibe code all of the new functionality in their libraries/frameworks without thinking through the ethical (and copyright) implications

it's stupid, and I'm getting tired of it.

when will this ai bubble pop...

@jamesthomson My personal theory about why this is has to do with the emphasis on output with development. Writing and art takes time. Doing it right and getting all the details really matters. GenAI can't replace that for the sole reason that each person's artstyle is different and unique.

Development on the other hand focuses on fast production. Code changes, bug fixes, new features. These all can happen much quicker. Add onto that the need to be "first" and you get the current scene.

@lorimolson @jamesthomson Came here to say the same. Developers were also among those whose content was slurped up by big tech to feed their copyright laundering apparatus.

@jamesthomson Given what we've learned about the ethics of many software developers over the past several months, I wonder how many companies are currently shipping closed source code that's stolen from GPLed projects.

@jamesthomson writers and artists have been dealing with their craft being devalued for an incredibly long time, so they get it. Developers have never really had to deal with that, and generally speaking a lot of developers look down upon anyone not in tech, so they're just not going to trust what non tech people say. Developers are also, generally speaking, really bad at thinking about labor, and organizing. I've spoken to countless developers who said they'd never join a union, even if it was an option.

@jamesthomson developers: 'I hope no one realises our code can no longer be protected by copyright!'

@the_other_jon I'm aware of these problems, and many more (energy waste, OpenAI's exploitation of workers in Africa for manual training, copyright theft, data mining).

My question stands: Why is it wrong to use something critically while being aware of its problems? Especially when we're in the middle of such a massive technological shift that we should understand it. And when capitalism is forcing it into everything anyway, isn't informed usage better than ignorance?

And it's not even just about American companies anymore. We're in a global race for AI dominance now. This whole topic is incredibly complex.

I respect you for having these principles, but I think taking it out on a podcast, which reports about technology is a little weird. Though it's your decision