Ethan Marcotte on AI

Ethan Marcotte in his blog post about starting to talk about AI as a failed technology:

Andy Bell and Brian Merchant have both documented tech workers’ reactions to “AI” mandates: what it feels like to have parts of your job outsourced to automation, and how it changes what it feels like to show up for work. I’d recommend reading both posts in full; it’s possible you’ll see something of your own feelings mirrored in those testimonials. And those stories track with my own conversations with tech workers, who’ve shared how difficult it is to talk openly about their concerns at work. I’ve heard repeatedly about a kind of stifling social pressure: an implicit, unstated expectation that “AI” has to be seen as good and useful; pointing out limitations or raising questions feels difficult, if not dangerous.