Leaving them behind

Leaving them behind 抛弃它们

Quick note before we begin: this is the first of two posts I’m publishing today. You’re welcome to skip ahead to: Shin honkaku — it’s far more fun! 在开始之前先简单说明一下：这是我今天发布的文章中的第一篇。欢迎直接跳到下一篇：新本格（Shin honkaku）——那可有趣多了！

I’ve waited long enough! I’ve entertained one “wait six months” too many! 我已经等得够久了！我受够了那种“再等六个月看看”的托词！

The TL;DR for my updated AI policy has changed:

• I do not currently use AI for professional work.

• I do not and will not use AI. 我更新后的 AI 政策摘要如下：

• 我目前不在专业工作中使用 AI。

• 我不使用，也永远不会使用 AI。

The absolute vileness of the AI industrial complex knows no bounds. AI 工业综合体的卑劣行径简直无底线。

Beyond morality — because let’s be honest few care — it’s very simple: There is no worthwhile career in AI-anything. Simple as that. The AI industry is designed to dehumanise and commoditise labour. Everyone who has dedicated their life to token servitude has become a dull fungible meat proxy. 抛开道德层面不谈——毕竟说实话，没几个人在乎——道理很简单： 在任何与 AI 相关领域都没有值得追求的职业生涯。 就是这么简单。AI 行业的本质就是去人性化并将劳动力商品化。每一个致力于为“Token（代币/标记）”服务的人，最终都沦为了枯燥、可随意替换的肉身代理。

The software and web development industries are leading this brain drain. I’ve observed devs go from the giddy thrills of gambling with their employer’s tokens, to the depressing realisation that they’ve been fooled by a small group of grifters and influencers. 软件和网络开发行业正引领着这场人才流失。我观察到开发者们从最初用雇主的 Token 进行“赌博”的兴奋，转变为意识到自己被一小撮骗子和网红愚弄后的沮丧。

So many developers are giving up. Many have literally left the industry unable to find meaningful employment. Many more have figuratively quiet-quit. They clock in to babysit chatbots with no incentive to care about the output beyond quantity. 太多的开发者正在放弃。许多人因为找不到有意义的工作而彻底离开了这个行业。更多的人则选择了隐性离职（quiet-quit）。他们打卡上班只是为了照看聊天机器人，除了追求数量，没有任何动力去关心产出的质量。

I’m done pretending there is any hope for the AI industry to redeem itself. 我不再假装 AI 行业还有什么自我救赎的希望了。

I’m moving on to more interesting things. Barring a monumental power shift, collapse of the industrial complex, and rise in free range grass-fed “local AI” (lol) I won’t be looking back. Wake me up if anything changes! 我要转向更有趣的事情了。除非发生重大的权力更迭、工业综合体崩溃，以及“散养草饲”式“本地 AI”（笑）的兴起，否则我不会再回头。如果有什么变化，再叫醒我！

What does that mean, practically? In practice First and foremost I will continue to build websites for real people. I set up shop as a limited company after a decade of freelancing to bolster my commitment. 这在实践中意味着什么？ 具体来说： 首先，我将继续为真实的人构建网站。在经历了十年的自由职业生涯后，我成立了一家有限公司，以强化我的这一承诺。

I will observe the AI industrial complex cautiously from afar, but I won’t allow the bullshit I see to rage-bait me. There will be times I’m obliged to call out egregious insults to my profession. Otherwise, I’ll strive to ignore the echo chamber to protect my mental health. 我会从远处谨慎地观察 AI 工业综合体，但我不会让自己被看到的那些胡言乱语所激怒。有时我不得不站出来抨击那些对我职业的公然侮辱。除此之外，我会努力无视那个回声室，以保护我的心理健康。

I am distancing myself from peers I once respected who are all-in on chatbots†. It is not my task to help them. I have no interest in anyone wilfully funding billionaires’ fantasies. There are new people to meet who respect humanity. 我正在疏远那些我曾经尊重、但现在全身心投入聊天机器人的同行们。帮助他们不是我的任务。我对任何自愿资助亿万富翁幻想的人毫无兴趣。还有很多尊重人性的人等待我去结识。

I feel happier about my future now. There is no longer any lingering doubt. The perpetual tech circus may be a threat to my patience and sanity but it won’t take my career. 我现在对未来感到更快乐。不再有任何挥之不去的疑虑。这场永无止境的科技马戏团可能会威胁到我的耐心和理智，但它夺不走我的职业生涯。

So to immediately move on to more interesting things: my latest obsession is shin honkaku detective fiction! I’d highly recommend The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Sōji Shimada, and The Moai Island Puzzle by Alice Arisugawa — both satisfying reads. 所以，让我们立刻转向更有趣的事情：我最近沉迷于“新本格”推理小说！我强烈推荐岛田庄司的《占星术杀人魔法》和有栖川有栖的《摩艾岛杀人事件》——这两部作品都非常精彩。

Read part two of today’s double feature: Shin honkaku! 阅读今天双篇连载的第二部分：新本格！

† Edit: originally I wrote “lost to chatbot psychosis” here. A poor turn of phrase given the context. It wasn’t meant literally, and I should not be using it derogatorily. I very much emphasise with victims of AI. Chalk it up to frustration with the industry and trying to edit multiple thoughts down to keep this brief. † 编辑注：我最初在这里写的是“迷失在聊天机器人精神病中”。考虑到上下文，这是一个糟糕的措辞。我并非字面意思，也不应该带有贬义地使用它。我非常同情 AI 的受害者。这归咎于我对该行业的沮丧，以及试图压缩多个想法以保持文章简洁所导致的失误。