Don't Feed the Kraken

As you already know from me directly, or as your gut is telling you: the AI tsunami hit me full force and instead of being swept away, I'm riding the wave. I covered my productivity gains in my initial post "AI and I". Now let me tell you a story.

Enter the Influencer

Not too long ago I came across a video on a well-known video platform about how to create so-called utility websites with AI - super easily and quickly, without any coding or development experience whatsoever. A calorie calculator or whatever, I don't care. But a good 80% of the video was a tutorial on how to implement tracking pixels, ad banners and other monetization measures to achieve maximum passive revenue flow. And immediately every WTF and FU alarm in my head went off.

I know, that's the internet today - but: this is not the internet I remember, the one I wish for, the one it should actually be. The effing influencer, who of course had maximally monetized his own video with in-video sponsor pimping and high-frequency ad interruptions, saw himself as some kind of saviour because he was creating "free" services for the plebs out there while raking in cash. Scumbag.

Nothing Is Free

FU (again)! You know the saying: nothing is free, and if something costs nothing, then you are the product. In this case even worse - the product is the visitors to his "utilities", whom he SELLS! In doing so he participates (even if it's just crumbs, or less) in the profit from the transfer and misuse of his visitors' data. Data aggregation that makes the Big Tech overlords even richer and even more powerful. F... you know the rest.

Ultimately that's exactly the problem: concentration of money and power is the inverse of evenly distributed wealth. Centralisation vs. decentralisation. Data aggregation vs. sharing.

And another saying to go with it: if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem!

Did I already write FU?

FU - and What to Do Instead

I will NOT participate in this. And yes, I'm certainly not perfectly consistent myself - I do have a G.account and other big-tech touchpoints - but I will strive to further minimise them and hopefully eliminate them someday. And under no circumstances will I knowingly or unknowingly feed others to the data kraken.

And now the AI wave is washing over us. The productivity of those who know their craft increases, the pile of BS from those who manufacture it grows. But don't be afraid - use AI, build useful tools and SHARE them with the world.

I track nothing on my site. I run no ads. Yes, I use G.Webmaster Tools to make content more discoverable. I'd prefer word of mouth driven by my visitors. Doesn't matter - you know my attitude, I expect nothing. But if anyone wants to give something back, there are ways - even if it's just a "Hi, great stuff, keep it up!"

Peace out, Alexander