this post was submitted on 14 Jan 2024
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Our AI-generated future is going to be fantastic.

Archive link, so you don't have to visit Substack: https://archive.is/hJIWk

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[–] StenSaksTapir@feddit.dk 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Here's a basically fully automated service where you can generate a shitty book for $200. You can even have it printed as a paperback for more useless waste or have it AI narrated as a shitty audiobook.

https://www.bookbud.ai/

I hate everything about it.

[–] JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

$200? I can use Llama on my computer for free.

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How much time and power per page?

Then, it seems like Meta trained Llama with copyright protected books without permission, so the model might stop being free at any moment.

[–] JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They're not going to make me pay for something that's already on my computer

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Heh, we'll see.

For starters, keep that copy safe, in case Meta has to pull down all the "illegally opensourced" copies of LLaMA. If the "authors" (publisher corporations) have their way, it will become illegal to run the model without paying them royalties, so Meta will only be able to offer it as a paid service. You might still be able pirate it though, if people are willing to share.

For the future, when your next computer comes with neuromorphic RAM capable of running those models a billion times faster... just hope it doesn't also come with DRM checks built in to stop illegal models from being loaded ("RAM access error: unauthorized content detected"... doesn't that sound like every author's dream? 🙄)

[–] watersnipje@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 1 year ago

For free? The larger models require a lot of hardware.

[–] tardigrada@beehaw.org 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Amazon has been having problems with books written by LLMs for almost a year, and it doesn't appear to do anything about it. For example:

AI Detection Startups Say Amazon Could Flag AI Books. It Doesn't (Sep 2023)

A new nightmare for writers shows how AI deepfakes could upend the book industry—and Amazon isn't helping (August 2023)

These are just two examples, you'll find many more. But people keep buying there and support this business.

[Edit typo.]

[–] moon_matter@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

From your second link...

The story comes from author Jane Friedman, a veteran writer and academic who woke up to find AI-generated books listed under her name on Amazon.

I don't think AI is the problem here. It's that I can write a book, claim George R. R. Martin is the author and Amazon won't fact check me.

I mean, both are problems.

[–] sculd@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Ah! Typical Amazon

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Amazon also sell faked AI products if you search for (bizarrely)...

“goes against OpenAI use policy”

Try that string and see what happens.

[–] aperson@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

Those aren't faked products. Those are shitty products that have a shitty attempt at giving them descriptions.

[–] square252@feddit.de 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] 0xtero@beehaw.org 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yeah sorry - edited OP and added archive link, so no one needs to hit substack servers.

[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Pardon my ignorance but I'm OOTL- why is substack a bad thing? ( I didn't know of its existence before this post)

[–] frog@beehaw.org 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They recently refused to remove pro-Nazi content from their site, claiming that doing so doesn't make the problem go away so therefore there's no point in trying.

[–] tjhart85@kbin.social 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

For me, it's the refusal to demontize them that's particularly bad. I can understand free speech absolutists (in theory anyways, in practice you'll find that they VERY rarely actually are and will happily censor people they disagree with like LGBTQIA+ or sex work content), but that doesn't mean you need to actively be funding them!

[–] princessnorah@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This is a really good point. I’m sure they’re using a payment provider, so it might be worth it to go to them directly in the same way people have gone to advertisers to get Fox News hosts fired. The argument could be made that they’re funding domestic terrorism by white nationalists. The payment provider might be much less willing to take on that risk in the name of “free speech”.

[–] tjhart85@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago

Substack says it will not remove or demonetize Nazi content

Quite a few organizations and lots of individuals are now starting to migratev away from it and if any of the money made by visiting goes to Nazis, many of us would prefer to avoid the place when possible.

[–] square252@feddit.de 3 points 1 year ago

Nice, thanks

[–] st3ph3n@midwest.social 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I do almost all of my reading on a kindle - one of the ones with ads on the lock screen, and for months now all of the ads have been for this type of no-effort, low-quality, AI-generated garbage. Amazon clearly doesn't give a fuck as long as they make money.

[–] sik0fewl@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

There’s ads on the Lock Screen now? Ugh.

[–] kick_out_the_jams@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They have sold two 'tiers' of kindles for awhile, the one with ads on the lock screen is discounted.

It's not my favorite thing but iirc the lock screen is supposed to be the only place with ads.

[–] Stillhart@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Now? They've had the option almost since they first started selling them. It's like $10 to remove them permanently. Honestly didn't realize anyone would get the one with ads on purpose but hey, I didn't think people would use Twitter when I first heard about it either.

[–] DdCno1@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

I bought a few of their tablets with ads on purpose - and then just blocked the ads.

[–] aperson@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

I don't know how it is now, but the older ones you could root and disable the ads.

[–] StenSaksTapir@feddit.dk 1 points 1 year ago

Well, if they didn't care about being flooded with machine generated trash, they wouldn't have set the limit to books you can self publish down to a mere three per day.

[–] mPony@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I keep waiting for Amazon to start generating AI-driven online profiles spouting Ai-driven selling points for AI-generated media.
It's the AI version of "Flood the zone with shit" except the entire internet is The Zone.

[–] megopie@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Ah yes, the automated plagiarism disguising machines in action.