"Automation undeniably has some useful applications. But the folks hyping modern "AI" have not only dramatically overstated its capabilities, many of them generally view these tools as a way to lazily cut corners or undermine labor. There's also a weird innovation cult that has arisen around managers and LLM use, resulting in the mandatory use of tools that may not be helping anybody - just because. The result is often a hot mess, as we've seen in journalism."
"One recent study out of MIT Media Lab found that 95% of organizations see no measurable return on their investment in AI (yet). One of many reasons for this, as noted in a different recent Stanford survey (hat tip: 404 Media), is because the mass influx of AI "workslop" requires colleagues to spend additional time trying to decipher genuine meaning and intent buried in a sharp spike in lazy, automated garbage."
Promoters have exaggerated modern AI capabilities and many managers adopt tools to cut corners or undermine labor. Mandatory use of underperforming tools can produce poor outcomes and chaotic workflows, especially in fields like journalism. Large shares of organizations report no measurable AI return on investment. Widespread production of low-quality, AI-generated "workslop" forces colleagues to spend extra time decoding intent, correcting errors, and performing rework. The influx of automated garbage creates additional cognitive and coordination burdens and may contribute to a financial and cultural correction when hype meets reality.
Read at Above the Law
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]