u/antichain

"AI" is the current hot-button controversy, and there is a sizable contingent of people who are vocally opposed to the existence of the technology and would like to see it disappear. Are there any examples of history where such a thing happened: a new automation technology was developed, deployed at some reasonable scale, and then society collectively said: "we don't want this" and the technology was forgotten? I'm not thinking about products that were later found to be dangerous (like putting radium in toothpaste or whatever, I'm thinking specifically about automation and "labor-saving" devices).

The two biggest example I can think of were The Luddites, who largely failed to halt the progress of industrial mechanization, and nuclear power in the 20th century, which did seem to stall out in the face of sustained social criticism. But I don't know if either of these things are really analogous to a current AI moment?

NB - I'm not coming at this from a pro- or anti- side. My not trying to secretly push the narrative that tech is inevitable OR that AI is bad, I just want to know if we can learn anything about our current moment from similar past ones.

They get these signals all the time, but only show the frequency/power spectrum - have they ever actually played them to see what they sound like? Just white noise? Or is there temporal structure (autocorrelation, multi-scale sample entropy, for ex) that might indicate structured content?

I found this report to be really interesting, as a white American whose entire social circle is vehemently anti-AI. According to a survey of 18,000 adults over a mix of developed, developing, Western, and non-Western countries, Americans are uniquely pessimistic about the technology, while non-Western, developing countries tending to be overwhelmingly more positive. Nigeria, Vietnam, India, and Brazil (all former colonies) came in as the most optimistic about AI, while the UK, France, and the US (all white former/current colonial powers) came in as the most pessimistic.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/15/people-around-the-world-see-a-winner-on-ai-and-its-not-the-us-00960930

As an academic who has seen first-hand what AI is doing to higher education, I'm pretty skeptical of the technology, but this actually gave me pause. I'd be really interested in talking to a pro-AI person in the developing world (rather than a Silicon Valley hype-merchant prophesying the imminent Singularity) about 1) how they use AI and 2) what exactly they're excited about.

I swear, this sub has become a sinkhole for misanthropes who want to binge-watch mass-suffering as if it's the next prestige TV show.

Collapse may be inevitable - I am certainly sympathetic to that point myself (no infinite growth on a finite planet, yada yada yada). It may even be progressing faster than we thought / [your favorite cliche here]. The data looks pretty damning, especially as multiple economic, social, climate, and technological stressors converge on humanity over the course of the next decade.

This is bad news.

Even if collapse is inevitable, no sane person should see this as anything other than a epochal, species-wide failure that should be mourned and raged against. Mass death, suffering, the failure to achieve our potential as a species - these are bad things. Not "justice" or some earned punishment from Mother Earth or whatever just world cognitive fallacy your brain can cook up. For those of us (myself included) with disabilities and who rely on medication to function, collapse means a painful death. Pretty much everyone in the modern, developed world relies on complex infrastructure for food, water, and medicine - a genuine collapse scenario will bring untold suffering, even among the people who are able to make it through to the other side.

I'm not interested in litigating whether collapse is real, like I said, I think it is. But I think that this sub has developed a perspective on it that combines pseudo-leftist slopulism with a kind of narcissistic nihilism that turns one of the worst disasters in history into binge-watchable content for people who have outsourced their souls to engagement-maximizing algorithms.

A lot of "weird fiction" feels like it turns into fairly tropey horror at some point, rather than embracing the possibilities of genuine weirdness. I just finished There is no antimemetics division, and while I enjoyed it, I was kind of annoyed by how a great premise kind of devolves into the usual litany of cosmic horror tropes: evil cults, lots of gore, unfathomable extra-dimensional Gods that nevertheless are really invested in torturing people in ways that conveniently are designed to turn readers stomachs, etc.

Annihilation does weird really well: it's strange and at times disturbing, but it also can be beautiful. I love the idea that weird can be disturbing and elegant, sometimes in the same breath.

So what have you got for me? I'm tired of warmed-over HP Lovecraft and themes that feel more like a survival horror videogame than anything else.

Just got this email:

>Dear Hampshire alums and friends of the College,

>Two weeks ago, Hampshire College announced that it will teach out and cease academic operations at the end of the calendar year. I know some of you have been watching this unfold with dread for years, and others felt blindsided. I know that for every one of you, Hampshire is not an abstraction. It is a particular place on campus, a friend, a beloved professor or staff member, a conversation, a moment when a door clicked open for you and never closed again. I know what we are losing, and I am so deeply sorry.

>The outpouring of love from alumni since the announcement has been genuinely sustaining. You’ve called, written, organized, and shown up in all the ways Hampshire people show up. It has reminded me, over and over, of all the ways this place matters, and will always matter, to so many.

>Your energy has manifested in a variety of ways – offers to help students by reading transfer applications or providing summer internships, expressions of support for impacted faculty and staff, generating ideas for a Hampshire 3.0, or simply walking the campus and reflecting. All of this speaks to the creativity, generosity, and instinct for resistance that Hampshire people carry with you everywhere you go.

>The Path Ahead

>One crucial part of being president at this moment is explaining as clearly as possible what decisions and timelines the College needs to consider. These past two weeks we were laser focused on providing as much information as we had to our students about their options going forward and connecting our employees to information and tools that will support them in the face of job loss. Over the coming weeks, we will further refine the contours of the teach-out term and the resources it will require.

>We will also be helping support all of our currently enrolled students successfully finish their semester, and helping the more than 150 current Div III students ace their pass meetings, ring the bell, and graduate on May 16.

>As we gain a clearer sense of how you can help, we will ask. It might mean sharing expertise on a Div III project, leading a workshop, cooking for a community meal — or dropping off care packages for students. Hampshire people know how to show up. We will let you know when and how.

>Resources and Archives

>Importantly, there is the question of what will happen to the campus and to the College’s assets. First, the campus and its resources are needed to support enrolled students through the teach-out term. Starting this summer, we’ll develop a plan for the archives, library holdings, and the other wonderful collections and scholarly work currently housed here at Hampshire. I will update you as the process comes together, and there will be time for you to request a transcript for your records, or inquire about a beloved item. For now, I ask for your patience as Hampshire staff work to fulfill the needs of current students and employees.

>Campus Land and Addressing Hampshire’s Debt

>Alongside planning for the teach-out, the board and I must work to resolve the College’s financial obligations in a way that allows for an orderly and responsible wind down. Given the complexities and fast-moving aspects of that situation, I want to share some details on our current debt and liabilities, what it means for the Hampshire campus, and how the board and I plan to approach decisions related to our land.

>As many of you know, one of the College’s central challenges is debt. Hampshire currently carries approximately $25 million in loans, held through financial institutions and a private partner. These loans are secured by our land.

>When the bulk of this debt was taken out - in 2010 and 2016 - the length and terms of that debt load was manageable. Ultimately, external market forces combined with Hampshire’s declining enrollment trajectory made refinancing impossible.

>Over the last two weeks our lenders have made clear they are prioritizing swift repayment. That reality requires Hampshire to pursue the sale of campus land as the primary means of addressing this debt.

>The College needs to identify a buyer who can move forward with a high degree of certainty and on an expedited timeline. This week, the College retained a broker to steward this transaction, and the board is preparing to review any and all offers that enable meeting Hampshire’s fiduciary obligations. I will share what I can about that review process as soon as it is finalized.

>I also want to be clear about two related points. First, while the board and I are committed to sharing as much as we can, because of the fact that this process involves external parties, much of it will need to remain confidential. Second, the Hampshire campus as we know it will not endure in its current form. It will need to become something different for the College to meet its obligations.

>I want to say that directly, because you deserve to hear it directly, painful though it may be. I know that for so many of us, the physical place is infused with meaning. The farm. The library. The mod you lived in. The studio where you made the thing you are still most proud of. I feel the weight of that.

>Hampshire’s closing cannot undo the fact that the people who worked, studied, and lived here over the decades transformed a bucolic tract of farm land into an experimenting and transformative education community. Even in this time of great loss, we should all take pride in what was accomplished here.

>I am grateful for the care and stewardship you have offered this campus and this community over the years. Hampshire’s final graduates and the students leaving campus this semester will join a committed and connected alumni network unlike any other group of people that I know of. You are an invaluable resource for our graduates, for each other, and for the world. I take great comfort in that.

>I will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.

>With grief, and with gratitude,
Jenn

Tbh I assume this means the land will probably be parceled out and sold to developers. Could be a complex like The Boulders or something. It doesn't sound like UMass or Amherst plans to sweep in and buy the campus.