Considering another FP today about AI and ‘leadership’, perhaps it’s more on point to say that AI promotes Manager jobs, and Managers are writing manifestos about how Managers are the future of society. Yeah, money’s a factor, but if we lived in a world with replicators, a class that values itself for delegation would still be promoting AI for how it enables delegation without the tediousness of workers.
I think they just realize their job (at least at the middle level) could near entirely be replaced by AI being fed tickets and company emails by an intern
Ai is wonderful but it should never replace friends. I detest Mark Zuckerberg's claim that AI will replace friends, that's simply not happening. But AI is wonderful at tasks like upscaling or even meme generation.
I've been talking with AI during my morning commute (car) recently, instead of listening to something. It's a great partner to bounce ideas off of. I don't have any friends that can or are willing to engage with ideas to the extent AI does.
In what I found he didn’t say “replace” but “add more”; it is still chilling and I detest it.
Especially in the current incarnation of AI, where they are more or less controlled by corporations and government.
> The average American has "three people that they would consider friends," he said. "And the average person has demand for meaningfully more. I think it's, like, 15."
No such thing. It's a mechanical parrot that replies with the most likely response given an input.
It's not a person. It's not a friend. It's not going to hold you while you cry. It's not going to invite you to its wedding. It has no independent life or thought or plans. It's not real.
I guess you can have dog- (or other pet-) friends; just don’t pretend they’re human; that would be bad for everyone, humans and animals have different needs.
I’d say go ahead and get an AI friend, but maybe don’t forget it isn’t alive.
I cannot express how deeply disgusted the idea of a chatbot "friend" makes me
We're not talking about a sentient machine like Data from Star Trek, we're so so far from that still
Edit: it's super important to remember that any and all of the big commercially available AI out there are.. commercial. They're owned by companies. Unless you run them on your own hardware someone else is ultimately the owner of your "AI friend".
That should be a huge alarm bell in your head. Corporations are not your friends.
Zuck's was weird. Andreesen's was just awful. Basically saying that nobody had any right to restrict him and other tech bros from raking in unlimited money doing whatever they wanted and that a bit of fascism couldn't hurt. He literally didn't give a single thing to be optimistic about. Just painted him as an absolute villain.
Isn’t the answer just: money?
Considering another FP today about AI and ‘leadership’, perhaps it’s more on point to say that AI promotes Manager jobs, and Managers are writing manifestos about how Managers are the future of society. Yeah, money’s a factor, but if we lived in a world with replicators, a class that values itself for delegation would still be promoting AI for how it enables delegation without the tediousness of workers.
I think they just realize their job (at least at the middle level) could near entirely be replaced by AI being fed tickets and company emails by an intern
Ai is wonderful but it should never replace friends. I detest Mark Zuckerberg's claim that AI will replace friends, that's simply not happening. But AI is wonderful at tasks like upscaling or even meme generation.
I've been talking with AI during my morning commute (car) recently, instead of listening to something. It's a great partner to bounce ideas off of. I don't have any friends that can or are willing to engage with ideas to the extent AI does.
In what I found he didn’t say “replace” but “add more”; it is still chilling and I detest it.
Especially in the current incarnation of AI, where they are more or less controlled by corporations and government.
> The average American has "three people that they would consider friends," he said. "And the average person has demand for meaningfully more. I think it's, like, 15."
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/05/09/mark-zuckerberg-says-ai-...
> And the average person has demand for meaningfully more. I think it's, like, 15
Research seems to point at more like 3-5 https://www.socialconnectionguidelines.org/en/evidence-brief...
That begs a question: would you rather have no friends, or a few AI friends?
> AI friends
No such thing. It's a mechanical parrot that replies with the most likely response given an input.
It's not a person. It's not a friend. It's not going to hold you while you cry. It's not going to invite you to its wedding. It has no independent life or thought or plans. It's not real.
What about a dog?
> What about a dog?
Despite the nickname "man's best friend", they are in fact pets, not friends.
Dogs are pets not friends
Mine is absolutely a friend.
At the same time a dog does not pretend to be a human, isn’t controlled by a corporation, and is a living thing with its own needs.
I guess you can have dog- (or other pet-) friends; just don’t pretend they’re human; that would be bad for everyone, humans and animals have different needs.
I’d say go ahead and get an AI friend, but maybe don’t forget it isn’t alive.
I cannot express how deeply disgusted the idea of a chatbot "friend" makes me
We're not talking about a sentient machine like Data from Star Trek, we're so so far from that still
Edit: it's super important to remember that any and all of the big commercially available AI out there are.. commercial. They're owned by companies. Unless you run them on your own hardware someone else is ultimately the owner of your "AI friend".
That should be a huge alarm bell in your head. Corporations are not your friends.
you said no friends twice
From PG's comment on Zuck‘had no concept of small talk`, that's on par for his view on friends.
https://fortune.com/2026/03/23/meta-cofounder-mark-zuckerber...
Zuck's was weird. Andreesen's was just awful. Basically saying that nobody had any right to restrict him and other tech bros from raking in unlimited money doing whatever they wanted and that a bit of fascism couldn't hurt. He literally didn't give a single thing to be optimistic about. Just painted him as an absolute villain.