The author criticizes Quora's strategy of prioritizing engagement numbers over meaningful content, suggesting that it has turned the platform into a "sea of meaninglessness." They argue that this approach could potentially harm the platform in the long run, as it alienates users who are looking for thoughtful and insightful discussions. The author also points out that AI, while good at pattern matching, lacks the ability to understand or know anything, which is why the AI-generated questions often miss the mark.
Key takeaways:
- The author discusses his experience with Quora, a platform where users can ask questions and get answers from others. He notes that the quality of questions and answers on the platform has declined over the years.
- Many of the questions on Quora are now generated by artificial intelligence (AI), rather than real people. These AI-generated questions often lack context or understanding, leading to absurd or nonsensical queries.
- Despite the decline in quality, Quora continues to generate traffic and presumably revenue, as people still engage with the platform. However, the author questions the sustainability of this strategy, suggesting it could ultimately harm the platform.
- The author suggests that AI should not be seen as a knowledge engine, but rather as a "spicy autocomplete" that can mimic the form of human intelligence without truly understanding the content. This is evident in the nonsensical questions generated by Quora's AI.