A.I. Needs Better P.R.
Silicon Valley is losing hearts and minds.
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Today in Free Expression, columnist James B. Meigs sheds some light on a dubious solar project; Spencer Klavan focuses on what Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” misses; and Mary Julia Koch chides today’s democratic socialists for thinking Scandinavia is their model.
But first, artificial intelligence isn’t selling itself . . .
Make the Case
—Matthew Hennessey
What to the slob is a data center?
The companies that are racing to beat China—and each other—to AI dominance have a public-relations problem. A serious one. From what I can tell, they’re doing almost nothing to address it.
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Ordinary slobs like me have no idea what benefits we’re likely to gain from the AI revolution. None. All we hear is that AI is going to kill jobs, make cybersecurity a nightmare, and . . . well, that’s basically it.
We don’t have any sense of what the upsides may be. I mean the real upsides, not vaporous economic concepts like “productivity” or diversions like making videos of ourselves dressed as Ant-Man and the Wasp.
The word has gone out that we have to win. China must lose. OK. Fine. But what do we get out of it?
Other great technological leaps came with explanations. The car was a clear improvement over the horse and buggy. The washing machine saved time and labor. Only a crazy person would prefer a washboard and basin.
In the 1990s, when the “information superhighway” was new, leaders in politics and business made an effort to prepare us for a future of greater connectivity, online banking, streaming video and web-based news. Some of it sounded fantastical. It was hard to believe that one day you’d be able to download a whole book or watch a movie on a computer. Hard to believe—but appealing. Enticing. Exciting, even.
So what will AI do to make life better? If winning the AI race is really so important, it shouldn’t be that hard to explain why—and to do it using language that slobs like me can easily understand.
I live in New York, where Gov. Kathy Hochul has decreed that no new “hyperscale” data centers will be built for at least a year. She has an election to win, but don’t make the mistake of thinking this is a neat partisan issue. Red states are also moving to restrict data centers.
Voters are turning against the idea of helping to build an ill-defined AI future. If they’re wrong, somebody who can set them straight better start talking. Soon it will be too late.
Cheers!: We recently told you about the decline in drinking among young Americans on the right. One group chat, though, might be single-handedly keeping the beer industry afloat. According to the Journal, a group of 1,000 strangers is attempting to collectively drink one million beers. Members participate by posting photos of their brews in a WhatsApp chat. Most members aren’t overdoing it, averaging about half a beer a day. The top drinkers, though, have logged 1,000 beers each in under a year. “It’s a little bit worrying for their livers, but pretty impressive,” one member said. — Emma Camp
The Bear Necessities: Japan’s ongoing bear problem has led to some situations that would be amusing if it weren’t bears we were talking about. As the nation’s population ages and shrinks, there are simply fewer humans to frighten them away. So they’re becoming bolder. An elderly couple recently discovered an Asiatic black bear raiding their fridge. It was only the latest such incident to happen in the town, raising suspicions of a repeat offender. The hunt is now on for the ursine thief—or thieves. To guard against this increasingly common problem, Japanese employers and other institutions now hold “bear drills,” which require someone to dress the part and simulate an incursion. That’s one way to make things bearable. — Jack Butler
T Time: The Defense Department will screen servicemembers age 30 and older for their testosterone levels, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday. Those found deficient can opt into testosterone replacement therapy, he said, “ensuring you have the right testosterone levels to operate at your absolute best.” The new program echoes the right’s ongoing obsession with “low-T,” as research has indeed found a global decline across decades. Perhaps it will accelerate the military’s recruiting surge if the bros get pumped up about this perk of service: T-maxxing. — Mary Julia Koch
Goodbye Darkness, My Old Friend
James B. Meigs
God said, “Let there be light,” and then saw that “the light was good.” Reflect Orbital wants to do Him one better.
Where God was content to separate day from night, this bold venture promises to offer sunlight as a service.
Read James’s Column ⧁
What Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ Leaves Out
The hotly anticipated mega-spectacle is, in the end, pretty good. But it isn’t Homer. Christopher Nolan’s shortcomings have made me love Homer more by comparison and sent me running back, agog, to his deathless masterpiece.
Democratic Socialists Get Scandinavia Wrong
When America’s democratic socialists want to sell their platform, the Nordic model is their go-to reference. But Nordic countries aren’t socialist. Their economies are highly competitive free markets, built on private ownership and global trade.
If You Can’t Say Something Nice . . .
The taboo on speaking ill of the dead, practically universal across religions and cultures, is dissolving.
By Louise Perry
A Movie Too Dangerous to See
German regulators wouldn’t issue an age rating for ‘Citizen Vigilante’ until Elon Musk put it on X for free.
By Dominic Green
Still Strumming After All These Years
Paul Simon isn’t the performer he once was, but his songs retain the power to captivate an audience.
By Barton Swaim
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Great piece! I completely agree! We never seem to read or hear about the benefits that AI can bring. I find it a terrific research tool, although I try to verify what it tells me -- but I did that before when researching on the Internet.
"Ordinary slobs like me have no idea what benefits we’re likely to gain from the AI revolution. None. All we hear is that AI is going to kill jobs, make cybersecurity a nightmare, and . . . well, that’s basically it.
We don’t have any sense of what the upsides may be. I mean the real upsides, not vaporous economic concepts like “productivity” or diversions like making videos of ourselves dressed as Ant-Man and the Wasp."
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Here's the upside.
Imagine a world where you never worry about paying rent, buying groceries, replacing your car or affording medical care again. AI and its robot workforce produce virtually everything at almost no cost, making abundance the norm instead of scarcity.
That is where the AI revolution ultimately leads. Once machines do virtually all productive work, there will be little need for human labor, wages or even money. Economic systems built around scarcity will simply become obsolete because scarcity itself will largely disappear.
In that world, everyone has access to the same necessities and opportunities. . Poverty and wants disappears, because AI creates so much that there is more than enough for everyone.
The hard part of this future, which I believe could be as soon as 20-30 years out, will be surviving the transition as millions of jobs disappear long before the full benefits of that future arrive.