Can we retire the notion of old people fearing technology? Because I just had three cases where five seniors didn't understand why I was excited about tech as they were.
They were excited about the possibilities tech could give the world, even after they are long gone. I explained I was very disillusioned with how the whole tech sector exploits marginalized people and exploits workers. I looked at the recent iPads coming out and said, no thanks because I have what I need. It works, and these new features don't justify the price investment for me. The very five seniors all marked it on their calendars to order the new tech or pre order the new tech.
I explained that what I have works for me so I don't need new tech. I geeked up my tech so that it runs new and gets everybody to think it's new.
Of course, the subject went to AI. Everyone knows I'm against AI on here and online, especially the labor practices and the profit seeking grab... anyway, the seniors were utterly baffled as to why I wouldn't be happy about AI.
These aren't tech illiterate seniors, either. They can tell me the difference between a GB and a TB and one of them knows a little about servers but that's basically it. They can't host their own email server or anything but they know tech.
Even one said, you know what? My grandson is like you. He's younger than you are and he actually doesn't like technology at all!
To prove to them AI had some really big flaws, I loaded up an LLM with a voice input. They could use a Microphone to speak into it.
I told all my friends with non American dialects to speak into the microphone, but don't try to sound American.
That's when, for example, GPT and other LLM's fell short. The others were amazed because they thought, well, AI would at least cover different dialects.
But the AI's understood the dialects I'd say about 40% of the time, but to be fair, I was in a hall with a lot of echos and doors slamming, etc.
There are tech people that salivate over the death of all humans, and how no more computer stuff will be done by humans ever again, but these seniors aren't like that at all.
Still, they were just flabbergasted that because I was a tech guru that I am far, far, far, less excited about tech than they were.
I am glad I did the little voice demonstration though! I tried a number of American dialects. It couldn't even understand a southern accent well, and that's American English! Imagine how awful the others were!
@weirdwriter The modern day Luddite is one who knows, is interested by and (sometimes) excited by technology but knows that the people, businesses and governance of them are the diametric opposite of who and what they should be for the betterment of society.
Add comment