"Something Big Is Happening" (x.com)

The whole post is worth chewing on. This sentence jumped out, and that’s the tangent I’m following.

They believe it’s too powerful to stop and too important to abandon. Whether that’s wisdom or rationalization, I don’t know.

This sentence could be said about many dominant forces throughout history. Religion and fire come to mind.

Religion, loosely defined, often perpetuates a mission that a collective and sincere embrace of a mysterious but knowable superintelligence will usher in heaven on earth. Fire consumes every resource available if it’s not managed or contained. Both create meaning and meet physical needs. LLMs sit at the intersection of both “useful” and “all-consuming.”

Fire is powerful and dangerous. Belief is powerful and dangerous. When contained, we enjoy meaningful rituals in the comfort of climate controlled environments.

What is the HVAC equivalent of an LLM running in a feedback loop? Is this the point in human history where we legislate tolerable belief?

What a wild time to be alive.