Hi!
I am attempting a return to blogging, motivated by my enjoyment of the writing process, and maybe also to connect with a community sharing my interests. I am hoping to make the habit stick.
My interests lie at the intersection of technology, society and culture. A lot is happening these days, driven mostly by rapid changes in AI.
Facing these changes, my posture is multifaceted.
I am an optimist. I find the technology incredibly empowering. It allows me to learn, build, do tasks that were previously out of reach. With it, I can be more autonomous technologically: I no longer need most cloud services from the big tech and can instead use open source alternatives or build my own. I always could, but the entry cost is now manageable.
I am excited that the fierce current competition leads to technological progress, in both the hardware (cheaper, more powerful, more efficient chips), and the software (more capable models).
I am a stoic. I embrace the coming changes, those that affect my trade: Will my job disappear? Will I become irrelevant? These questions do not trigger fears or anxiety.
I am cautious. I see the promises yet am aware of the pitfalls. A common aspect of every technology we adopt is what do we lose along the way. I am wary of excessive cognitive offloading. I dislike the science fiction narratives of singularity, doom, that lead many key players in AI to cut corners, to be irresponsible to ship harmful products, cause damage now.
I am overall fascinated to see these changes happening. These changes affect how I work in academia and in industry.
Through this blog, I hope to discuss the technology itself, how it works, what I do with it, and its impact on society.