On Being Left Out

A teaser this week, yet another CLI and headless agent access from a software company I follow, finally crystallized my theory about why "AI" is so controversial. I don't think the latest LLM technology is inherently evil, but the way it's being used and promoted feels way off.

The visceral reaction that everyone a lot of people seem to have against AI isn't coming from a place of hate (though I'll admit, it's not coming from a place of love either). It's simpler than that - people feel left out.

Look at what's happening around you.

Every software company is building the same thing, and it increasingly feels like they've switched from creating software for people to building software for AI agents.

Every LLM is being trained on the work of real humans without giving anything back, and then used as an excuse to lay off more and more of those same people.

LLMs are being used to automate everything and flood the internet, the very thing that people loved, with bots and generated text, making the dead internet theory a reality faster than anyone thought possible.

Would the reaction be the same if software companies actually took a minute to implement AI features thoughtfully, without forgetting about their actual users - flesh and blood?

Would people still react this way if the copyright questions were handled with care; authors and artists were compensated properly; and people's productivity increased without them losing their jobs?

Would the backlash be the same if the effect AI has on the internet and interpersonal communication were positive?

I don't know, but there's a real chance it wouldn't. Because right now we all feel like gamers raised on NVIDIA graphics cards. We grew up with the technology we love, only to find out that we're no longer the customer the company cares about.