Post #1490104

2026-04-10 21:44 UTC

@abucci Honestly, I'm with you. I boycott LLMs. It's not even slightly difficult for me. They're harmful and unethical, but also they solve a problem I don't have. I'm a fluent and prolific writer / coder, who enjoys craft, expression, and hard work. I wish it were as simple for my peers. They are very tempted by LLMs, and not dissatisfied with the results. I think it stems from feelings of inadequacy. Publish or perish. English as a second language. Coding imposter syndrome. Job prospects. FOMO. Whatever. They feel a strong temptation, despite knowing all the down sides. I push back where I can, and I think that's having a positive impact. My PI even put a moratorium on gen AI for now. But I don't think telling people they're simply wrong is a productive way of changing their behavior. I do not agree with or endorse all the things in this article, but I do sympathize with the author, and I think he does a good job of explaining the sort of conflict my lab and many others are struggling with right now.

Replies (1)

@abucci@buc.ci 2026-04-13 14:48

@ngaylinn@tech.lgbt I think he does a good job of explaining the sort of conflict my lab and many others are struggling with right now. I've observed an alarming tendency among people who've already made it in academia to dissuade, scare away, or haze others, when they actually have the power to change academia for the better. They are empowered to refuse the push for AI from their university administration. They have the power to introduce modules into their classes to explore any and all dimensions of LLMs to critically examine this technology. They can make phone calls or email their colleagues on their students' behalf to help them land positions or funding or what have you. In short, they have the power to change all the conditions that are leading junior scholars to question whether they need to be using LLMs and to feel fear about their future prospects---they can largely alleviate that fear and settle that question in the negative. I think a lot of senior scholars are falling short, or outright failing, at this, and many blame their juniors for it. I've seen this many times, both privately and expressed in public articles, and I find it offensive. Obviously there are plenty of good senior people in academia, but there are far too many like this too. I suspect the author of the article you shared of being of the not-great variety.

Open ##1490105