AI Generation

Artificial Intelligence Icon, via Wikimedia Commons

Everyone is so out-of-touch.

Are they? Really? And, if so, why might that be?

Many people think it’s an age thing, but I don’t. I remember several variations on the idea that someone who is not a ‘socialist’ (or ‘liberal’, or ‘républicain’) at twenty has no heart, and one who is still such at forty has no brain – I didn’t think much about it when I was young, but now believe that it’s utter bullshit.

I have come to realize that this idea is more about behaviour and conformity. Rebellion is considered an inherent element of youth, and it is commonly believed that people will ‘grow out of it’, but is this true?

To some degree, possibly. As time goes on, most of us learn and grow. We experience relationships, employment, illness, and endless other lessons about how the world works. We settle into routines, learn about risky behaviours, see or experience their consequences, and learn about conformity.

A twenty-year old might feel they have less to risk, and less incentive to comply, while someone older, with a job, savings, and a family might well comply to a greater degree because they believe they have more to lose.

That seems reasonable, if you are talking about compliance with societal norms, but what about values? And what if you have little confidence that you will be able to ‘settle down’?

Consider the ‘western’ experience of the past century or so. My parents both grew up during the Great Depression and the events leading up to and including World War II. (Technically, my mother was at the very end of the Greatest Generation and my father was at the very beginning of the Silent Generation, but it didn’t matter to them – particularly since the terms didn’t exist at that time.

Then came the Boomers, like my siblings, who grew up at a time where the economy was picking up and there was great optimism for the future. It was the time of the civil rights movement and women’s liberation, and many believed we’d be in flying cars by the end of the century. It was also a time when a person had a reasonable expectation of getting a decent job, working hard, retiring when you wanted to, and being able to afford to buy their own house some day – though that was much harder if you were non-white... Or non-male... Or LGBTQ... Or the ‘wrong’ religion... Or...

By the time Generation X came along, the sheen had faded somewhat, and people were more focused on the Cold War, though there was still a reasonable expectation of the job and house. While the Boomer idea that working overtime was an investment in future advancement was still around, demands were growing faster than wages, and the chances that someone would stay at the same company for their entire career was vastly smaller. The Boomers were starting to run things, but the grumbling was limited.

For Millennials, the rate of change was increasing, and opportunities were harder to find. The confidence was starting to slip, and the idea of working hard for possible future advancement seemed a lot less realistic. The Boomers were still running things, but the Millennials were starting to push back.

When the Zoomers look at the world, they see economic uncertainty, increasing wealth inequality, climate change having increasing impact, fascism, growing attacks on progressive policies, and the threat of AI... among other things.

Which brings me back to being out of touch.

In May, a Florida-based businesswoman named Gloria Caulfield gave the commencement speech at the University of Central Florida. It was cringe. She appeared surprised that she was booed for declaring that “The rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution.” I mean, why would a class full of graduating humanities students, about to enter a weak job market that is just starting to feel the impact of AI be discouraged about AI?

She then received cheers when she noted that “only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives”, commented that this was a ‘bipolar topic’, then received more boos when she said that “AI capabilities are in the palm of our hands”.

I find it hard to imagine a more out-of-touch take on things. I mean... really?

Setting aside the baffling comment about this being a ‘bipolar topic’, which makes me think that she simply doesn’t understand either the audience response or what ‘bipolar’ means, why would she think that AI would be a topic to engender excitement from this audience?

Especially since, in literal terms, she is quite correct. The rise of AI certainly appears to be the next Industrial Revolution, as I have noted before, but Ms Caulfield appears to be saying that is a good thing, with no apparent understanding that, whatever its benefits, the Industrial Revolution was a time of great disruption and very poor working conditions.

Add the fact that the ones running the largest AI companies are among the richest people in the world, and do NOT have an encouraging track record regarding working conditions or societal welfare, and it’s really not hard to see why they were booing.

In response to someone describing our current situation in “generational” terms, I asked “Is Bernie Sanders a Boomer”? (Technically, he’s late Silent Generation, but shh...)

The point is that we need to examine our values, and try to understand the perspective of others. Things change from generation to generation, and I think the rate of change is increasing, so it’s definitely out of touch to complain about the ‘work ethic’ of someone who has little realistic expectation of fair compensation for their work, or that they will remain in the same job for more than a few years – if that manager is still there, or the company, or even that type of job.

I think everyone should honestly examine their values, and compare them with an honest and accurate version of what is happening in the world.

And, if you don’t support fairness, honesty, and human rights (or have ‘exclusions’ around whose rights you support), I really don’t care what you claim your politics are.

Cheers!