• RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Wasting?

    A bunch of rich guy’s money going to other people, enriching some of the recipients, in hopes of making the rich guy even richer? And the point of AI is to eliminate jobs that cost rich people money?

    I’m all for more foolish AI failed investments.

    • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Imo it’s wasted in the sense that the money could have gone towards much better uses.

      Which is not unique to AI, it’s just about the level of money involved.

        • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          New renewable energy installations.

          Research into vaccines.

          Malaria distribution.

          Higher education endowments.

          Heck, just paying the salaries of people working in those fields. Sure, spending money stimulates the economy so I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s totally wasted, it’s definitely being put to a much better use than just sitting in someone’s bank account. But it could be put to a lot better uses. The software engineers could be developing a new program for balancing energy loads, or managing the maintenance of wind turbine fields. The hardware engineers could be optimizing a better autoclave or building a machine that automatically dispenses medicine when fed a script. The PMs could be managing a team distributing aid in Ukraine or designing a new blood drive initiative. Jobs that have positive societal impact, instead of - at best - neutral societal impact.

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      It makes rich guys even richer. At the expense of other rich guys and just fools attracted.

    • Jax@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      It’s a circle jerk, don’t get fooled into thinking this is some new version of trickle down economics

      • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        It’s not trickle down at all. Definitely not what I was trying to say. Just rich people trading money among themselves in hopes of getting richer.

  • j4k3@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Pareto principal for psyops, by a think tank organization too. Why is this nonsense tractable here?

  • model_tar_gz@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I’m an AI Engineer, been doing this for a long time. I’ve seen plenty of projects that stagnate, wither and get abandoned. I agree with the top 5 in this article, but I might change the priority sequence.

    Five leading root causes of the failure of AI projects were identified

    • First, industry stakeholders often misunderstand — or miscommunicate — what problem needs to be solved using AI.
    • Second, many AI projects fail because the organization lacks the necessary data to adequately train an effective AI model.
    • Third, in some cases, AI projects fail because the organization focuses more on using the latest and greatest technology than on solving real problems for their intended users.
    • Fourth, organizations might not have adequate infrastructure to manage their data and deploy completed AI models, which increases the likelihood of project failure.
    • Finally, in some cases, AI projects fail because the technology is applied to problems that are too difficult for AI to solve.

    4 & 2 —>1. IF they even have enough data to train an effective model, most organizations have no clue how to handle the sheer variety, volume, velocity, and veracity of the big data that AI needs. It’s a specialized engineering discipline to handle that (data engineer). Let alone how to deploy and manage the infra that models need—also a specialized discipline has emerged to handle that aspect (ML engineer). Often they sit at the same desk.

    1 & 5 —> 2: stakeholders seem to want AI to be a boil-the-ocean solution. They want it to do everything and be awesome at it. What they often don’t realize is that AI can be a really awesome specialist tool, that really sucks on testing scenarios that it hasn’t been trained on. Transfer learning is a thing but that requires fine tuning and additional training. Huge models like LLMs are starting to bridge this somewhat, but at the expense of the really sharp specialization. So without a really clear understanding of what can be done with AI really well, and perhaps more importantly, what problems are a poor fit for AI solutions, of course they’ll be destined to fail.

    3 —> 3: This isn’t a problem with just AI. It’s all shiny new tech. Standard Gardner hype cycle stuff. Remember how they were saying we’d have crypto-refrigerators back in 2016?

    • Hackerman_uwu@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Also in the industry and I gotta say it’s not often I agree with every damn point. You nailed it. Thanks for posting!

    • rainynight65@feddit.org
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      2 months ago

      Re 1, 3 and 5, maybe it is upon the AI projects to stop providing shiny solutions looking for a problem they could solve, and properly engaging with potential customers and stakeholders to get a clear understanding of the problems that need solving.

      This was precisely the context of a conversation I had at work yesterday. Some of our product managers attended a conference that was rife with AI stuff, and a customer rep actually took to the stage and said ‘I have no need for any of that because none of it helps me solve the problems I need to solve.’

      • model_tar_gz@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I don’t disagree. Solutions finding problems is not the optimal path—but it is a path that pushes the envelope of tech forward, and a lot of these shiny techs do eventually find homes and good problems to solve and become part of a quiver.

        But I will always advocate to start with the customer and work backwards from there to arrive at the simplest engineered solution. Sometimes that’s a ML model. Sometimes a ln expert system. Sometimes a simpler heuristics/rules based system. That all falls under the ‘AI’ umbrella, by the way. :D

    • WanderingVentra@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      Not to derail, but may I ask how did you become an AI Engineer? I’m a software dev by trade, but it feels like a hard field to get into even if I start training for the AI part of it, because I’d need the data to practice =(

      But it’s such a big buzz word I feel like I need to start looking that direction if i want to stay employed.

      • Bobby Turkalino@lemmy.yachts
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        2 months ago

        if I want to stay employed

        I think this is a little paranoid. Somebody has to handle the production models - deploying them to servers, maintaining the servers, developing the APIs and front ends that provide access to the models… I don’t think software dev jobs are going anywhere

      • technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 months ago

        For me it helps to have a project. I learned SciKit in order to analyze trading data to beat the “market”. I was focusing on crypto but there’s lots of trading data available in general. Unsurprisingly I didn’t make any money, but it was fun to learn more about data processing, statistics, and modeling with functions.

        (FWIW I’m crypto-neutral depending on the topic and anti-“AI” because it doesn’t exist.)

        • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Ha ha I got into genetic algorithms for the same reason, market prediction. Ended up exactly at zero in terms of net gains and losses - if you don’t count commissions, anyway. :(

    • catloaf@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      Yeah. I’d love to see this compared to other R&D success rates.

  • steelrat@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    So less diversity in founders? What’s the perfect type that The Power should allow to do what they want?

  • Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    As I said in a project call where someone was pumping up AI, this is just the latest bubble ready to pop. Everyone is dumping $$ into AI, a couple decent ones will survive but the bulk is either barely functional or just vaporware.

    • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      My new job even said they are using AI. It usurb every goddamm company shoving AI features on us.

      • Living_Dead@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        My new job said this aswell. When I got into the position I found out it was actually a machine learning model and they were trying to use it but didn’t have the time to create a clean dataset for the learning so it has never worked. This hasn’t stopped them from advertising that they are using AI.

    • Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Isn’t that how innovation has always worked?

      I feel like all this AI hate is comparable to any other innovation cycle.

      Millions of light fabric and dowels wasted on crack pot “air heads” trying to design first ever flying vehicle

      • JTskulk@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I think there’s more AI hate because it’s being pushed onto users that didn’t ask for it and don’t want it from the likes of Microsoft, Google and Amazon. And I think it’s warranted!

          • JTskulk@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Google added it to their search by default, I had to change my default search to exclude it. Same with my Android phone, I got prompted to switch from Google Assistant to Bard and declined. Really glad I did since I later read about how awful it is. Yesterday I saw a copilot icon in Teams that I have to use for work. I clicked it out of curiosity and it showed an error and then wouldn’t let me use Teams for 5 minutes. When I finally got in the copilot button was gone lol.

            • Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              Yea I guess for me Google already sucks without AI and beyond that I don’t have issues or bugs anymore than usual. But I also use chatgpt for things to do I find it useful. Even right now I’m asking if to give me some prompts to code while I learn different design patterns. Like asking it what is a good decorator use case.

        • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
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          2 months ago

          Tell that to a bronze age engineer, and they will probably respond that those two are closer to each other than they are to his best efforts. And he would probably be right.

      • randy@lemmy.ca
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        2 months ago

        It sure feels like we’re at the peak of the Gartner hype cycle. If so, the bubble will pop, and we’ll end up with AI used where it actually works, not shoved into everything. In the long run, that pop could be a small blip in overall development, like the dot-com bust was to the growth of the internet, but it’s difficult to predict that while still in the middle of the hype cycle.

        • Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          What I don’t get is the snobby attitude towards it though. I’ve commented else where that it has all the earmarks of being a manufactured outrage. It has all the same earmarks of any other media driven hate fest.

          Think of the logic where you are both angry that it’s useless, hateful of tech bros and still mad that they’re wasting money on it.

          To me it’s just fun new thing I can play with and potentially might be something bigger might not be. But when I talk to people online it’s like I’m talking immigration or gender with Republicans. It’s all the and talking points, vitriolic statements and hate

          • FlorianSimon@sh.itjust.works
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            2 months ago

            Allow me to offer reasons why: just like the blockchain before, the usage of resources is absurd (which is infuriating) for something that barely works (which is laughable), and the tech is being pushed by the same loathable and arrogant grifters that lead us into a wall at full throttle with crypto.

            I’m not just snobbing the naive optimists: I’m actually mad at them for what they’re doing to the environment.

            • Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              What crypto wall? Isn’t it back up?

              I’d rather have all the AI and crypto than any streaming service or social media that everyone who complains about resources seems to use freely.

              To me the crypto and AI is innovation which is where I want resources to go. The other crap is recreating things we already have just with extra waste and that goes ignored and makes me feel the outrage is fake or manufactured if the logic steps over a bunch of other things to focus on the new kid on the block.

              • FlorianSimon@sh.itjust.works
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                2 months ago

                I do despise billionaires with their private jets, or owners of gigantic pickup trucks that use them to shop for groceries, and I’m not unique in that regard. I can be mad at multiple things at the same time. It’s not mutually exclusive. And it’s definitely not manufactured.

                • Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
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                  2 months ago

                  I’m not saying that you’re not. I am saying collectively these points about wasting resources is a bit much considering all the other wastes in relation to the anger those other things generate. It’s not proportional. That isn’t me saying people love it. But I am saying they do use a lot of other things that generate tremendous wastes in similar ways without care.

                  Im pretty confident it is manufactured. Manufactured in the same way the right despise LGQTB and immigrants. If you were too ask them if their hate was driven by other sources they say the same thing. Nobody is immune to it especially if we agree with thing. We all just go with it.

                  Doesn’t change that we know fox news plays a big part of some people’s opinions and views. Doesn’t mean those people are not racist or bigots to begin with. But there’s a stoking of the flames. Same here.

      • BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk
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        2 months ago

        I doubt AI is going to die, it’s objectively useful in many cases. We just don’t need it absofuckinglutely everywhere.

          • SomeGuy69@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            In a few years either people hate AI bots so much, that products with it start losing sales, or every coffee machine will have one. Exciting times ahead.

            • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              There’s a mobile game my spouse got me into. I am not normally a mobile gamer, they threw an ai assistant in there, and I think it is great. I can ask if how do I improve such and such, it tells me how or where to go. Which heros do best against this monster, it will tell me the lineups, so I can know where to focus things without writing it all down or searching the web or memorizing shit tons of information I won’t remember.

              It’s it worth it for them, not sure. It also does the help junk that leads up to tech support or contacting a person if needed.

  • SomeGuy69@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    That’s great. Like 5% more fails than regular software projects. Why do people see this as validation for AI failing? Lol

    • Angry_Autist (he/him)@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      AI isn’t going to fail, LLMs are going to fail and fail spectacularly.

      Expert systems are already being very effectively used in medicine and astronomy, political sentiment shifting and HFTs.

      Sentiment scraping expert systems are where the real danger and profit is, but everyone is being distracted by fuckdamn chat bots.

      It’s like the whole world freaking out about plastic straws when the real problem is microplastics settled in every fuckdamn organism on the planet.

      • jwmgregory@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 months ago

        restaurants provide a service the same way landlords do. just bc you privatized an essential commodity does not immediately make your privatized entity a useful or essential service, and i detest the notion that it does. it’s circular logic.

        EDIT: i’m getting downvoted but idc. i still think im right. weep all you want, but at its core, the buying and selling of goods/services represents an ethical dilemma at best and an atrocity at worst. the argument that restaurants are entirely a choice to go to is both overly broad and a straw man. restaurants often do impact people’s budgets and lifestyles, believe it or not. you can’t just blanket say they have no culpability in this arena because reasons. it is the mechanisms of the market and economy themselves that oppress us. it is not inherently human. it is not the only way to organize ourselves. we can do better, and we deserve better. who the fuck cares how much “value” literally anything has? i’ll trade you five smogels for a smilji. yay, everyone magically gained bc of the incantation! grow the fuck up. outdated ideas have no place in modern, civilized society. any imagined net benefits of money you can come up with are a drop in the bucket compared to its power as a stupid fucking thoughtworm

        • masinko@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Very different. Restaurants don’t buy up every food resource out there or cause artificial scarcity to make them the only option. Groceries are still a cheaper and healthier option 95% of the time.

          • jwmgregory@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            2 months ago

            that’s a monistic point of view. you clearly have never lived in or near a food desert, or somewhere where fast food is the only option, because oftentimes at a local scale restaurants do buy up all available food resources. sure. these people could subsist off of wild fucking berries outside instead. why not. the choices of large restaurant megacorps weigh heavy on millions.

        • FlorianSimon@sh.itjust.works
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          2 months ago

          Restaurants aren’t fighting regular folks to make food supplies scarce and jack up food prices. You can choose to not go to a restaurant and that won’t affect your grocery bill. They don’t privatize food, they offer an actual, non-essential service which is to cook it for you, which deserves compensation. A restaurant organized as a worker coop is ethical.

          OTOH, parasitic landlords are responsible for the scarcity/prices of housing. If you don’t rent their appartments, you’re still affected by their greed because the prices are high because of them.

          It doesn’t compare at all.

    • psmgx@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Everyone knows 4 of 5 restaurants will fail, and soon.

      AI hype train is still going. The difference is people need to eat.

  • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I’ve been reading a book about Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos scam, and the parallels with Gen AI seem pretty astounding. Gen AI is known to be so buggy the industry even created a euphemistic term so they wouldn’t have to call it buggy: Hallucinations.