Post by @lagrangeinterpolator@awful.systems

2026-10-28 02:41 UTC

“No mortal can resist the Ring of Power for long. Anthropic’s co-founders carried it for longer than you could have.” We all know how LotR goes. Boromir got the One Ring, carried it back to Gondor, used its sheer might to defeat his enemies in Mordor, and saved the world. We all know that it would be a lot worse if Mordor got the One Ring. What do you mean, destroy the Ring? Are you a Luddite? This technology is here to stay. It cannot be destroyed by any craft we here possess, unless you’re crazy enough to try throwing it into a volcano or something.

Replies (3)

@lagrangeinterpolator@awful.systems 2026-10-28 15:11

Another nitpick: they say no mortal can resist the One Ring for very long, but even someone who just watches the movies knows that immortals can also be corrupted by it (which is why Gandalf and later Galadriel were very careful to not accept it). I know there are so many examples of tech bros not understanding media, but Lord of the Rings is by far the worst offender.

Open ##5290695
@corbin@awful.systems 2026-10-28 19:33

It’s too bad that Janus got cooked. They didn’t set up sufficient defenses, but also they drank too deeply. I still think that their framing, that the chatbots are simulators of conversations, is the best one; it’s honestly kind of pathetic how they then claim that the simulations are alive, intelligent, sapient, etc.

Open ##5293777
@fullsquare@awful.systems 2026-10-28 21:59

i, for one, would like to see san francisco people to stop doing things

Open ##5296156