My current hypothesis is that men talk about their AI successes (endlessly, as I found yesterday) because AI gives them a sense of power. Standing alone in the wilderness, waiting for prey, bringing back game. It’s a dopamine hit for men of a certain age. They are intelligent and educated, but they feel a bit faded and they don’t have the satisfactions of the artist or brilliant thinker. In a weird, warped way, an AI result feels like something they powered and something that sets them apart from the rest of the tribe. And there they are, alone with a screen.
