Hyping up AGI is a good way for tech companies to distract people into thinking AI is actually not that big a deal, when it is. It may not be in terms of its pure reasoning or in the goal of reaching AGI, but it is very disruptive, and it's a guaranteed way to heavily reinforce the requirements of using big tech in daily life, without actually improving it.
Yes, it may not be AGI and AGI may not come any time soon, but by focusing on that question, people become distracted and don't have as much time to think about how parasitic big tech really is. If it's not a strategy used consciously, it's rather seredipitous for them that the question has come about.
> Hyping up AGI is a good way for tech companies to distract people into thinking AI is actually not that big a deal, when it is.
I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Most people don't know the difference between AI and AGI. It's all hype making people thinking it's a big deal.
I have family that can't help but constantly text about AI this and AI that. How dangerous it might be or revolutionize something else.
Not to mention all the people on HN arguing we’re close to AGI because LLMs sound like humans and can “think”. “What’s the difference?” they ask, not in curiosity but after already making a strong claim. I assume it’s the same people that probably skipped every non engineering class in college because of those “useless” liberal arts requirements.
I’ve done engineering in college, but I’ve beed dibbling in art since young, and philosophy of science is much more attractive to me than actual science. I agree with you that a lot of takes that AI is great, while consistent internally, are very reductive when it comes to technology usage by humans.
AI is only great when you narrowly define the problem in terms of efficient production of a narrowly-defined thing. And usually, production at that level of efficiency is a bad thing.
Yes, it may not be AGI and AGI may not come any time soon, but by focusing on that question, people become distracted and don't have as much time to think about how parasitic big tech really is. If it's not a strategy used consciously, it's rather seredipitous for them that the question has come about.