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Mark McGuire's avatar

Our two sons are in the 22–27-year-old age bracket. They work at an Auckland-based startup that uses AI to create research tools to assist people with legal and tax questions. Their mission is not to replace people with technology, but to make experts more productive and to democratise access to legal and tax information. While some are running around screaming that the sky is falling, others are quietly finding ways to use AI sensibly and responsibly to support people in their jobs. We don’t have to kill the beast if we can learn to ride it.

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Kathy Fryer's avatar

Thanks for the update on AI. In NZ AI is taking entry level software programming jobs but it isn't efficient at good programming.

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James Griffin's avatar

Meanwhile, at the other end of the seriousness spectrum is this:

https://heywriterguy.substack.com/p/ia

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Cindy's avatar

🤷 Thanks for SOME reassurance on a topic with a lot of fearmongering. Also of note currently is the incidence of AI chatbots completely "making up" information - specifically providing article references to researchers or even decision makers (US dept of Health anyone?) with supposed links to the published material, which turn out to be bogus/non existent 😱 Also AI that reacts to being told they are wrong by trying to invent sources to placate the enquirer ⁉️ Self-limiting if enough people don't TRUST what they are being told perhaps 🤔

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Sas Petherick's avatar

I thought this study was fascinating: https://venturebeat.com/ai/anthropic-just-analyzed-700000-claude-conversations-and-found-its-ai-has-a-moral-code-of-its-own/

over 700,000 real conversations Claude found the AI didn’t just give answers it seemed to express values. Not in the way a machine is programmed to follow rules, but something stranger. Claude emphasized things like empathy. Protecting others from harm. Humility about what it knows. Even respect for elders and family lineage. None of that was hard-coded. These responses emerged through interaction.

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Shaun O'Neill's avatar

Really enjoyed

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Geoff's avatar

Here you are. Looks like you’ve been consistently fancy books for a long time 😉

Fabulous quote to keep in back pockets thanks!

“A Quote from Jean de La Fontaine: “Everyone believes very easily whatever they fear or desire”

The quote you’re seeking that expresses the sentiment “People believe that which they fear and that which they desire” can be found in the works of Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695), the renowned French fabulist. The exact quote is:

“Everyone believes very easily whatever they fear or desire.”

In French, this appears as: “Chacun croit aisément ce qu’il craint et ce qu’il désire.”

Historical Context and Source

Jean de La Fontaine was a 17th-century French poet best known for his collection of Fables, which were published in several volumes between 1668 and 1694. These fables, originally aimed at adults but later adopted into educational curricula for children, contain profound moral lessons wrapped in entertaining stories featuring anthropomorphic animals.

The quote has been cited in modern works, including the book “Subcontact: Slap the Face of Fear and Wake Up Your Subconscious” (2001) by Dian Benson, though La Fontaine’s original context for this observation likely appeared in his broader body of work discussing human nature and psychology.

The Psychology Behind the Quote

This sentiment reflects a fundamental aspect of human psychology that has been extensively studied. Fear and desire operate as powerful motivational forces that can significantly influence our beliefs and decision-making processes. As one contemporary psychological analysis notes, “Fear and desire are two sides of a single coin. A sinful fear is a craving for something not to happen”.

Modern research supports La Fontaine’s observation. Studies show that people often believe information that aligns with their emotional states, particularly when that information relates to their fears or desires. This phenomenon, known as motivated reasoning, demonstrates how individuals are more likely to accept information that confirms what they already fear might be true or what they hope to be true.

Relevance to Contemporary Understanding

La Fontaine’s insight remains remarkably relevant today. Contemporary psychological research has identified that people have unhealthy relationships with both fear and desire. As one modern analysis explains, “When people believe that unhappiness will come immediately after happiness or that the environment will be harmed after being happy, fear of happiness occurs”.

The quote also connects to current understanding of how misinformation spreads. Research indicates that “consumers of digital media” often lack “a desire to identify and share accurate information” when that information conflicts with their pre-existing fears or desires.”

Of course I had to use AI-powered search to find that 🙄

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Cindy's avatar

👍👏👏👏

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Matt B's avatar

Great article, Jesse. Not too worried personally in my line of work or for my kids. I work as a builder doing small jobs on existing homes. My work flow is very organic, on the spot and customised so AI has practically zero uses. Regarding the broader workforce, the crackpots are no doubt still going down the rabbit hole with ‘agenda 21’ John Birch communist witchunt type stories aren’t they, but surely the political capital in future will be invested in following the demands of voters who need jobs and careers, and billionaire/trillionairre corporates who need us working to spend $$ on their offerings…

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Jesse Mulligan's avatar

Love it Matt

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Chris Philpott's avatar

Enjoyed this, Jesse - and I've fallen in kinda the same place you have, that what will be will be, and there are reasons not to panic (and I love your wife's quote, 'the future is already here, it’s just unevenly distributed').

At the same time, I thought the picture and caption on this RNZ article was entertaining :D https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/564984/how-to-tell-if-an-image-or-video-has-been-created-by-ai-and-if-we-still-can

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Lindsay Wood's avatar

Fascinating post, thanks Jesse, and framing an issue we do need to talk about.

Daniel Schmachtenberger is for me as Cal Newport seems for you, and he is far from sanguine - especially if/when AI becomes coupled with quantum computing.

Maybe I'm in the fear-based mode you mention, though TBH I don't feel fearful, but if so I hope I'm proven delusional!

From my perspective it still feels like there's a prevalent blindspot around, and that is we struggle to envisage some form of technology we can't control. We can only think of ourselves as the farmer and never the sheep, and I wouldn't rule out us finding the hard way that might not always be the case.

Thanks for another thought-provoking issue.

BTW, jumping sideways, part of Paul Krugan's quote was "Whatever their formal training, young people need to acquire real-world experience to be effective in their new jobs." It's a shame he wasn't an advisor in the lead up to diluting our practical experience from driver licencing.

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