17 ms·

Given the amount of people on HN happily using LLMs for their everyday work and extolling the virtues of LLMs, "everyone" might be a bit excessive

feverzsj 3mo ago
HN is like the core PR platform for AI companies. Still, you can see lots of real human beings against AI here. So, I'd say most human on HN are against AI.
jplusequalt 3mo ago
HN is a poor representation of the average American.
- getnormality 3mo ago
  So is Paul Krugman
  - isgb 3mo ago
    Good thing he references large-scale surveys then.
- orangedog 3mo ago
  Did a recent survey posted to HN not show that 60% of people dislike it? Which means 40% either like it or don't care. That's not far from average and is a long way from everybody.
- baby_souffle 3mo ago
  So the title should have used "most people" then?
- JimDabell 3mo ago
  And the average American is a poor representation of everyone. The title reads “Why does everyone hate AI?” but repeatedly references surveys of Americans, not “everyone”. Americans are outliers; the rest of the world has a much more favourable view of AI. > AI optimism surges in Asia, unlike in the U.S. — https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-optimism-asia/ https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-optimism-asia/ > U.S. Workers Are More Wary of AI Than Their Global Peers. — https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/what-leaders-should-do-about-american-workers-ai-skepticism/ https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/what-leaders-should-... > Majorities of Americans have pessimistic views toward the impact of AI on internet disinformation and the job market, outpacing most of the 32 countries surveyed in the Ipsos AI Monitor 2026. Americans were also the most likely to feel AI will make their country’s economy worse. Not every country is pessimistic about AI. Americans clearly are. — https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/comparing-us-and-global-attitudes-toward-ai https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/comparing-us-and-global-attitude...
  - conductr 3mo ago
    US is heavy in knowledge work and has expensive labor. So AI is posed to move employment out of US and drive employment in Asia where AI manufacturing happens. Also from your last link; > The pessimism isn’t uniquely American. Consistent with international Ipsos polling from 2025, the U.S. sits alongside other countries in the Anglosphere – such as Canada, Australia, and Great Britain – in being more nervous and less excited about the technology. > Put simply, AI is built on weak social pillars. Despite growing adoption, many feel that AI poses a risk not only to their jobs, but to humanity as a whole. Amid a backdrop of widespread systemic distrust, the technology feeds into Americans’ belief that the economy is “rigged for the rich and powerful.” > Until Americans feel the upsides of AI clearly outweigh the downsides, views of AI will likely remain negative. If AI is here to stay, so too is the backlash. I think that last piece is the key part. AI hasn’t significantly improved anything for the average American. It only poses large structural risks. So, what’s to like about AI unless you’re in Asia and stand to gain from it?
everyone 3mo ago
There's certainly a sizeable % of silicon valley morons on HN.
snootypoot 3mo ago
you can use a tool while still hating the villains in openai, anthropic, nvidia, and so on who are ruining our lives and hobbies.
- voidUpdate 3mo ago
  How much do you really hate a company if you're still going to give them money regularly to use their products?
  - queenkjuul 3mo ago
    Corporate gives them money. I have no choice in that decision. Corporate expects me to use it. I have no choice there either. Yes, I'm trying to leave. Guess how fun AI has made that process
    - archagon 3mo ago
      I think the solution is to find a shop of like-minded individuals, unionize, and then use the tools as much or as little as you want.
      - nh23423fefe 3mo ago
        speedrun unemployment and destitution for "morals"
        archagon 3mo ago
        Nothing to do with “morals,” everything to do with owning the means of production. The C-suite is only powerful on paper. They’re not the only ones who get to put their feet on the table while AI eats the world.
      - queenkjuul 3mo ago
        > yes, I'm trying to leave
headcanon 3mo ago
I think AI optimism is an easier jump for those already immersed in computer culture, or at least the subset of that culture who view automation as a virtue. For those either outside computer culture, or those within who might view "craft" as virtue, automating that craft is an affront. Right now, the "automators" (pro-AI) folks seem to be pushing that culture onto the "crafters" and naturally getting pushback.
- jplusequalt 3mo ago
  >Right now, the "automators" (pro-AI) folks seem to be pushing that culture onto the "crafters" and naturally getting pushback. I've said this before, but generative AI proponents are walking into creative spaces with their slop and expecting to be treated as equals despite not sharing any of the same experiences or values; effectively they're trying to redefine what craft is for the original group. Obviously this is unpopular.
- zombot 3mo ago
  > the subset of that culture who view automation as a virtue. Correction: Shitty automation. You have to do an unreal amount of micromanagement to force the output quality of LLMs up.
verdverm 3mo ago
The same Pew poll had some interesting data points Krugman left out - The first data point Pew presents is ~50% of Americans use Ai chat bots - The second data point shows 25% of those using it is for fun and entertainment (1:8 overall) - 1/4 of Americans use it daily Krugman lost me when he said "Ai is dishonest" as if it has intent. He makes too much rage bait these days.
- queenkjuul 3mo ago
  "regularly gives you a completely bogus answer while loudly and confidently asserting it's true" might be behavior that convinces you a person is dishonest. Is it really that bad of a description if AI does the same?
  - verdverm 3mo ago
    yes, because it humanizes software https://susam.net/inverse-laws-of-robotics.html https://susam.net/inverse-laws-of-robotics.html Ai is highly non-deterministic by design, it's a core feature that gives it the capabilities and drawbacks. Don't expect it to be accurate, stay HIL my friends
    - queenkjuul 3mo ago
      You suspect Paul Krugman and the rest of the lay public is familiar with this?
      - verdverm 3mo ago
        It is our job to educate our friends and family Otherwise they are going to get bad notions from people like Krugman
        intended 3mo ago
        I think you are drawing a line in the sand that is close to you, but very far away from where Krugman stands, for it to be a fair distance to cross.
seanmcdirmid 3mo ago
The anti-AI crowd is incredibly vested in letting you know that they hate AI, so it feels like, for example, "everyone hates AI" because they are pretty vocal about it. This phenomenon is a prime example of the false consensus effect, which is further amplified by availability cascade and vocal minority dynamics. I personally like AI, but I'm not very vocal about it. I'm too busy using AI to do things.

feverzsj 3mo ago

HN is like the core PR platform for AI companies. Still, you can see lots of real human beings against AI here. So, I'd say most human on HN are against AI.

jplusequalt 3mo ago

HN is a poor representation of the average American.

getnormality 3mo ago
So is Paul Krugman
- isgb 3mo ago
  Good thing he references large-scale surveys then.
orangedog 3mo ago
Did a recent survey posted to HN not show that 60% of people dislike it? Which means 40% either like it or don't care. That's not far from average and is a long way from everybody.
baby_souffle 3mo ago
So the title should have used "most people" then?
JimDabell 3mo ago
And the average American is a poor representation of everyone. The title reads “Why does everyone hate AI?” but repeatedly references surveys of Americans, not “everyone”. Americans are outliers; the rest of the world has a much more favourable view of AI. > AI optimism surges in Asia, unlike in the U.S. — https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-optimism-asia/ https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-optimism-asia/ > U.S. Workers Are More Wary of AI Than Their Global Peers. — https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/what-leaders-should-do-about-american-workers-ai-skepticism/ https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/what-leaders-should-... > Majorities of Americans have pessimistic views toward the impact of AI on internet disinformation and the job market, outpacing most of the 32 countries surveyed in the Ipsos AI Monitor 2026. Americans were also the most likely to feel AI will make their country’s economy worse. Not every country is pessimistic about AI. Americans clearly are. — https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/comparing-us-and-global-attitudes-toward-ai https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/comparing-us-and-global-attitude...
- conductr 3mo ago
  US is heavy in knowledge work and has expensive labor. So AI is posed to move employment out of US and drive employment in Asia where AI manufacturing happens. Also from your last link; > The pessimism isn’t uniquely American. Consistent with international Ipsos polling from 2025, the U.S. sits alongside other countries in the Anglosphere – such as Canada, Australia, and Great Britain – in being more nervous and less excited about the technology. > Put simply, AI is built on weak social pillars. Despite growing adoption, many feel that AI poses a risk not only to their jobs, but to humanity as a whole. Amid a backdrop of widespread systemic distrust, the technology feeds into Americans’ belief that the economy is “rigged for the rich and powerful.” > Until Americans feel the upsides of AI clearly outweigh the downsides, views of AI will likely remain negative. If AI is here to stay, so too is the backlash. I think that last piece is the key part. AI hasn’t significantly improved anything for the average American. It only poses large structural risks. So, what’s to like about AI unless you’re in Asia and stand to gain from it?

everyone 3mo ago

There's certainly a sizeable % of silicon valley morons on HN.

snootypoot 3mo ago

you can use a tool while still hating the villains in openai, anthropic, nvidia, and so on who are ruining our lives and hobbies.

voidUpdate 3mo ago
How much do you really hate a company if you're still going to give them money regularly to use their products?
- queenkjuul 3mo ago
  Corporate gives them money. I have no choice in that decision. Corporate expects me to use it. I have no choice there either. Yes, I'm trying to leave. Guess how fun AI has made that process
  - archagon 3mo ago
    I think the solution is to find a shop of like-minded individuals, unionize, and then use the tools as much or as little as you want.
    - nh23423fefe 3mo ago
      speedrun unemployment and destitution for "morals"
      - archagon 3mo ago
        Nothing to do with “morals,” everything to do with owning the means of production. The C-suite is only powerful on paper. They’re not the only ones who get to put their feet on the table while AI eats the world.
    - queenkjuul 3mo ago
      > yes, I'm trying to leave

headcanon 3mo ago

I think AI optimism is an easier jump for those already immersed in computer culture, or at least the subset of that culture who view automation as a virtue. For those either outside computer culture, or those within who might view "craft" as virtue, automating that craft is an affront. Right now, the "automators" (pro-AI) folks seem to be pushing that culture onto the "crafters" and naturally getting pushback.

jplusequalt 3mo ago
>Right now, the "automators" (pro-AI) folks seem to be pushing that culture onto the "crafters" and naturally getting pushback. I've said this before, but generative AI proponents are walking into creative spaces with their slop and expecting to be treated as equals despite not sharing any of the same experiences or values; effectively they're trying to redefine what craft is for the original group. Obviously this is unpopular.
zombot 3mo ago
> the subset of that culture who view automation as a virtue. Correction: Shitty automation. You have to do an unreal amount of micromanagement to force the output quality of LLMs up.

verdverm 3mo ago

The same Pew poll had some interesting data points Krugman left out - The first data point Pew presents is ~50% of Americans use Ai chat bots - The second data point shows 25% of those using it is for fun and entertainment (1:8 overall) - 1/4 of Americans use it daily Krugman lost me when he said "Ai is dishonest" as if it has intent. He makes too much rage bait these days.

queenkjuul 3mo ago
"regularly gives you a completely bogus answer while loudly and confidently asserting it's true" might be behavior that convinces you a person is dishonest. Is it really that bad of a description if AI does the same?
- verdverm 3mo ago
  yes, because it humanizes software https://susam.net/inverse-laws-of-robotics.html https://susam.net/inverse-laws-of-robotics.html Ai is highly non-deterministic by design, it's a core feature that gives it the capabilities and drawbacks. Don't expect it to be accurate, stay HIL my friends
  - queenkjuul 3mo ago
    You suspect Paul Krugman and the rest of the lay public is familiar with this?
    - verdverm 3mo ago
      It is our job to educate our friends and family Otherwise they are going to get bad notions from people like Krugman
      - intended 3mo ago
        I think you are drawing a line in the sand that is close to you, but very far away from where Krugman stands, for it to be a fair distance to cross.

seanmcdirmid 3mo ago

The anti-AI crowd is incredibly vested in letting you know that they hate AI, so it feels like, for example, "everyone hates AI" because they are pretty vocal about it. This phenomenon is a prime example of the false consensus effect, which is further amplified by availability cascade and vocal minority dynamics. I personally like AI, but I'm not very vocal about it. I'm too busy using AI to do things.