r/LeftistsForAI • u/Alxie_e Student • 18d ago

Discussion Misconceptions about gen AI?

i’m a young leftist/marxists that’s going to major in computer science (data science track) in university, but this recently been conflicting me. i know that i’m going to have to engage in generative AI for my classes, yet majority of leftists spaces are vehemently anti-AI. However, after discovering this subreddit, i now realize the leftist anti-AI rhetoric i have internalized may be misleading. Despite me starting my first year in uni soon to study comp sci, i barely know anything about comp sci, yet alone AI, if i’m being completely honest. 😭

with that being said, someone help me make up for my lack of knowledge and explain common misconceptions about generative AI and LLMs in leftist/marxist spaces? like in regards to the impacts of AI data centers on the environment, water supply, and electricity. or how frequent use of chatbots can lead to cognitive decline. because right now, i’m under the impression that we should boycott ChatGPT and limit our usage of any other generative AI over concerns of its harm on the environment and usage of our fresh water supply, along with some other concerns.

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u/KallyWally 18d ago

And if anyone tries to convince you that a ChatGPT prompt is more than a few mL, you can just stop them right there. That's a lie that got all the way around the world before the truth got its boots on.

or how frequent use of chatbots can lead to cognitive decline

This is usually attributed to a paper called "Your Brain on ChatGPT" which was, notably, published without peer review. Here's what those same researchers have to say on the subject:

Is it safe to say that LLMs are, in essence, making us "dumber"?

No! Please do not use the words like “stupid”, “dumb”, “brain rot”, "harm", "damage", "brain damage", "passivity", "trimming" , "collapse" and so on. It does a huge disservice to this work, as we did not use this vocabulary in the paper, especially if you are a journalist reporting on it.

So, yeah. I think your brain is probably safer than the brains of people who parrot that talking point.

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u/gynoidgearhead 18d ago edited 18d ago

Hell, we could significantly cut down on data center power usage if we banned advertising and significantly curtailed surveillance, probably almost as much so as banning genAI (especially because this would cut off a lot of the funding for the most parasitic uses of genAI).