Cory Doctorow: LLMs Are Real, AI Is Fake
tobowers · x · 2026-09-15
Cory Doctorow's Pluralistic essay argues LLMs are real technology but the surrounding "AI" narrative is hype. He mocks hyperscaler culture—staffing enterprise sales teams while insisting their product has "a 10% chance of ending humanity"—and urges treating AI insiders as unreliable narrators: every retelling of how dangerous their products are helps them raise more capital. He also calls for better security practices, including a blanket prohibition on NOBUS-style vulnerability hoarding. Sharer tobowers appreciates the wit though doesn't fully agree.
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