Pylimitics

A young prodigy in AI development named Alexandr Wang got a sack of cash from world-class sociopath Zuckerberg to build Facebook’s new AI program “Muse.” Now [Twitter-link warning:] he’s attempted to justify his work, in the most hubristic, egotistical way imaginable. Of course he did so on Twitter.

Katie Notopoulos saw through it immediately as [Twitter-link warning:] “faux-Hallmark pap.” Notopoulos is reacting, most likely, to Wang explaining to us “what we all want,” and deciding for us: We want to spend more time with our families, overcome social anxiety, eat healthier food, open a bakery, build an app, or just find a few more moments of calm in a hectic life.

This is right after he’s informed us, in his opening, that Most people never say what they want. Then after explaining to us what most people want, he continues with we have no idea what people will want.

It’s not Wang’s fault. He’s a child of privilege who has been educated very narrowly in math and physics, at which he excels. Lacking much of a sense of history or human culture, he guesses that The world until now has been shaped by the small number of fanatics who have somehow found a way to make their wants real. And what he apparently thinks is a good idea is for everybody to have their dreams come true, for free, without any effort or work on their part, because their “second mind” (sic) will find out what you want and make sure it happens.

It’s not Wang’s fault. He’s a child of privilege (see above), and lacking any background in human wisdom or literature, doesn’t seem to see any problem with this poorly-reasoned nonsense.

The energy and optimism of youth are wonderful things, but they’re not everything. Math and physics and computer programs are wonderful things too, but they’re not everything. It takes time for a human mind to fully develop; there’s a reason why we see a difference between intelligence and wisdom, and why it’s common to associate exceptional intelligence with youth, and exceptional wisdom with age.

Just wait: all our problems are going to be solved for us instead of by us, and by a product from an organization headed by a sociopath who has repeatedly demonstrated bad intention, bad faith, and overwhelming self-interest regardless of the consequences for other people, who he seems to regard as simply things to be manipulated. Wang himself may be a victim of this, at some level.

Pathetic.