I really appreciate all the Mastodon mentions and camaraderie for this essay.

[vascorsd@mastodon.social]

@ratfactor you've put into words things I didn't even realize I needed to say.

Thanks.

It's freaking depressing living through this timeline.

[rysiek@mstdn.social]

@ratfactor thank you for writing this.

[ratfactor@mastodon.art]

@vascorsd It's certainly a hell of a time to be alive.

[shapr@recurse.social]

@ratfactor thank you for writing this. This is a big part of me too.

[ratfactor@mastodon.art]

@rysiek ️

[ratfactor@mastodon.art]

@shapr ️

[munin@mastoart.social]

@ratfactor This really resonated with me as an artist first and an "I am interested in programming and do it sometimes" second. I've had a hard time wording the sense that, aside from all the other issues gen AI brings with it, it also takes away the conscious process of learning and trades it for a slot machine.

Thank you for writing this essay.

[ratfactor@mastodon.art]

@munin Thank you! ️

[cvtsi2sd@hachyderm.io]

@ratfactor You put into words something that I was ruminating on since several months, and I was reaching a very similar conclusion, thank you.

[datarama@hachyderm.io]

@ratfactor I was early to this, I think, and have been in a deep depression for a bit over 3 years now.

I can't do much of anything else than programming (at least not anything that isn't also currently being destroyed by AI), so - well, I guess I'm fucked.

[gwenverbsnouns@mastodon.social]

@ratfactor wow, yeah. this is absolutely why I've distanced from the identity over the past few years, leaning more into my identity as an artist, improviser, writer..

even though code was something I fell in love with when I was 12, and I'm 33 now. it's such a bitter thing to lose

I even specialized in AI in college 2011-15, before LLMs redefined the term. back when it was exciting and interesting and hopeful. it's so sad