Before we begin, let me state this plainly:
I'm generally pretty positive about this technology.
I actually find the tool quite useful for a myriad of simple and complex tasks, but therein lies the clue…
It's a tool.
The same way I wouldn't use a saw to chop my salad, I don't use AI for everything just because it can technically do the job.
And while I don't see it as some evil robot overlord that's going to eat us for breakfast and crap us out into a can of tuna (yet)…
Nor do I believe it's about to replace every human, every job, every skill overnight, despite many people — read: AI execs and investors — saying so.
**takes a deep breath**
Disclaimers aside, one guy whose work I follow closely on the subject is Ed Zitron.
He's been covering AI since its inception, and he strongly believes, based on very convincing evidence, that we're in a monster AI bubble that's not far from bursting.
And violently so.
He explains that money has flooded the space in spite of having totally unsustainable economics.
He claims that for every $1 these companies make from a user, they're spending approximately $3, $4, and sometimes $6 to service said user.
I won't bore you with the technicals, but the point is simple:
It's grossly expensive to run this tech, and every AI company outside of Nvidia (who supplies the chips) is bleeding cash.
Worse still, the adoption rate is climbing at the speed of a sloth.
Sprinkle in the Iran conflict and surging energy prices, which it requires YUGE quantities of, when the bubble does burst, there's gonna be a lot of people caught with their pants down.
Especially those who don't merely use it as a tool, but as their brain.
(Hell, there are people using ChatGPT just to send birthday messages. There's no saving these people.)
While I refuse to be drawn into the fruitless debate of "when" this bubble will pop, I just know that when the rug is finally pulled and everyone is scrambling to cover up their you-know-whats, I'll be doing what I always do.
Writing…
Using my brain…
And offering a fictional escape for those who want to kill some time or simply turn down the noise in their lives.
Should you wish to seek that escape right now, I have a hatch just for you:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
Alternatively, if you’d prefer to start the series at your favourite retailer, go here:
https://books2read.com/dividedregionexiled
DJJW