It takes a competitor to Openai off the market. Football teams in Europe would by up a good player not because they needed him, but just so that none of their rivals could buy him.
I suspect like most (or all>) "AI" startups, it's two key areas of expertise are raising huge piles of money, and setting huge piles of money on fire.
(The members of KLF need to start an AI fundraising round . "We have a proven track record of effectively using cash reserves in industry leading ways, being thought leaders in the "burn cash" space since 1994.")
One of the interesting things about The Diamond Age is that it's a story about the importance of personal connection even when interacting with an apparent AI.
In the story, three people get a copy of The Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, the AI storybook and teacher. Nell, our protagonist, and two neo-Victorian girls, Fiona and Elizabeth.
Nell's Primer is voiced by Miranda, an actress. She becomes attached to Nell and ends up becoming a sort of surrogate mother to Nell, but only by voicing lines through the Primer. Nell experiences a number of adventures, but ends up as a strong, independent young woman... a "good" ending.
Fiona is from a middle-class neo-Victorian family. Her father ends up in a weird drug cult, but somehow ends up voicing Fiona's primer. When she grows up, Fiona joins her father in a surrealistic acting troupe... a "medium" ending.
Elizabeth is from a very wealthy neo-Victorian family. Her Primer is random actors. They don't form a connection. Elizabeth rebels and runs away to join a criminal gang (of sorts)... a "bad" ending.
It seems obvious that people will form "personal" connections with LLMs. I've already heard a few stories about people forming attachments to AI avatars. I think it's part of the human psyche, just like pareidolia. I keep thinking back to this theme of The Diamand Age and wondering if those AI-driven connections will also lead to stunted emotional growth and bad ends.
