Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit | tgv's commentslogin

AFAIK, the central bank is independent.

Isn't running the models for end users the biggest cost at the moment?

Running the models is a tiny fraction of the cost. The cost is all on training the new models

> Germans (because of course)

I don't know if it's the reason you imply. In the 70s, there were big debates in Germany about privacy and data storage. They spoke of one's data shadow (Datenschatten). I suspect this word comes from that tradition. The reason the word exists would then be the reflection (Verwaltigung) on WW2.


I took the "because of course" to be about having a word for everything - a stereotypical idea about the German language.

My understanding was that it was more that words can be concatenated into new words in German which is not so much a stereotype as more a misunderstanding of fact. I.e. You wouldn't think much about something like enjoyable-comuppence but schadenfreude looks more impressive without the hyphen.

That's like saying that English (because of course) is able to describe the concept by a combination of words.

There's also the other implication that the (East) Germans were Soviet just 35 years ago.

But yes. We Americans know Germans more for their silly big words. But statements like that can be misinterpreted as the German perspective of themselves doesn't quite match the American stereotypes.


I was implying all 3 of the above:

- we learned the hard way that data will be used to kill people, during the Nazi regime

- we learned it again in the GDR with the Stasi being a little less obvious but still ruining people's livelihoods

- and German comes up with compound words for such things


East Germany was not Soviet. Under influence/control of the Soviets, yes, but not part of the Soviet Union.

The Stasi would be the obvious cultural context.

In the US of course the government buys this sort of information legally from corporations.


> The Stasi would be the obvious cultural context.

There is also the rather famous example of how earlier census data was used in the 40’s.

Once the government has your data, they have it. The next generation of representatives may not follow all the same rules and norms


The West-German debate in the 70s came from the realization that the sheer size of the Holocaust/Shoah was in no small degree due to bureaucratic record keeping. Storing someone's ethnicity is potentially dangerous for that person.

The stasi could only dream of the kind of surveillance the NSA et al has today.

Germany resisted Google Street View until 2023, which was something I thought was very impressive.

Yeah, so Germany had a ton of secret police files and of course learned very well what happens when a bunch of people start collecting dossiers.

So yeah, of course they've developed that type of distrust. Americans should have also after the 50-60s paranoia of red scare, black people etc. Instead they just spend a few decades building a anti-social state.


Love it, also love how Datenschatten can also imply that it disappears when someone shines light on it

If only our past 20 year old self data could be so ephemeral…

Who doesn’t want that old post going extinct forever when they were shit faced outside of a bar in Nashville but now they are in their mid-life and are “respectable” members of society.


Do you use AI? For what?

It seems to me that --unless you really, strictly compartimentalize your browser usage--, using multiple browsers will only supply your data to more parties.

I guess you can't imagine a free, open democratic state with rule of law either. Because when broad, independent, quality journalism with a wide audience is gone, all you'll have to worry about is that poor cat in a tree in Ottawa.

This free, open democratic state with rule of law funds broad, independent, quality journalism from the public purse: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvxgl3n138o

BBC is not independent high quality journalism, as we can see from how they cover Israel and Gaza and the corresponding UK protests.

Until Farage becomes the PM. Then you'll find out what state funding means.

UBI is a phantom. If (when?) AI takes over and everyone is put on UBI, the problems we'll deem important will be finding enough food to survive.

Does UBI not mean that one does _not_ have to worry about finding enough food to survive?

If you follow that definition, it can (and will) stop existing. Don't count on Sam Altman to keep your groceries affordable.

When I talk about Universal basic income, I mean that steps are taken that it exists. Otherwise, it is something else with another name.

Sure? The website points to an article in Nature with different authors. They seem to refer to the people from Tübingen, though.

Perhaps it saves some time looking through the docs, but do you really trust an LLM to do the actual work?

Yes and an LLM checks it as well. I am yet to find a sysadmin task that an LLM couldn't solve neatly.

A nice bonus is that sysadmin tasks tend to be light in terms of token usage, that’s very convenient given the increasingly strict usage limits these days.

Yes, with a lot of reviewing what its doing/asking questions, 100%

By this point? Absolutely. They still get stuck in rabbit holes and go down the wrong path sometimes, so it's not fully fire and forget, but if you aren't taking advantage of LLMs to perform generic sysadmin drudgery, you're wasting your time that could be better spent elsewhere.

> except you get shafted

That's the point, isn't it? Creating images via AI offers nothing to society. Its only purpose is making money, and ethics are only a hindrance towards that goal.


I did a lot of AI images to show my friends and enjoy. There was definitely a benefit to society.

And my friends used AI as a replacement of stock photos and graphics in their products which offer a ton to society.


> There was definitely a benefit to society.

Because otherwise they would have gone out to the street and mugged old ladies?

> And my friends used AI as a replacement of stock photos and graphics in their products which offer a ton to society.

Yeah, that's the negative contribution. They're basically ripping off artists and designers. If those products offer a ton, some of that money could have gone towards them instead of OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.


'I dislike AI, therefore it has no value to anyone.' Who knew the international unit of truth was your feelings?

You're making assumptions, and try to frame those as childish. I dislike the current AI offerings because of their inherent negative contributions to society. "I'm addicted to/invested heavily in AI, so any criticism is flawed."

Generative art has negative value, saying it has no value is far too generous. It actively makes the world a worse place.

There is a 100% chance you will consume games / movies / media that was at least in part generated by AI, and enjoy it.

The idea that 50 years from you will still be holding out is hilarious.


Consider applying for YC's Summer 2026 batch! Applications are open till May 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: