15 september 2023
Doctorow on Openwashing
Author: Cory Doctorow
Title: "Open" "AI" isn't
Link:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/18/openwashing/#you-keep-using-that-word-i-do-not-think-it-means-what-you-think-it-means
Summary
Doctorow criticizes the company name OpenAI by saying that what they do is neither open, artificial nor intelligent. He goes on and talks about how the fact that big companies offer open source software (such as Android) does not give us users noticeably more freedom (still stuck choosing between Apple and Google). His main point is that open does not equal freedom, either because companies exaggerate their openness or because their openness locks developers into an ecosystem where they basically end up doing work for free: every that gets added to Google Play Store adds value to Google's Android business as a whole.
My Thoughts
In a discussion I had with my colleagues some time ago, the thought came up that the "Big Evil Company, inc." of the future will pose as some sort of research institute or foundation. I was surprised to see that there seems to be a word for it: openwashing.
Tags
#commentary, #openwashing, #crappytech, #ai