Exclusive: I’m an AI skeptic — I spoke to the AI Appreciation Day founder to settle the beef, and even he thinks people will ‘genuinely hate’ AI in ‘the coming years’

(Image credit: Future)

I’ll be honest from the get-go: I think the idea of an AI Appreciation Day is ridiculous. As a skeptic who has watched public opinion rapidly curdle on this tech, dedicating a day to it feels like one of those made-up corporate marketing stunts — right up there with National Underwear Day.But while I have heavy opinions on the AI hype train, I am always willing to step into the ring with the other side. And who better to hash out my biggest criticisms with than Nathan Ricks, the literal founder of the holiday?If you’ve read my recent reporting, you know exactly where I stand. We are watching a massive AI bubble obliterate sensible gadget prices, drain local power grids, and threaten jobs, all while giving us a firehose of internet "slop" in return.I wanted to know if it is actually possible to appreciate AI right now, so I sat down with Ricks to find out. Let’s get into it.

Disclaimer

Editor's note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

We have days like National Pizza Day and National Talk Like a Pirate Day, which are fun. But AI is already the most aggressively hyped, over-discussed topic on the planet right now. Why does it need its own official holiday?(Image credit: Meta AI)“I think it's very easy for it to just get caught up in the day-to-day. AI just is infused in so many aspects of our lives. It is becoming for many people just increasingly normalized. And I think it's important to take a step back and really reflect about our relationship to artificial intelligence as humans.If I was to rename the day, I don't even know if I would call it AI appreciation day. I’d call it AI reflection day.Nathan RicksIf I was to rename the day, I don't even know if I would call it AI appreciation day. I’d call it AI reflection day. I think it's time to really step back and ask ourselves critical questions, analyze our relationship to AI, how we're using it in our lives, and I think that's just going to be an increasingly important thing that us humans need to do as we develop our relationships with AI.”The phrase of the year is 'AI slop.' Finding a real, human answer online right now feels like digging through a landfill of AI generated garbage. How do you ask people to appreciate a technology that in the eyes of many people is actively degrading the the internet?