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points by matkoniecz 2 days ago | 0 comments

>We have patterns that utilize users to keep using the app by exploiting their cognitive weaknesses

I hope you are aware that you are outright evil. I also hope that you will manage to stop justifying it as acceptable.

HN is one of the few sites where someone can launch into an actual villain monologue, the kind you'd read in leaked corporate emails, and receive approximately no negative reaction.

If this is the face of our industry, that might explain a lot of things...

[–] augment_me 2 days ago

You can take the right path and in the end no-one wants to use your product because it's not as engaging.

Instagram tried to take the "good" path in 2014 and lost 90% market share to TikTok who attentionmaxxed things. Then they had to take the exploitative path to claw back users.

As long as it's not regulated for everyone at the same time, you need to do this for survival of your product.

[–] unsui 2 days ago

maybe that product doesn't deserve to survive.

"Hmmm, but if I cap the Torment Nexus, the competing Torment Core will win out, we can't have that!"

[–] augment_me 2 days ago

It's more like it doesn't matter if you sell the most organic, free range, ethically sourced, nutritious, tasty ice cream if your competition is allowed to put cocaine in theirs and get all your customers.

TikTok would survive and do just fine even if Instagram decided to cede the market to them

I am afraid there is a demand for the torment nexus, and until govt steps in, you're out of luck and behavioural surplus is there for the taking by any means.

[–] geye1234 2 days ago

"It's ok that I devote my career to preying on people's mental weaknesses and getting them addicted, because the government isn't regulating it."

I think I'd need to take a zofran if I met you IRL.

[–] matkoniecz 1 day ago

I am well aware that being more evil can be profitable.

Being evil for no gain whatsoever is quite extreme absurdity, though it also happens to some.

[–] unsui 2 days ago

Agreed.

The real alignment issue isn't in the challenges getting AI to align to human values.

It's in humans understanding what is worth aligning to.

"He chose... poorly."

[–] geye1234 2 days ago

Many bad things that people do stem from weakness or inner pain. So it's helpful to be reminded from time to time that some people deliberately, thoughtfully, calmly and systematically devote their lives to harming other human beings -- that is, to evil. We should be grateful to augment_me for this reminder.