The future of Windows - AI

[Lord Blackadder]

The issue is that capital is controlled mainly by old out of touch finance people who are easily wowed by curated tech demos.

And unfortunately, even the people wise to the fact that the tech isn’t as incredible as it’s presented also are incentivized to invest because of the opportunity cost.

Wall Street is a casino, and all too often we see risk, aspiration, and even recklessness sold as 'vision' or 'innovation.'


It is a little odd to see Microsoft being taken in like this though. or at least this exec. But I suppose nothing should surprise me.

I for one believe that most people who invest in whatever hype driven bubble that comes out of the tech industry knows that it’s likely not going to pan out, but also believes that not investing in it has greater potential loss. And they just assume that they will get out before the bubble bursts, and if not, hey, they’re “too big to fail”.

I would agree. The AI bubble is real. To be fair, it's been pretty obvious for some time...listen to anything Jensen Huang has said over the last couple years and it's obvious that it is at best quite optimistic, at worst pure baloney. It's just a question of when and how hard it pops. And it might pop more than once. AI is here to stay, but this high-on-their-own-supply vibe of heedless adoption is unsustainable because reality is going to bite.

But, as you say, even people who should know better are jumping in due to FOMO.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

The other day I read an article about the latest upcoming generation of young ones --brought up on iPads and Smart Phones-- type with one finger when asked to type on a 'real' keyboard and have no clue about how to work with a file system.

This is true. I briefly worked in education and the number of middle school kids that had no idea how to put a file on a USB stick was honestly frightening. I ended up having to give the class an impromptu lesson on how to move files around.

Interestingly enough, all of them were pretty strong typists. Just clueless about everything else on a computer. I worry for the future.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

This is true. I briefly worked in education and the number of middle school kids that had no idea how to put a file on a USB stick was honestly frightening. I ended up having to give the class an impromptu lesson on how to move files around.

Interestingly enough, all of them were pretty strong typists. Just clueless about everything else on a computer. I worry for the future.

With regard to basic desktop computing skills, yes, I have observed the same. Can't zip files, don't know what a 'directory' is...

On the other hand, they are way more savvy at spotting scams, brain rot, and AI slop than Boomers and Gen Xers are. They also tend to have more empathy. They're going to have to grow up fast in this world, and it's be a bumpier road than previous generations, but despite some previous cynicism I actually think The Kids are Alright...

...just don't give them an Apple //e, a copy of Oregon trail, and a blank 5.25" floppy with tape over the write-protect notch and expect them to figure out how to make a copy...

(I joke, but I am SURE there is a TikTok video covering that by now).