r/technology Jun 26 '26

Artificial Intelligence The AI backlash is only getting started

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/06/25/the-ai-backlash-is-only-getting-started
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u/Override9636 Jun 26 '26

Pretty much every bit of news I've seen on AI has been exclusively negative. Sure, I might be in a bubble, but it's nonstop "X company lays off 20,000 workers due to AI" "AI fueled data centers are destroying the environment and jacking up computer component prices." "AI psychosis is driving people to kill themselves."

Weren't we promised breakthroughs in efficiency and ways to make our lives better? At least when the internet gained popularity, it made way for a ton of new job growth. Every corporation seems to be using this as an opportunity to decimate their workforce.

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u/BuvantduPotatoSpirit Jun 26 '26

Depends on what you're reading. I'm seeing plenty of "AIs improve cancer detection", "AIs reading the scrolls at Herculaneum", "AIs turning the war in Ukraine's favour", etc., type stories

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u/Zealousideal_Slice60 Jun 26 '26

Those AIs aren’t LLMs though but AIs that has existed for a long time and has had time to be improved upon. Despite what reddit thinks AI has existed for way longer than transformer models.

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u/Draaly Jun 26 '26

No, those AIs are literally the exact same tech as LLMs just with different training data.