Ask HN: What are the immediate/near/long-term non-corporate benefits of AI?
In other words, what's the benefit for the average joe(s) / humanity as a whole? Near/long-term non-corporate benefits I see in AI is the decentralizing of apps. Rather than relying on an app store or having someone build it for us, we can build simple apps that do what we need and don't hand over information to other entities. Not everyone will make their own apps, but many will and supplement their commercial apps. Like making bread instead of buying it at a store. I see where you’re coming from. Some will be empowered to do this. It’s like what the computer allowed but on steroids. However, I think this only applies to a handful of people. I doubt the average joe goes around wanting to vibe code their own thing most users are “passive”. IMO the bar for success and security is a lot lower when the app is serving one person and it's the person who built it. So i just made dinner and thought of this question. One thing the LLMs a very good at is "I have X, Y, Z ingredients. what can i make and how can i make it?" It has really helped me start to move more towards buying ingredients as opposed to processed crap. What class is this for? He could just ask an AI! It's a serious question!? And as dumb as it sounds neither of you could answer it. Microsoft Copilot helps me transform into a fox so there! Rugged individualist fox! Seriously: (local) LLMs may be helpful for therapy and/or self-enhancement (though I struggle to label these 2 "benefits" at the current level of tech, still too dependent on the user's (objective?) skill level :) Interesting. Would this be a non-solution to a non-problem since there are already therapists out there? Does it solve the awkwardness of talking to another human? I'm lucky that (1) there is one place that offers therapy in my town in 2026 (all the rest of them went out of business in in the pandemic), (2) my insurance will pay for it, and (3) my therapist endorses foxwork. Just recently, to the great relief of my wife, I developed a "cover story" that explains it all rationally and it's a lot easier to get help from humans like personal trainers, hairdressers, voice coaches, etc. Still I have good discussions with Copilot that help me refine character adjustments and such. Second question, yes, in my experience. First one, bandaids have their uses even if there are first responders out there. But in general I agree with your take. I suppose one perspective can be that it's cheaper to pay $20/mo than +$150 for a 45min session. So, "advice" and "opinions" become cheap and accessible. But, does it translate into quality? I still find it hard to accept boilerplate psychological advice from an LLM. I think that part of the reason why we gravitate towards other humans is because we assume they've gone through similar experiences. That's why I don't take relationship advice from someone that has never dated someone. An LLM lacks... humanity... it can tell me what the textbook says but life's more nuanced than just tokens. From my point of view an LLM has access to all the knowledge in the world but lacks the nuance that makes advice valuable in these scenarios.