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[parent] [thread] 33 comments
1. Fade_D+(OP)[view] [source] 2025-01-22 00:33:51
They will have an endless wave of commoditization chasing behind them. NVIDIA will continue to market chips to anyone who will buy... Well anyone who is allowed to buy, considering the recent export restrictions. On that note, if OpenAI is in bed with the US government with this to some degree, I would expect tariffs, expert restrictions, and all of that to continue to conveniently align with their business objectives.

If the frontier models generate huge revenue from big government and intelligence and corporate contracts, then I can see a dynamo kicking off with the business model. The missing link is probably that there need to be continual breakthroughs that massively increase the power of AI rather than it tapering off with diminishing returns for bigger training/inference capital outlay. Obviously, openAI is leveraging against that view as well.

Maybe the most important part is that all of these huge names are involved in the project to some degree. Well, they're all cross-linked in the entire AI enterprise, really, like OpenAI Microsoft, so once all the players give preference to each other, it sort of creates a moat in and of itself, unless foreign sovereign wealth funds start spinning up massive stargate initiatives as well.

We'll see. Europe has been behind the ball in tech developments like this historically, and China, although this might be a bit of a stretch to claim, does seem to be held back by their need for control and censorship when it comes to what these models can do. They want them to be focused tools that help society, but the American companies want much more, and they want power in their own hands and power in their user's hands. So much like the first round where American big tech took over the world, maybe it's prime to happen again as the AI industry continues to scale.

replies(1): >>fragme+j7
2. fragme+j7[view] [source] 2025-01-22 01:30:38
>>Fade_D+(OP)
Why would China censoring Tiananmen Square/whatever out of their LLMs be anymore harmful to the training process when the US controlled LLMs also censor certain topics, eg "how do I make meth?" or "how do I make a nuclear bomb?".
replies(4): >>vaccin+Ea >>Fade_D+Be >>throwa+HA >>matkon+JO
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3. vaccin+Ea[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 01:51:46
>>fragme+j7
Because China censors very common words and phrases such as "harmonized", "shameless", "lifelong", "river crabbed", "me too". This is because Chinese citizens uses puns and common phrases initially to get around censors.
replies(3): >>curt15+js >>jiggaw+St >>saghm+Kz
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4. Fade_D+Be[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 02:17:21
>>fragme+j7
They want their LLMs explicitly approved to align with the values of the regime. Not necessarily a bad thing, or at least that avenue wasn't my point. It does get in the way of going fast and breaking things though, and on the other side there is an outright accelerationist pseudo-cult.
replies(1): >>bakuni+mu
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5. curt15+js[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 04:13:16
>>vaccin+Ea
Is "Pooh" also censored?
replies(1): >>thebis+yf4
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6. jiggaw+St[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 04:31:41
>>vaccin+Ea
OpenAI models refuse to translate subtitles because they contain violence, sex, or racism.

That’s just a different flavour of enforced right-think.

replies(1): >>tallda+0A
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7. bakuni+mu[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 04:37:12
>>Fade_D+Be
Ignoring the moral dimension for a second, I do wonder if it is harder to implement a rather cohesive, but far-reaching censorship in the chinese style, or the more outrage-driven type of "censorship" required of American companies. In the West we have the left pre-occupied with -isms and -phobias, and the right with blasphemy and perceived attacks on their politics.

With the hard shift to the right and Trump coming into office, especially the last bit will be interesting. There is a pretty substantial tension between factual reporting and not offending right-wing ideology: Should a model consider "both sides" about topics with with clear and broad scientific consensus if it might offend Trumpists? (Two examples that come to mind was the recent "The Nazis were actually left wing" and "There are only two genders".)

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8. saghm+Kz[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 05:37:21
>>vaccin+Ea
Don't forget "Winnie the Pooh"!
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9. tallda+0A[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 05:41:05
>>jiggaw+St
They are absolutely different flavors. OpenAI is not being told by the government to censor violence, sex or racism - they're being told that by their executives.

News flash: household-name businesses aren't going to repeat slurs if the media will use it to defame them. Nevermind the fact that people will (rightfully) hold you legally accountable and demand your testimony when ChatGPT starts offering unsupervised chemistry lessons - the threat of bad PR is all that is required to censor their models.

There's no agenda removing porn from ChatGPT any more than there's an agenda removing porn from the App Store or YouTube. It's about shrewd identity politics, not prudish shadow government conspiracies against you seeing sex and being bigoted.

replies(2): >>A4ET8a+w21 >>snapca+kx1
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10. throwa+HA[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 05:46:09
>>fragme+j7
Because when a small group of elites with permament term and no elections decides what is allowed and what isn't... and has full control of silencing what's not allowed and any meta discussion about the silencing itself... is different from when an elected government decides it, and then anyone is free to raise a stink on whatever is their version of twitter today without worrying about being disappeared tomorrow
replies(1): >>snapca+Cx1
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11. matkon+JO[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 08:10:39
>>fragme+j7
Because falsifying history seems worse than restricting meth production, at least to me.

Though I see no reason whatsoever why LLM should be blocked from answering "how do I make a nuclear bomb?" query.

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12. A4ET8a+w21[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 10:14:40
>>tallda+0A
Sigh. No. Censorship is censorship is censorship. That is true even if you happen to like and can generate a plausible defense of US version that happens to be business friendly ( as opposed to China's ruling party friendly ).
replies(2): >>ForHac+c41 >>Jean-P+TH1
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13. ForHac+c41[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 10:32:55
>>A4ET8a+w21
> Censorship is censorship is censorship

"if your company doesn't present hardcore fisting pornography to five year olds you're a tyrant" is a heck of a take, even for hacker news.

replies(1): >>A4ET8a+P41
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14. A4ET8a+P41[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 10:37:48
>>ForHac+c41
It is not a take. It is simple position of 'just because you call something as involuntary semen injection does not make it any less of a rape'. I like things that are clear and well defined. And so I repeat:

Censorship is censorship is censorship.

replies(1): >>ForHac+081
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15. ForHac+081[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 11:16:19
>>A4ET8a+P41
Ok, I guess I'm #TeamProCensorship, then. So is almost everyone.
replies(2): >>A4ET8a+td1 >>snapca+ux1
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16. A4ET8a+td1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 12:04:12
>>ForHac+081
I am not sure if it will surprise you, but your affiliation or the size of your 'team' is largely irrelevant from my perspective. That said, I am mildly surprised you were able to accept the new self-image as willing censor though. Most people struggle with that ( edit: hence the 'this is not censorship' facade ).
replies(1): >>tallda+wg2
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17. snapca+kx1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 14:17:31
>>tallda+0A
I don't know why people care if they're being censored by government officials or private billionaires. What difference does it make at the end of the day? why is one worse than the other?
replies(1): >>tallda+nf2
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18. snapca+ux1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 14:18:29
>>ForHac+081
Yes, that's true. It's very rare for people to be able to value actual free speech. Most people think they do until they hear something they don't like
replies(1): >>qwytw+o85
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19. snapca+Cx1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 14:19:27
>>throwa+HA
It's not an elected government if you're talking about the US. These policies are also all decided by "elites with permanent term and no elections" you realize right?
replies(1): >>throwa+yE1
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20. throwa+yE1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 15:02:06
>>snapca+Cx1
> It's not an elected government if you're talking about the US

If you don't believe US has elections then straighten up your tinfoil hat:)

Maybe you'll say next the earth is flat, if you think people have nothing better to do but to find ways to lie to you.

replies(1): >>snapca+oL1
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21. Jean-P+TH1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 15:20:50
>>A4ET8a+w21
Usually a sign of great discussion when someone responds with "sigh" to a reasonably presented argument.
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22. snapca+oL1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 15:42:20
>>throwa+yE1
I don't feel like this was a good faith interpretation of my comment. What i'm saying is that in the US and China, censorship is decided by unelected officials. In one case it's CPC in another case it's corporate executives
replies(1): >>throwa+KG3
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23. tallda+nf2[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 18:14:13
>>snapca+kx1
Because you aren't being "censored" by billionaires at all. They have made the business decision to reduce the usefulness of their AI to prevent their liability from being legally, or even socially, held accountable.

Again, consider my example about YouTube - it's not illegal for Google to put pornography on YouTube. They still moderate it out though, not because they want to "censor" their users but because amateur porn is a liability nightmare to moderate. Similarly, I don't think ChatGPT's limitations qualify as censorship.

replies(1): >>snapca+yq4
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24. tallda+wg2[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 18:21:46
>>A4ET8a+td1
They're accepting your definition of censorship to highlight how fucking stupid it is. Is Hacker News a censorship haven because I flagged the "How to have Sex with Cars" post uploaded yesterday? Am I a tyrant for trying to oppress that poor user's voice? No. I'm upholding the guidelines of a privately owned and moderated community.

"Censorship is censorship is censorship" is the sort of defense you'd rely on if you were caught selling guns and kiddie porn on the internet. It's not the sort of defense OpenAI needs to use though, because they have a semblance of self-preservation instinct and would rather not let ChatGPT say something capable of pissing off the IMF or ADL. Call that "censorship" all you want - it's like canvassing for your right to yell 'fire!' in a movie theater.

replies(1): >>A4ET8a+gY2
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25. A4ET8a+gY2[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-22 23:23:25
>>tallda+wg2
<< IMF or ADL.

Friend, neither of those is a body that can say constitution in US is null and void. Nor to they get to pick and choose which speech is kosher. It is not up to those orgs to decide.

<< They're accepting your definition of censorship to highlight how fucking stupid it is.

They are accepting it, because there is no way it cannot not be accepted. Now.. just because there is some cognitive dissonance over what should logically follow is a separate issue entirely.

Best I can do is spread some seeds..

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26. throwa+KG3[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-23 06:47:17
>>snapca+oL1
That makes even less sense as a comparison. Sure Instagram censored anti-Trump posts for a day but in case you didn't notice you are free to discuss that without fearing suppression or jail.
replies(1): >>snapca+lq4
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27. thebis+yf4[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-23 12:56:19
>>curt15+js
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_of_Winnie-the-Pooh_...
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28. snapca+lq4[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-23 14:11:47
>>throwa+KG3
Come on man why are you doing this? I didn't say censorship was the same in america or china you're just trying to find something to disagree with
replies(1): >>throwa+kY5
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29. snapca+yq4[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-23 14:12:48
>>tallda+nf2
Okay, i mean you can say censorship isn't censorship if you want? This is my point, why are you treating limits placed on your expression/sharing/information differently based on what type of person is doing it?
replies(1): >>qwytw+k75
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30. qwytw+k75[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-23 18:55:14
>>snapca+yq4
Because fundamentally it's the same type of censorship as someone deciding to not sell porn magazines, videos or the the Anarchist Cookbook in their newsstand/bookstore/etc. back in the day. They judged (probably quite rightly) that it's not good for business.

Of course the market being extremely concentrated and effectively an oligopoly even in the best case does shine a somewhat different light on it. Until/unless open models catch up both quality and accessibility wise.

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31. qwytw+o85[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-23 19:02:07
>>snapca+ux1
However private individuals or companies deciding not to offer certain products is an expression of free speech.

i.e. denying someone who is running an online platform/community or training an LLM model or whatever the right to remove or not provide specific content is a clearly limiting their right to freedom of expression.

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32. throwa+kY5[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-24 03:10:05
>>snapca+lq4
> Why would China censoring Tiananmen Square/whatever out of their LLMs be anymore harmful to the training process when the US controlled LLMs also censor certain topics, eg "how do I make meth?" or "how do I make a nuclear bomb?".

I was explaining why it is more harmful and thought you were arguing it is not harmful?

replies(1): >>snapca+YI6
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33. snapca+YI6[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-24 13:54:39
>>throwa+kY5
I was just making a very simple narrow claim: Censorship in the west and china are both done by unelected people. Note that i didn't say china was good, censorship was equivalent or anything else you're trying to argue. my literal only point was:

Censorship in the west and china are both done by unelected people

replies(1): >>throwa+Zz8
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34. throwa+Zz8[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-01-25 07:32:12
>>snapca+YI6
OK you are technically correct. We can talk how "appointed by elected people" makes a difference...
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