I’m in IT at an upper level and know painfully well what “AI” really is and that it’s not the disruptor people think it will be. However I feel like I can’t post it anywhere without being judged about it as almost every exec I know has bought into it hook, line and sinker. Even other people I talk to about the issues and limitations look at me like I’m completely weird “you’re in IT and you don’t embrace AI? wtf is wrong with you?”

So what do you all do? I don’t want to make things career limiting but I feel like I’m screaming in the dark seeing where things will really go. It reminds me a lot of the move to cloud and everyone going all in on it without knowing the real ramifications.

  • hades@feddit.uk
    12·
    19 days ago

    You’re definitely not alone. The rift caused by the so called “AI” is hard to cross with any sort of rational argument, it seems to be based largely on emotions, hype and herd mentality (which, some may say, is how top managers usually operate, see e.g. [1]).

    My personal principle for a very long time has been to choose my battles, as in, trying to not get involved in causes that are not worth it based on perceived impact, required effort and chances of good outcome. The “AI” bubble has been especially frustrating, as it inhabits an extremum of the “very important, very low chances of success” quadrant.

    Nevertheless, if you’re a hired employee or a contractor, it may be prudent to be pragmatic. How likely is it that you will be rewarded for doing something good for the company, such as convincing to change the stance on “AI”? How likely is it that instead you will be blamed for the inevitable fallout of the bubble, or just become a collateral, get laid off in the middle of what might be the biggest economic crash since 2008?

    [1] https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-era-of-the-business-idiot/