6 ms·
Ask HN: What are the immediate/near/long-term non-corporate benefits of AI?
In other words, what's the benefit for the average joe(s) / humanity as a whole?
- ynac 8mo agoWhat class is this for?
- PaulHoule 8mo agoHe could just ask an AI!
- 0x4e 8mo agoIt's a serious question!? And as dumb as it sounds neither of you could answer it.
- PaulHoule 8mo agoMicrosoft Copilot helps me transform into a fox so there!
- gsf_emergency_6 8mo agoRugged individualist fox! Seriously: (local) LLMs may be helpful for therapy and/or self-enhancement (though I struggle to label these 2 "benefits" at the current level of tech, still too dependent on the user's (objective?) skill level :)
- 0x4e 8mo agoInteresting. Would this be a non-solution to a non-problem since there are already therapists out there? Does it solve the awkwardness of talking to another human?
- gsf_emergency_6 8mo agoSecond question, yes, in my experience. First one, bandaids have their uses even if there are first responders out there. But in general I agree with your take.
- 0x4e 8mo agoI suppose one perspective can be that it's cheaper to pay $20/mo than +$150 for a 45min session. So, "advice" and "opinions" become cheap and accessible. But, does it translate into quality? I still find it hard to accept boilerplate psychological advice from an LLM. I think that part of the reason why we gravitate towards other humans is because we assume they've gone through similar experiences. That's why I don't take relationship advice from someone that has never dated someone. An LLM lacks... humanity... it can tell me what the textbook says but life's more nuanced than just tokens. From my point of view an LLM has access to all the knowledge in the world but lacks the nuance that makes advice valuable in these scenarios.
- PaulHoule 8mo agoI'm lucky that (1) there is one place that offers therapy in my town in 2026 (all the rest of them went out of business in in the pandemic), (2) my insurance will pay for it, and (3) my therapist endorses foxwork. Just recently, to the great relief of my wife, I developed a "cover story" that explains it all rationally and it's a lot easier to get help from humans like personal trainers, hairdressers, voice coaches, etc. Still I have good discussions with Copilot that help me refine character adjustments and such.
- onetokeoverthe 8mo ago[dead]
- fullstick 8mo agoNear/long-term non-corporate benefits I see in AI is the decentralizing of apps. Rather than relying on an app store or having someone build it for us, we can build simple apps that do what we need and don't hand over information to other entities. Not everyone will make their own apps, but many will and supplement their commercial apps. Like making bread instead of buying it at a store.
- fullstick 8mo agoIMO the bar for success and security is a lot lower when the app is serving one person and it's the person who built it.
- 0x4e 8mo agoI see where you’re coming from. Some will be empowered to do this. It’s like what the computer allowed but on steroids. However, I think this only applies to a handful of people. I doubt the average joe goes around wanting to vibe code their own thing most users are “passive”.
- trcarney 8mo agoSo i just made dinner and thought of this question. One thing the LLMs a very good at is "I have X, Y, Z ingredients. what can i make and how can i make it?" It has really helped me start to move more towards buying ingredients as opposed to processed crap.