I just had a talk with one of my first ongoing clients, who sort of helped me kickstart my freelancing "career". He is one of those people who has a broad understanding of the tech out there, and what its capabilities are, but is not a programmer. He wanted to show me, and get my opinion on a restaurant management app that he's been using Lovable to develop. Admittedly, a lot of it is very impressive, and he has obviously become very good at using these tools. Part of that scares me, but I've largely accepted the reality that my skillset has to expand beyond being a React code monkey (wish is not what I am, but you get the point). I've always been a curious generalist, so picking up new stuff comes easily, and I'll manage.
Anyways, here's the part that feels really gross. He's working on a feature that does some automated marketing using Higgsfield, so automated slop posting. Also a feature that consumes reviews from vendors, and he intends to use agents to post reviews as well.
I'm 43, I managed to convince my parents to get AOL when I was 12. I made a Geocities site at 14. I've been obsessed with computers and the internet for my entire life. I'm also an artist who had a somewhat successful run as a touring musician, much to the detriment of my career growth (not much money in Punk).
I feel the hobbies that I've been nurturing for my entire life are being destroyed by people who have finally found an entry point that requires the smallest amount of effort. We are literally watching the dead internet happen in real time, social media turning into a AI slop gallery, AI music topping the charts, and I just had a one-on-one conversation with someone that just doesn't care, because they get to feel creative for possibly the first time ever.
How are you all dealing with this?
FlowingRiver•48m ago
Unfortunately, generally if people can do something, they will. And with AI systems they have been given one of the largest short cuts possible, thus they take it relentlessly. There is no concern for quality so long as it is good enough to benefit them.
They will try to rationalize it but it typically ends up in moral corruption of "If I don't, they will."
It saddens me because I saw the vision of what computers and connected technology could be in the 90's and 2000's, only to see it turn bitter.
I remember reading an essay by Richard Stallman calling all this kind of stuff out in the late 1980's and I kind of hate that he got it so right. In assuming that many will take the power play and the convenience means that this is the path we take.
The more you can walk away form this stuff the better even if you don't want to.