AI and Stress
ChatGPT is approaching 200m monthly users . Gemini was visited almost 320m times in May 2024 , AI enthusiasts can now avail themselves of AI microwave s, AI toothbrushes and even an AI football .
However, for many of us who work in AI, this boom in popular interest is both a blessing and a curse. Certainly, salaries have increased, along with stock prices and market valuations. On the other hand, the change has brought with it a unique set of stresses.
This blog is about the stresses of modern AI. It is aimed at those who work in AI (which by conservative estimates is now something like 87% of the world’s population), but particularly those who do AI research.
Ultimately, I hope that talking about what makes AI research stressful can make life a little more joyful for those of us lucky enough to work in the field. Because, despite the current chaos, it remains a wonderful, fulfilling profession; one that has the potential to resolve many of the great questions of science, philosophy and thus humanity itself.
A few months back, I was at a friend’s 40th birthday party. We are close friends so I knew a good proportion of the guests, some very well. But I didn’t know them all.
