This week, our first place winner on the insightful side is n00bdragon with a comment about the behavior of Grok and LLMs in general:
LLMs are just bias engines. That’s literally what they do. That’s how they work. They find patterns (biases) and replicate them. Not all biases are bad. Sometimes you want a machine that can find biases so that you can question them. Sometimes you want a machine that can replicate biases, because assuming the way things have been done is the way they should be done again is a handy rational starting point.
Hopefully it becomes pretty clear to the next generation that social structures and facts are no place for these things. These are areas that require judgement, which is the exact opposite of a bias, and something that LLMs simply aren’t designed to provide.
In second place, it’s AmySox with a comment about UnitedHealth trying to silence critics in the wake of their CEO’s murder:
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” – John F. Kennedy
United Healthcare has made peaceful revolution against its policies impossible. They have no one but themselves to blame for what follows. Maybe not to the extent of killing, but I would have expected other forms of violence against their policies.
Of course, as I’ve said many times, the purpose of the American healthcare system is no longer to treat sick people, if it ever was; the purpose of the American healthcare system is to funnel money from sick people into the pockets of billionaires. And any attempt to change this meets with failure, since the people who could change it are in the pockets of those billionaires.
Peaceful revolution is impossible. No one should be surprised about what follows.
For editor’s choice on the insightful side, we start with an anonymous comment from that same point. this time in response to a comment separating the violence of the murder from the company’s practices:
The problem is that this framing can be perceived to depict that it’s only wrong to violently murder people, but it’s just a neutral act of business to functionally kill millions of people by setting up a systemic denial of life-saving service that they’re actively paying the company to provide.
Why is the violent murder of one person morally more offensive than slowly murdering millions more?
Next, it’s That One Guy with a thought about the Grok MechaHitler fiasco:
‘How dare you bring attention to reality, this is a post-reality country!’
Worth remembering that the person that’s excusing Grok going super-nazi because that’s how a majority of it’s users act like apparently is the same person that sued a company for pointing out that ads were being shown next to pro-nazi content and claiming the report wasn’t factual or realistic.
Over on the funny side, our first place winner is Thad with a comment about Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard wasting resources to root out government employees who aren’t MAGA enough:
You know, call me crazy, but I’m starting to think these people aren’t actually interested in improving government efficiency.
In second place, it’s MrWilson with a reply to a BDSM joke about connected devices that you don’t really own:
To be fair, you kind of have to be a masochist to buy into these product rentals.
For editor’s choice on the funny side, though things haven’t picked up too much in terms of funny comments, there are a couple more that earned badges to highlight. First, it’s Doctor Biobrain with a comment about doubting Trump’s claims about people who thank him:
Hey, now! Don’t you be doubting Trump’s Sir Stories. Just last week I had five big strong men with tears streaming from their eyes come up to me on their knees and said “Please, sir. Tell everyone that we really do exist and to stop mocking us for our tears. That’s a medical condition and makes us feel like dogs to hear their disgraceful cackling.” Believe me, it’s true.
Finally, it’s Ben with a comment about UnitedHealth’s law firm and its demand letters:
Time to check the mailbox
Is that a letter incoming from Clare Locke I see.
Paging Ms Streisand. Could Ms Streisand come to the front page, please?
That’s all for this week, folks!