Outside of tech and gaming, I don’t get my news from “conventional” sources. While it was initially because the news was depressing, it’s become more of the mainstream media not telling the full story. It’s one of the reasons why I watch late night talk show hosts. I came around to the Daily Show after he left, but I’m glad to see Jon Stewart back, even if it’s weekly. And this week, he had some tea to spill.
Jon Stewart and the Problem with AI
During his show this past Monday, he did a segment on the “The False Promise of AI.” In it, he highlighted how a lot of tech CEOs including Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, and Satya Nadella share in this utopian view of artificial intelligence. They sell it as a way to make human lives simpler. It’s supposed to be a tool to allow humans to live more fruitful and creative lives.
Now, while I agree on AI being able to do that stuff, what these CEOs fail to highlight (which Jon does), is that we aren’t getting that right now. I had a conversation in a Tea Party over on Spill (yes, that is a thing) where I talked to folks about it. We don’t have the necessary social systems in place to deal with all the labor displacement happening because of AI. While companies are benefiting from cheaper labor (can we even call it that), people are bearing the brunt of this system.
But this isn’t why we’re here. We’re here because we now know one of the things that Apple didn’t want us to see.
What Apple didn’t want us to see
During the second half of the episode, Stewart interviews FTC chair Lina Khan. We would have probably heard from her a lot sooner, but Stewart says that Apple asked him not to interview her for the companion podcast to his show The Problem with Jon Stewart.
I wanted to have you on a podcast and Apple asked us not to do it. They literally said, ‘Please don’t talk to her.'”
Jon Stewart
As stated before, Apple didn’t even want the AI segment to air.
They wouldn’t let us do even that dumb thing we just did in the first act on AI. Like, what is that sensitivity? Why are they so afraid to even have these conversations out in the public sphere?”
Jon Stewart
I think it just shows the danger of what happens when you concentrate so much power and so much decision making in a small number of companies.”
FTC Chair Lina Khan
In the segment, they discuss how these companies have bought so many smaller companies to try and compete in new markets. The example given was how Meta (Facebook at the time) bought Instagram to compete in the mobile space.
What these two talk about and the overall conversation about AI does paint a picture on why Apple didn’t want this to happen. It goes to show how media companies can use their money to silence anyone who talks about a subject that makes them look bad.
Also, while people may come after Apple for this, keep in mind other mainstream media isn’t talking about this, either.
Source: Engadget
