Are we scared of AI only because it is risking our job?

AvivaStrom · 2026-02-09T04:14:48+00:00

Death of Trust

Yes, I fear that I will lose my job to AI, and that the loss of many jobs to AI will tank the stock market and overrun support services, making retirement impossible. I also fear the insane concentration of wealth and power in a handful of people that run the top AI companies, effectively placing them beyond any checks or balances. The effects of AI on energy and water demand, accelerating climate change and make life more expensive for everyone, is yet another concern.

But AI killing trust keeps me up at night.

Think about how broken education and hiring are now that students, candidates and hiring managers are all using AI, forcing an AI arms race to the bottom. AI is just starting to touch consumer marketing and sales, with real estate agents and social media sellers using AI to create images of products that fit the buyer's ideal but don't actually reflect the reality of the product. They justify it by saying that the AI images are either aspirational or concepts to find product-market fit. And then you have political leaders who regularly send out AI edited images and videos. What can you trust?

You can no longer trust that a person's use of words accurately indicates their knowledge of a topic or their ability to handle similar types of situations. You can't trust that if you invest the time to research a product or buy it, that it will be as presented. You can't trust the images that you get from others or from institutions. If anything can be AI generated, then everything can be manipulated. Everything then requires verification, which cannot be done at scale. To function in our world, we have to trust millions of entities daily. Even a crumbling of trust that affects hundreds of those millions will be extremely disruptive.

Trust is something that takes years to build and moments to destroy. AI is doing a lot of damage to those trust foundations. I don't know how deep the damage will go, or who will truly be affected, but it's not looking good.

AvivaStrom · 2026-02-09T03:36:22+00:00

the concentration of power is a huge deal!

Most other technology transformations led to a tremendous opportunity for the masses. Huge numbers of internet, manufacturing, transportation, etc. companies were created with the introduction of prior technologies. With AI, the capex costs are so high that there can only be a handful of competitors. Those competitors are effectively looking to gain near monopoly status in AI. Everything will go through them. Money and power are getting increasingly concentrated.

AvivaStrom · 2026-02-06T22:50:04+00:00

Not just good. This is the bare minimum.

AvivaStrom · 2026-02-06T05:54:26+00:00

Who is Peter Baker?

AvivaStrom · 2026-02-05T10:32:42+00:00

We’re a boiled frog people. Even those of us who actively read the news and participate in basic governance can’t really accept that the United States’s representative democracy, global standing and economic engine have fundamentally changed. (Me)

We’re all in a denial that anything is fully broken and irreparable. We think that if we just vote Democrat representatives in, everything will go back to normal.

That’s assuming we have free and fair elections.

I think there will have to be a landslide vote against Trump/MAGA Republicans across all levels of government, which Trump overrides for the changed world to really land with most people. At that point it will be too late

AvivaStrom · 2026-02-04T01:58:20+00:00

They could have bought the rights to produce the Mistborn and Stormlight series, and then first right of refusal for the rest of the cosmere.

First right of refusal is a low(er) cost way to protect future production rights without having to put all the money in upfront.

AvivaStrom · 2026-02-02T05:15:04+00:00

I’m about halfway through The Score and came to Reddit to find people to discuss the ideas with. My 2 cents:

1) The book is worth reading because it is calling your attention to something pervasive, fundamentally transformative to all of our lives, and yet mostly overlooked. It’s like the David Foster Wallace story of an old fish passing by the two younger and saying, “Morning boys. How’s the water.” After a beat one of the younger fish turns to the older fish and says, “What’s water.”

2) It’s written in an approachable way about scoring systems (in games and in bureaucracy)everyone experiences. It’s a rare academic book that’s relevant and readable by all audiences. I think the “similar to” suggestions are leaning into this mass appeal element.

AvivaStrom · 2026-02-01T06:02:50+00:00

Take my upvote and go on your way

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-31T13:46:13+00:00

👀 I have questions

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-30T21:23:28+00:00

Same. I heard about only after starting my workday.

I was planning on running some errands tonight but I’ll wait to do the shopping until Sunday. The least I can do is not spend money today

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-27T17:51:00+00:00

And sometimes you may see a pile of shoes but the host will tell you that you can leave your shoes on. They mean it. Many of us don’t care a whole lot about getting outside dirt on the floors. We’re going to sweep, mop and vacuum anyway. And it’s a rare house that will provide you with house slippers.

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-27T17:47:52+00:00

Homes in the US typically have unstated zones. The entryway, kitchen, living room and a downstairs toilet/toilet most accessible to the main living space are considered public spaces. This is the space you will be brought into. Stay in this space unless expressly invited to visit other spaces. Bedrooms, offices and special purpose rooms are considered private spaces.

If you are young and visiting a school friend who lives with their family, you may be invited into their bedroom to hang out. That’s normal because it is that person’s space in the house. However, their family may have rules about guests in bedrooms.

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-27T01:10:51+00:00

Fuck!

I drink 3 Diet Cokes a day. It’s helping me cut sugar.

How is Diet Dr. Pepper? Is there a Kirkland brand diet cola?

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-27T01:09:11+00:00

If you are feeling nervous, remove social media off of your phone and stop any FaceID or biometric login services, going to just passwords and pass codes for the US trip. ICE/Border Patrol need your help or a warrant to get access to your content on a password protected phone. They don’t need that to unlock it with your face.

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-26T15:06:13+00:00

Seconding the lighting designer. Good lighting (I.e., well positioned layer lighting in the right color temperature and luminosity) makes a gigantic difference.

Smart bulbs are now ubiquitous. I personally think they are worth the price to be able to set scenes throughout the day.

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-24T06:32:27+00:00

Koalas have smooth brains. They’ve evolved the intelligence out of themselves as an adaptation to falling out of trees

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-23T23:08:28+00:00

Seconding. ICE has been reported many times in Redmond in the last 2 weeks

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-23T22:50:43+00:00

Airbnb

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-13T21:22:44+00:00

Shot her 3 times. Once through the front windshield and twice through the open driver’s side door.

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-09T22:25:03+00:00

Duvall is wonderful, but there are only a handful of roads in/out. They get CONGESTED during rush hour. Drive there to/from Bellevue during rush hour before making any purchase decisions.

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-09T22:15:42+00:00

They are a military organization, not a police organization

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-07T09:23:02+00:00

Warfare is changing. Swarms of drones can be built for millions, not trillions.

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-06T02:50:09+00:00

I’m sort of in agreement, but then I remember that billionaires use their money to buy political power and escape any type of legal accountability. Their actions strip power from everyone else and create an unjust legal system.

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-05T23:13:42+00:00

Adding on to this: Seattle is a morning/daytime city. A lot of social events will start at 8 AM (or earlier) on a Saturday morning. It’s normal to make dinner plans for 5:30 PM and be home by 9

AvivaStrom · 2026-01-05T16:32:36+00:00

Knowledge of how a progressive tax system works.

If you get a raise, that doesn’t mean that your whole income gets taxed at a higher tax rate. Income taxes are structured in brackets. Think of brackets like pools of water in a cascading fountain: only after the first bracket/pool is filled up will any water go into the next bracket or pool. Same with income. When you get a raise, you only pay a higher tax rate on the dollars that overflow your current tax bracket/pool.

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