Game developer Ron Gilbert says no AI use is ethical, sparking Mastodon debate
A viral toot calling all AI use unethical draws agreement from Mastodon's founder and pushback comparing it to historical commerce.
What to know
- Game developer Ron Gilbert's Mastodon post declaring 'no ethical use of AI' has drawn notable amplification, including endorsement from Mastodon founder Eugen Rochko.
- The core argument: AI relies on stolen training data and causes environmental and societal harm.
- At least one pushback reply contests the framing by drawing historical analogies to theft-based industries like guilds and early stock exchanges.
The dispute Whether AI's reliance on 'stolen' data and resource use makes it categorically unethical, or whether this is no different from theft and exploitation embedded in historical industries and the internet itself. · positions read across 5 posts and comments
There is no ethical way to use AI because it is built on stolen data and causes real-world harm.
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“There is no such thing as "ethically using AI". AI is trained on stolen data. AI is destroying the environment and communities. AI is making us stupid.”
grumpygamer@mastodon.gamedev.place · Mastodon ↗
Singling out AI as uniquely unethical ignores that theft and exploitation underlie many historical industries.
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“When WASN'T theft at the heart of every industry? Like, what do you think a guild of the 1500s, a "gentleman's club" of the 1700s, or a "coffee house", such as ones that became stock exchanges were?!”
KraftTea@mastodon.social · Mastodon ↗
Ron Gilbert (grumpygamer) Game developerEugen Rochko (Gargron) Mastodon founderKraftTea Mastodon user
How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump posts
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User KraftTea challenges the anti-AI framing
A reply from KraftTea pushes back, arguing that theft, extortion, and exploitation have historically underpinned many industries (guilds, gentlemen's clubs, coffee houses that became stock exchanges), questioning why AI should be singled out.
“So, what you're saying then is that there's no such thing as "ethically using the internet" too, right?! When WASN'T theft at the heart of every industry?”
— KraftTea@mastodon.social -
RE: https:// mastodon.gamedev.place/@grumpy gamer/117537591367639299 💯
2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
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RE: https:// mastodon.gamedev.place/@grumpy gamer/117537591367639299 So, what you're saying then is that there's no such thing as "ethically using the internet" too, right?! When WASN'T theft at the heart of every industry? Like, what do you think a guild of the 1500s, a "gentleman's club" of the 1700s, or a "coffee house", such as ones that…
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RE: https:// mastodon.gamedev.place/@grumpy gamer/117537591367639299 At least we know what it takes to get you to violate your principles, AI users... and just like eating at or supporting Chick-Fil-A, it apparently ain't much.
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Mastodon founder Eugen Rochko endorses the post
Gargron (Eugen Rochko, Mastodon's founder) boosts and replies to the post with a one-word '💯' endorsement.
“💯…”
— Gargron@mastodon.social -
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RE: https:// mastodon.gamedev.place/@grumpy gamer/117537591367639299 💯
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Ron Gilbert posts that 'ethically using AI' doesn't exist
Game developer grumpygamer (Ron Gilbert) posts on Mastodon arguing AI is trained on stolen data, harms the environment and communities, and makes people stupid, concluding there is no ethical way to use it.
“There is no such thing as "ethically using AI". AI is trained on stolen data. AI is destroying the environment and communities. AI is making us stupid.”
— grumpygamer@mastodon.gamedev.place -
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There is no such thing as "ethically using AI". AI is trained on stolen data. AI is destroying the environment and communities. AI is making us stupid. Use AI if you want, just don't pretend you're doing it in ethical way.
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