varn.dev

I’ve never seen such a obsequious embrace of technology by “geeks” as I have with AI. It feels like the entire tech world suddenly woke up one day and decided that not only should AI be the answer to everything, but that we all just have to be excited about it. That’s bullshit and reeks of insecurity to me.

It’s not that tech folks don’t go hard into the things they are into; we do. But typically, everyone stays into their own little niche, finds their community and is happy there. But with AI, it feels to me that nearly every person, from every corner of tech, just decided to jump into being unabashed AI cheerleaders, for no apparent reason other than “everyone else is into it”.

And the AI cheer squad seem to be genuinely stumped when you DON’T share their level of enthusiasm. As if not being into AI somehow hurts their ability to use it and enjoy it, like it makes it less than and that without unconditional support, it’s going to just disappear. It reminds me of street preachers, talking about the end of the world but that it can be stopped if only you will come to their church, believe what they believe.

I just don’t get it. There’s been Windows vs. Mac, Firefox vs. Chrome, React vs. Web Components, etc arguments forever and while everyone is passionate about their side, there’s always a grudging acceptance of the opposite view point (or at least a 🤷🏻‍♂️ and letting them do their own thing). And in tech, there is always that guy to turn around and say “Well actually…” about something, anything, that others are into. That’s how things get better, how software and hardware and design and UX and accessibility and art and music and general human experience gets better - by working together to find the problems and solving them.

But when you refuse to accept the problems, and just put on a big smile and pretend like nothing is wrong, nothing gets done and it makes things worse. But with AI, that discourse seems to be drowned out not by folks who have been proven right, but just by the folks who are the loudest and they want you to join the cacophony of their noise.

People who are insecure about their beliefs, and know deep down that they may be wrong, act like this. That if you try to poke holes in their beliefs, it’s all going to come crashing down so we just have to hurry up and get everyone on board, and finally then, when there is no one left to convert, will they be proven right. (I’ll let you draw your own comparisons between AI and religion).

I don’t want AI. I don’t want it in my tools, in my browser, in my day to day life. I’m happy for you that you like it, great, go ahead and enjoy. But leave me the fuck alone and stop trying to convert me and we’ll see who is proven right in the long run.

(And if you aren’t one of those AI cheerleaders, then welcome to the resistance. We have cookies and punch on the back table.)