Technology

An alarming number of people can't read over a 6th grade level.

An alarming number of them believe that they are conscious too, when they show no signs of it.

I checked the source and I can't find their full report or even their methodology.

I think an alarming number of Gen Z internet folks find it funny to skew the results of anonymous surveys.

I wish philosophy was taught a bit more seriously.

An exploration on the philosophical concepts of simulacra and eidolons would probably change the way a lot of people view LLMs and other generative AI.

Same generation who takes astrology seriously, I’m shocked

Lots of people lack critical thinking skills

The LLM peddlers seem to be going for that exact result. That's why they're calling it "AI". Why is this surprising that non-technical people are falling for it?

This is an angle I've never considered before, with regards to a future dystopia with a corrupt AI running the show. AI might never advance beyond what it is in 2025, but because people believe it's a supergodbrain, we start putting way too much faith in its flawed output, and it's our own credulity that dismantles civilisation rather than a runaway LLM with designs of its own. Misinformation unwittingly codified and sanctified by ourselves via ChatGeppetto.

The call is coming from inside the ~~house~~ mechanical Turk!

Lots of attacks on Gen Z here, some points valid about the education that they were given from the older generations (yet it's their fault somehow). Good thing none of the other generations are being fooled by AI marketing tactics, right?

The debate on consciousness is one we should be having, even if LLMs themselves aren't really there. If you're new to the discussion, look up AI safety and the alignment problem. Then realize that while people think it's about preparing for a true AGI with something akin to consciousness and the dangers that we could face, we have have alignment problems without an artificial intelligence. If we think a machine (or even a person) is doing things because of the same reasons we want them done, and they aren't but we can't tell that, that's an alignment problem. Everything's fine until they follow their goals and the goals suddenly line up differently than ours. And the dilemma is - there's not any good solutions.

But back to the topic. All this is not the fault of Gen Z. We built this world the way it is and raised them to be gullible and dependent on technology. Using them as a scapegoat (those dumb kids) is ignoring our own failures.

I’ve been hearing a lot about gen z using them for therapists, and I find that really sad and alarming.

AI is the ultimate societal yes man. It just parrots back stuff from our digital bubble because it’s trained on that bubble.

It's likely they don't know what the word "conscious" means

An alarming number of Hollywood screenwriters believe consciousness (sapience, self awareness, etc.) is a measurable thing or a switch we can flip.

At best consciousness is a sorites paradox. At worst, it doesn't exist and while meat brains can engage in sophisticated cognitive processes, we're still indistinguishable from p-zombies.

I think the latter is more likely, and will reveal itself when AGI (or genetically engineered smart animals) can chat and assemble flat furniture as well as humans can.

(On mobile. Will add definition links later.) << Done!

to be honest they probably wish it was conscious because it has more of a conscience than conservatives and capitalists

They also are the dumbest generation with a COVID education handicap and the least technological literacy in terms of mechanics comprehension. They have grown up with technology that is refined enough to not need to learn troubleshooting skills past "reboot it".

How they don't understand that a LLM can't be conscious is not surprising. LLMs are a neat trick, but far from anything close to consciousness or intelligence.

An Alarming Number of Anyone Believes Fortune Cookies

Just ... accept it, superstition is in human nature. When you take religion away from them, they need something, it'll either be racism/fascism, or expanding conscience via drugs, or belief in UFOs, or communism at least, but they need something.

The last good one was the digital revolution, globalization, world wide web, all that, no more wars (except for some brown terrorists, but the rest is fine), everyone is free and civilized now (except for those with P*tin as president and other such types, but it's just an imperfect democracy don't you worry), SG-1 series.

Anything changing our lives should have an intentionally designed religious component, or humans will improvise that where they shouldn't.

I wasn't aware the generation of CEOs and politicians was called "Gen Z".

If they mistake those electronic parrots for conscious intelligencies, they probably won't be the best judges for rating such things.

That's a matter of philosophy and what a person even understands "consciousness" to be. You shouldn't be surprised that others come to different conclusions about the nature of being and what it means to be conscious.