I’m probably sticking my neck out with this one, but I am so tired of hearing about AI. Is it going to destroy the world? Is it the answer to all of our problems? My opinion is: No, on both counts.
We chatted about my disdain for the hype around “AI” and how Silicon Valley tech bros don’t have respect for the humanities, despite the fact that inspiration for a lot of hardware comes from popular science fiction properties. We also talk about the question of whether AI is a tool or an agent.
I also learned that Alex is a Jonny Quest fan, which makes me even happier.
I want to be clear: I don’t hate AI. I just hate the hype cycle.
David Golumbia retrospective, part 1: "Is Wario cyberlibertarian?" – Literally 2 Cents About Content!
Alex and Liz discuss only some of the works of linguist, philosopher, and academic David Golumbia, including:
The Cultural Logic of Computation (2009)
The Politics of Bitcoin: Software as Right-Wing Extremism (2016)
Cyberlibertarianism: The Right-Wing Politics of Digital Technology (2024)
Technology and Silicon Valley are often associated with left-leaning politics. Still, various causes (SOPA/PIPA discourse, internet publication and copyright discourse, digital innovation) have roots in libertarian or conservative and reactionary narratives. Golumbia’s work shows that it’s difficult (read: impossible) to divorce reactionary values from Silicon Valley and its staunchest supporters.
Reading list:
The Great White Robot God
A declaration of the independence of cyberspace
The Language of Science and the Science of Language: Chomsky's Cartesianism
Liz Cultivates | L.M. Fern 
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