Technology As Transformative Power
Yesterday was an unofficial American national holiday. The final game of the NFL season was held in New Orleans, The Super Bowl. Ostensibly the athletic championship is a thin pretext for one of the most expensive marketing spectacles of the year, fueled by many of our largest companies. The component of sport is a minor note in the hours-long broadside of stratospherically expensive commercials.
I took note of the 60 second spot offered by OpenAI at a cost of $14 million. You can view it if you wish. CLICK HERE. The core message of the ad: 1) “progress” is inevitable, 2) is always “good” for humanity as a whole, and 3) the next great advance begins with OpenAI.
All three propositions are debatable, and likely simply false on their face.
2 thoughts on “Technology As Transformative Power”
From time immemorial the intent of any advertisement is not to tell the truth, but to convince the viewer of the value of the object or service being advertised and have them shell out moolah for said service or object. I suppose one could cut some slack with regard to Public Service Announcements, but even they have an agenda and will stretch the facts to make a point. The true irony is that if you ask almost all people if they would like to be told the truth, they will say, “Absolutely” and then they will turn around and swallow the swill being offered by advertisers (or politicians) as gospel, never even questioning the veracity of the claims. As I say over and over, we are an odd and inexplicably silly creature.
More and more I am viewing Rhett Butler as a role model. He never lost his sense of self no matter the mayhem, the growing chaos around him. Like this quote: “Dear Scarlett! You aren’t helpless. Anyone as selfish and determined as you are is never helpless.”