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are we doomed?
how 2024 whitewashed the dangers of AI
Amber Rhodes & Dillon Young
January 03, 2025 • Est. Reading Time: 5 minutes
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TL;DR
Silicon Valley made public opinion pro-AI in 2024. How’d they do it?
TDSU returns…to tell you how great TDSU is
How about that college sports team? 🏈
ICYMI last week: What salary can you expect at a seed-stage startup?
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oh no, not again
How 2024 whitewashed the dangers of AI
2024 will forever be the year we all got sick of hearing about how great AI is.
But have you ever wondered about the flipside: if we should be worried about adopting AI so quickly?
Technologists have warned about the potential harms of advanced AI systems for years – and there was even a push in 2023 toward more public conversations about the dangers.
So…what happened?
The answer is pretty simple: 💸 🤑 💰
In June 2023, Marc Andreessen (a VC at firm a16z who’s kind of a big deal in tech) published an essay titled Why AI Will Save the World basically ripping into so-called “AI doomers.”
Oh yeah, and he argued that Big Tech should get carte blanche to move fast and break things. It turns out there’s a lot of money to be made in the AI space!
Then 2024 came along and the winds changed:
President Biden’s AI executive order is basically dead on arrival with the incoming administration
California’s SB1047, a bill focused on AI safety regulations, was vetoed in September
AI in pop culture seemed kind of…goofy. Like, what do you mean this program that can turn my dog into a ringleader at a circus could cause mass destruction to the human race?!
And on the whole, tech leaders who were destined to financially benefit from AI development basically said “shhhh, we don’t need to talk about that right now, ok honey?”
So what will happen in 2025?
🤷🤷🤷
Hard to say, but you can be sure we’ll talk about it here!
This is a recap of the TechCrunch article: Silicon Valley stifled the AI doom movement in 2024
🖥️ What else is happening in tech?
Last year’s biggest AI flops according to the brainiacs at MIT
Scientists want to interface human brains with quantum computers. Guys…there are at LEAST 100 books & movies out there telling us why this is a bad idea…
Apple has agreed to pay out $95M in a lawsuit settlement alleging Siri recorded and shared private user convos. You may be eligible for up to $20 – don’t spend it all in one place.
What can TDSU do for you?
Is referring too much hassle (aka your friends aren’t cool)? Skip the work and find all these 👆 and more in our shop. Get 10% off with code: SEGMENT10
Let’s dish 🤭
Mother, mayo I?
It’s college football playoffs time in the U.S. and, um, it’s getting kind of weird.
Pop-Tarts mascots stripped on the field at the Iowa State vs. University of Miami game before one sacrificed itself to a giant toaster.
And Duke’s Mayonnaise dumped 5 gallons of mayo on West Virginia head coach Neal Brown after bringing in a win.
That kind of thing could scar someone for life…
🫖 What's the tea?
“Speedcubing” could be the key to happiness.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, co-stars in the 2024 blockbuster It Ends With Us, are in a very public feud right now.
These weird species were discovered last year! Which is your favorite?
See you next week! 👋