The author criticizes the lack of consent in using web content for training AI models and the inadequacy of opt-out mechanisms. They argue that these mechanisms are only beneficial to a select few who are aware and capable of implementing them, and they fail to protect abandoned sites or those owned by deceased individuals. The author concludes by challenging the notion that machine learning is akin to human learning, suggesting that generative AIs are tools used by corporations to operate at scale and reduce the need for human labor.
Key takeaways:
- The current state of generative AI is environmentally disastrous and built on labor exploitation, particularly in the global south.
- The author does not use generative AI models to write content on his site, nor does he use AI art generators to build graphics for the site.
- Major generative AI models have thus far operated with a flagrant disregard for consent by treating web content at large as fair game.
- Generative AIs are tools, devised and deployed by corporations to operate at scale, laundering content the corporations generally do not own with the active intention of reducing the need for, and the value of, human labor.