I'm sorry Dave.

I read something yesterday in Wired that suggested that the big tech CEOs like Elon Musk, that robot who runs Facebook and the rest of them are having a hard time with the fact that there seems to be major pushback by "ordinary" people around AI.

I use AI in work, so you can regard me as being a bit more tech-y that the average person, but even I have issues around the momentum regarding AI.

1. The data centre and environmental cost

There's obviously the data centre issue. As AI and LLMs become more widespread, we're going to need a growing number of enormous data centres to run them. These facilities consume huge amounts of electricity and water, and require significant physical infrastructure. So there's a legitimate question about what the environmental cost of the AI boom will ultimately be — particularly if we're deploying these systems at massive scale.

2. The hardware cost

Then there's the hardware. AI requires enormous amounts of computing power, memory and storage, and AI companies and data centres are hoovering up these resources at an unprecedented rate. That has knock-on effects for everyone else. If demand for computer chips, memory and storage increases dramatically, those components become more expensive — and ultimately so does everything that relies on them: phones, computers, tablets, servers and countless other products.

3. Is AI actually making our lives better?

I'm increasingly sceptical about the promises that AI is going to make people's lives better. How, exactly, is my life getting better because of AI? At work, I'm increasingly expected to produce more within the same amount of time because AI supposedly makes me more productive. But is it doing my chores? Is it giving me more free time? Is it making my life meaningfully better, or is it simply allowing employers to expect more from me?

4. The loss of jobs

Then there's the obvious concern about jobs. My industry has been decimated over the past few years. Some of that is undoubtedly a correction following the over-hiring that happened during Covid, but I also think some of it is driven by the belief among The Powers That Be that LLMs will allow one person to be as productive as two or three.

Don't get me wrong: I accept that the rise of AI will create new jobs — jobs that don't exist today, just as previous technological advances have created entirely new industries and professions. But I'm not convinced that the number of new jobs will make up for the number of jobs that disappear. I can see AI increasing productivity while simultaneously reducing the overall number of people needed to do the work.

5. We're moving too fast

Finally, I think we're moving far too quickly. Let's assume that LLMs are here to stay and that they're going to have a significant impact on employment. What exactly are our governments going to do about that?

It feels as though there should at least be serious discussion about things like Universal Basic Income (UBI), retraining and other ways of supporting people through a potentially enormous shift in the labour market. But I don't see much evidence from my own government that it's seriously preparing for that future. Instead, we're being sold the AI/LLM dream while the potentially enormous social and economic consequences are barely being addressed.

If the CEOs want me to buy in to AI, then it has to have as big an impact on my personal life: more time, money/spending power etc. and not just be a tool so I can be more productive for The Machine. Address that and I might be more sympathetic.

So what are your thoughts about the rise of AI?  

Looking back.

Something I meant to mention in my last post is that on my way round to my Dad's house, I took a minor detour to walk past a couple of specific houses, namely those where BW and FA2 used to live. That's how they met: they were originally neighbours.

I only met FA2 a couple of times when she lived beside BW and I barely remember talking to her. So it was a surprise when BW told me that she had separated from her husband and that she had specifically told BW to tell me.

Our paths only really started to cross after she'd moved out of the marital home. But I'd always wondered when she'd started being interested in me, romantically. I think it was a lot earlier than she ever let on, even when we talked about it.

At last.

I managed to get some chores done today that I've been putting off all week. And why have I been putting them off? I didn't want to leave the house. That's what it boils down to. And it wasn't laziness, it was something more. Not a fear of going outside, but it was something more than just not being bothered about taking the 20 mins to walk to my parents' house or the 30 minutes to walk to my sister's.

Still, I managed to get around this mental block this morning and do both the things I needed to do, with a bonus 3 mile walk thrown in for good measure.

There are things left to do, but nothing that can be done until Tuesday, after the Bank Holiday. 

What?

A random thought popped into my head this afternoon in the middle of a work meeting. Well, not a thought per se, but a memory. It was from a time where E and I were doing some travelling. We'd gone on this course to do some black water rafting and this attractive Australian girl had joined us throughout the day.

I think she was interested in me. IIRC, E thought she was interested in me (I think she made a comment about body language). But the Australian woman was unconvinced when E (repeatedly) explained that we were mates, not romantically involved. I think I made a few tentative attempts to see if we could get physical, but she steadfastly refused to move away from the idea E and I were a couple. Oh, and the Australian girl was leaving town first thing the next morning. So a night out on the town followed by a night in bed isn't really what she wanted when she was getting up at like 5 AM.

I've no idea why that popped into my head at 1:30 PM this afternoon, in a boring meeting with my boss. 

Woohoo!

I finally got an install date for the work that I want to get done to the house. It was, in theory, meant to have been done by now, but it was always a rough kind of estimate "ten to twelve weeks". Twelve weeks from the order date was last week, so it's only a few weeks later than I'd hoped and a couple, of weeks before I needed the work done by.

I need to kick my ass into shape. I have three things I need to do now. One is buy a shed, the second is some building work and the last is a new kitchen.

The shed is important. I've got stuff in the house that needs to be stored elsewhere, so I do need the storage the shed would give. Once I've gotten the shed and moved all the stuff out of the house, then I can think about the other pieces. 

Plans.

It's started feeling autumn-y, Or, rather, it's been like that for the past few days. I'd hoped we might get some good weather into September, but the forecast for the next week or so is not great.

And the nights are getting darker, too. It was pretty dark last night by 8 PM. 

I've said it before, and I'll repeat it again, I hate the winter months. I like daylight and warm, I dislike darkness and cold.

Summer has been decent this year - a spell of great weather in June and July and it's been warm otherwise. I think I used the weather quite well - took some personal time at just the right time - but I also feel I could have done more. Hosted some people for drinks in the garden, for example.

Maybe next year if I get the work done that I want to do. 

Days gone.

Facebook threw up a memory of, you guessed it, a night out with KfW2. We were at one of my favourite city centre bars, and I ended up taking a photo of KfW2, at her request.

And I'm not gonna lie, it's an OK photo - slightly out of focus. But it's one of my favourites that I have of her, I think. She's wearing a black jumper and I think she had her hair dyed black at the time.

But it's not really about the photo and more about the memory, from 14 years ago, back when nights out with just KfW2 and I were a semi-regular thing. I still really miss those, from time to time. 

Pondering.

I had half expected to hear from KfW2 this weekend, if not to suggest doing something, then to at least call after her comments from last weekend. But nothing so far. I've been super-busy all day long with family stuff that I think might be mostly sorted, at least for now.

And I need to think about taking some time off work. I have a lot still to take between now and the end of the year.  I usually take a week off around now, but I'm due to move to a new team in work (to report to the tall drunk girl) and I don't want to do that the first week on the job, but I don't really have much choice. I'm also getting some work done to the house imminently that might require taking some time off, and it's entirely possible that it could be the first week of September, the same week I start the new job.

Party on!

I heard a rumour a few days ago that we might actually have a company-wide Christmas party this year. it's been a while since we had one, since before Covid, and even longer since I last turned up to one.

In fact, I think the last one I was at, I left early due to a funk. The one before that, I turned down the tall women (who will be my new boss in a few weeks time), mainly because she was too drunk.

And it's 13 years since the "who knows" incident with CH. A night where I also, if I recall correctly, danced briefly with Quiet Girl after dragging her onto the dance floor.

Our Christmas parties used to be fun. The core team that I used to work with, that included KfW2, started to break up around 2016 which coincides with the parties becoming less fun but before that, we were a close-knit group (thanks to me).

I posted this rumour into a group chat, which includes Quiet Girl and Stalky Guy. QG seemed quite interested in attending if this all turned out to be true. I can't remember the last time I saw QG in anything other than jeans. It could have been that Christmas party in 2013.

I might even go this time, too. Now that I can fit into my old suit, and I actually think I look good in that suit, it'd be nice to have a reason to wear it that wasn't a funeral. I know that KfW2 thinks I look good in it (but then again, she was with me when I bought it, so it had her seal of approval from the start). But I also know that CH loves me in it. She's told me so, but she's also eye fucked me when I was wearing it (and she was sober). And USHW has also shared her appreciation, too.

Zzzz (cont'd)

Yup, I caved and rainchecked again on Nerdy Girl. I can barely keep my eyes open. When I sent the message an hour or so ago, I was actually planning on going to my sisters to try and solve some of the family stuff (paperwork), but I don't think I'm capable even of that.

I'm due to finish work early tomorrow, so I'll go to my sis's then and get that sorted. I need to do more family stuff on Saturday morning and maybe, just maybe that might remove some of the blockers to being able to manage this from home, online. 

Hello there.

In my last post, I mentioned being out with work last night. It was a somewhat impromptu affair, kicked off by the sudden appearance of an American colleague. Well, I say "colleague" but she was a colleague's boss, so I don't really have any direct professional entanglement.

Still... free dinner and drinks is free dinner and drinks.

And it was fun. The American girl was quite nice, and despite the fact she was quite senior in the organisation, she was quite open with information and opinions, which was refreshing.

She also, physically, gave off big QC2 vibes. 

QC2 vibes aside, I liked her. I don't say that about all my foreign co-workers, especially those in senior management. I guess it was her somewhat unguarded conversations that felt honest rather than those who just trot out the company line all the time. That was refreshing in itself.