Is AI Cool?
The big centralized AI models might be powerful; they might be technically impressive; they might even be wildly profitable; but there is absolutely nothing about them that is cool. Like, you can’t even make the argument. …
You might say, so what? It doesn’t matter if any of this is cool or not. Practically, I agree. Morally and politically, though … I will suggest that looking back at what kinds of computers, and computing technologies, were and were not cool might be instructive. This isn’t just a vapid assessment, after all, even if it’s subtle, or hard to pin down. Coolness has to do with independence, sovereignty, and, very often, stubborn commitment — all good things to have in a computer.