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Tech Needs Humanists More

86 points · 148 comments · eigenBasis

  1. sevenzero · · focus · HN ↗
    Tech specialists ignoring human feelings about AI and the future of tech, while also looking at the amount of downright evil tech out there makes reconsider about wanting to continue to work in this profession over and over again.

    Before I knew how to program I used to think software developers were smart wizards capable of creating cool stuff out of thin air but the recent years proved me differently given how many of them outright water out of their mouths at the mere thought of replacing the human in the loop with some bullshit parrot we call AI.

    Especially on this website I rarely find people having human first thoughts and it makes me despise software engineers.

    1. hardbass · · focus · HN ↗
      What are the examples of evil tech?
      1. ungovernableCat · · focus · HN ↗
        Autonomous flying drones, mass surveillance, AI trained to deny health insurance claims
        1. hardbass · · focus · HN ↗
          The trouble with some of these techs is that its good or bad depending on use. Flying drones are great for disaster aid, delivery of items in difficult regions, mapping your farm, etc. Mass surveillance, yes, thats unpleasant, but its a bit hard to see how for instance we can't also have advances in camera technology and not incentivize it happening anyway due to people just installing cameras of their own accord. AI trained to deny insurance claims, well, I'd put that on using AI as an excuse to launder the insurer's own wishes.
          1. ChickeNES · · focus · HN ↗
            And sometimes, the valid outcome is to deny a claim. It's not like fraud magically disappears in the world of health insurance.
            1. hardbass · · focus · HN ↗
              Yes that too. Can't really say who is wrong in a denied claim without considering both sides. The one denied is naturally sour and wants to complain regardless of whether the reason was valid or not.
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