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Nelly Bryce's avatar

Yes to all of this. I was talking about a similar point to a friend yesterday. About how I wish I (personally) was doing better on my climate impact. Basically. And then we kinda came to the point that if we put our energy instead towards protesting against huge oil companies or water firms polluting rivers, actually that’d be better use of time (and guilt/sadness etc). Everything you say. Beating ourselves up actually keeps the status quo. Collective action is required. Thanks for this article

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Laura Basu's avatar

Thanks so much Nelly, yes indeed, it’s not always easy but I think for me it’s about just putting aside a few minutes every day to research what campaigns are going on and taking the first small steps to get involved.

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TAD's avatar

Yes! This is incredibly insightful; I'm a software engineer and when I tell my peers that I have finally gotten to a point that I use absolutely zero A.I. they look at me like I'm committing career suicide, but I think I have been failing to communicate to them that it isn't about moral purity or intellectual superiority, but rather the importance of acknowledging the impact.

Of course none of us are individually responsible for the environmental disasters that A.I. is going to cause, but that doesn't mean we should ignore them nor obsess over them to the extreme. Freedom is not a destination, and we only have so much energy to spend; it's just about doing what we can, not doing everything all at once.

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Laura Basu's avatar

Yes thanks so much for this, Tad! So interesting that you don’t use AI in your work as a software engineer, that must be a challenge! I agree, it’s about trying to balance understanding the collective nature of the situation we’re in while taking personal responsibility where we can

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Opeyemi Parham MD's avatar

thank you, Laura. As I try to make my peace with us rolling towards the apocalypse, I choose to do any research I need through DEEP SEEK; the Chinese based AI (that makes a significantly smaller carbon footprint). It is becoming more and more difficult to do a straight Internet search and get a direct answer to any question I pose. See the example below of what I was able to dredge up, through DEEP SEEK:

https://youtube.com/shorts/g-cR4VLSq4Y

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Laura Basu's avatar

Thanks Opeyemi! There do seem to be advantages with Deep Seek, environmentally speaking, though there are other issues. Yes I know what you mean about searches changing and getting weirder!

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Miffsky.'s avatar

"Of course, in order to take collective action, we also have to actually do things as individuals."

I do suspect that: the best thing to do as individuals is to relentlessly promote that culture of collective, collaborative working; against this deadening hegemony of autocratic culture*, rather than trying to achieve personal beatitude whilst struggling to thrive in a soulless, top-down system which does not even offer that option.

(*Some may even describe that as putting the Love back into Economics?😁)

With all of my warmest solidarity wishes! 😊

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Laura Basu's avatar

Thanks Miffsky, ‘personal beatitude’ - indeed! Yes I agree, it’s not always easy but creating and sustaining those relationships where we can - and putting that love in economics! 😃

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