AI is the buzzword of the mid-2020s. It seems like every major product release comes with its share of shoe-horned in artificial intelligence, and if it doesn't then it's considered a failure.

It would be foolish to deny that large language models aren't useful, but they also aren't the amazing tools big tech companies are trying to portray them as (hallucinations, much?). Personally, I would rather they work in the background out of my way.

This isn't to say that I don't want to use them. Immich is a good example of where it's done right. There's no ✨ AI ✨ button that gets in your way every time you want to do something. Instead, it sits in the background and completes work that is actually useful: categorisation and recognition of photos.

Contrast this to the offerings of Microsoft (or Google, or Apple, or ChatGPT, you get the point...) and the differences become clear. It isn't there to assist you, it's there to grab your attention and generate more money. Chat bots do jobs that would be done more accurately and with more originality by a human. Image generation, while a cool novelty, at best doesn't give anyone a genuine boost to productivity and at worst harms the productivity of creatives. Many people have documented the fact that code completion tools harm the problem solving skills of novice programmers.

These companies don't seem to care that people aren't interested, or that their tools aren't helpful. AI makes shareholders open their wallets, so they'll keep shoving it down consumer's throats. The environment and stolen work don't matter.

I want a world in which AI doesn't get in the way. I want a world in which companies work to make it more sustainable instead of more power-hungry. I want a world in which I can work without being bombarded by companies wanting me to use their new thing.

Make it more subtle.