AI Is a Horse (2024)

"Computers aren't the thing. They're the thing that gets you to the thing."

My favorite quote from the excellent show halt and catch fire. Maybe applicable to AI too?

Maybe from the client's point of view, although it's more likely a Tamagotchi. But from the server side, it’s more like a whole hippodrome where you need to support horse racing 24/7

That's not from the last week, so obviously doesn't matter.

AI is not a horse (2023) https://essays.georgestrakhov.com/ai-is-not-a-horse/

It's also a big bloatey gas bag that needs constant de-farting to function

https://polmuz.github.io/2026/01/04/its-a-horse.html

"No, I am not a horse."

Horse rumours denied.

All true apart you can only lead it to water - it drinks ALL the water regardless of anything else.

Some day, I imagine one will be a senator

A horse that can do your homework.

I was expecting a spin about the faster horses

This micro blog meta is fascinating. I've seen small micro blog content like this popping up on the HN home page almost daily now.

I have to start doing this for "top level"ish commentary. I've frequently wanted to nucleate discussions without being too orthogonal to thread topics.

Ai is a horse, i get it! I have a horse, and I put money in the front of the horse, and get "ponyium" out the back.

I've always said that driving a car with modern driver assist features (lane centering / adaptive cruise / 'autopilot' style self-ish driving-ish) is like riding a horse. The early ones were like riding a short sighted, narcoleptic horse. Newer ones are improving but it's still like riding a horse, in that you give it high level instructions about where to go, rather than directly energising its muscles.

And the salesman always says it’s great while it’s in fact lame.

this post is aging like milk

you rather don't want it in your bed

"I've been through the desert

On AI with no name

It felt good to be out of the rAIn

In the desert, you can remember your name

'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain"

If an AI aims at the thing we call it hallucinations, when humans do it we call the delusion goal setting.

Either way it is an imagined end point that has no bearing in known reality.

Or your typical American teenager.