Can an A.I. Company Ever Be Good?

Sunday, April 26, 2026

Paul Ford: Nearly a billion people are using ChatGPT. What appears to be a multitrillion-dollar economic bomb has been unleashed into the world. The loudest voices believe A.I. will either demolish the labor market -- creating a jobless dystopia or creating a (similarly jobless) utopia -- or reveal itself soon as a huge fraud and a bubble.

Posted by retort at 05:23 PM | 12 COMMENTS | permalink

The entire culture of American technology is built around two terms: disruption and, of course, scale. But ethics are constraints on disruption and scale.

Comments

Only if it were developed under an educated democracy.

#1 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2026-04-26 07:10 PM

The Democrats are all against this stuff.

#2 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2026-04-26 08:16 PM

Only if it were developed under an educated democracy.
#1 | POSTED BY SPEAKSOFTLY

The more educated, the more political violence you tend to support. So no there's no such thing as an educated democracy, it destroys itself.

#3 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-04-26 08:57 PM

The Democrats are all against this stuff.

#2 | POSTED BY LFTHNDTHRDS

Interesting, I didn't imagine this would be so skewed.

Even when asked to build it close Republicans almost double the Democrat support for a datacenter.
www.politico.com

#4 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-04-26 09:03 PM

Either when it is first created or a few years down the road, everything becomes weaponized to either oppress or to kill.

#5 | Posted by NerfHerder at 2026-04-26 09:29 PM

Figure a way out. It can be done.

#6 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-04-26 11:42 PM

I understand how AI may significantly undermine the workforce, especially many white collar jobs. Which may in turn will degrade blue collar jobs, as more and more people will be competing for that work. Really, in the long run, I don't see how it's good for anyone except a very wealthy few. Considering the billions (perhaps trillions) that are being invested in AI, where is the ROI? How will it be monetized? I'm having trouble seeing the general benefit to mankind.

#7 | Posted by Whatsleft at 2026-04-27 11:46 AM

No.

#8 | Posted by DarkVader at 2026-04-27 01:14 PM

How will it be monetized? I'm having trouble seeing the general benefit to mankind.
#7 | Posted by Whatsleft

Have you listened to some of the AI leaders? Many have some very sci-fi heavily influenced ideas such as the idea that it doesn't matter how much AI looses because a generalized AI would lead to a post-scarcity/post-capitalism global economy (or possibly destroy us all) and the AI that gets there first could/will rule the world.

#9 | Posted by johnny_hotsauce at 2026-04-27 02:46 PM

How will it be monetized? I'm having trouble seeing the general benefit to mankind.

#7 | POSTED BY WHATSLEFT

Because you are not looking at the big picture.

Try this. Ask yourself how did free email make the tech bros millionaires and billionaires?

Remember when the internet was gonna be "free" and available to everyone and it was going to create an equal and flat playing field for all?

Remember? Maybe not. But I do.

"Nothing bad can happen! It can only good happen."

#10 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-04-28 10:37 AM

the AI that gets there first could/will rule the world.

#9 | POSTED BY JOHNNY_HOTSAUCE

Exactly.

Whoever gets the most powerful AI first wins.

At least that is what we think right now.

While there is at least some truth to that in actuality we have no idea what the world will look like after the Singularity. We are only guessing. Our Sci-Fi movies give us hints of things to come.

Like with a black hole there is an event horizon. You will not know and will not be able to detect that you have passed the point of no return. But once you do there is no turning back.

It's quite possible we have already crossed the event horizon of AI.

I think there is already no turning back.

#11 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-04-28 10:44 AM

I think there is already no turning back.
#11 | Posted by donnerboy

I agree. But I doubt if mankind is going to like the result.

#12 | Posted by Whatsleft at 2026-04-28 01:33 PM

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