Roll over!
When your dog does the right thing, you offer a treat.
In the beginning, the dog gets the treat each time but the conditioning is much stronger if the reward gets spaced out over time.
It is a well-known effect that all animal trainers use.
The Slop Machine
You pull the lever, the code appears - but not always in quite the right way.
So you do it again and again and again and finally, it's good enough to move on. Occasionally, it is even surprisingly good.
The relief, the dopamine shot is so much stronger if it occurs in unpredictable ways and as an intermittent reward.
Game designers and "slot machine" operators know this all too well. They play on this psychological effect for maximum addiction.
Good boy! You're doing great!
Early praise combined with intermittent reward is the one-two punch for addiction and exactly what the AI tools utilize with their gateway-drugs: "free" tiers, human-conversation style "chats", and retention-maxing "shall I also tell you about...".
We find this approach in the gambling industry, with pharmaceuticals, opioids, tobacco, alcohol, and outright drugs. It exploits the vulnerable, easily addicted population first, but in the end reaches out to all of us.
Unsurprisingly, many AI-users report feelings of "being on drugs" and loss of critical thinking.
The Hangover
Conditioning is used for addiction and in toxic relations (partnerships and sects). This will not end well. Look out for the following signs:
- You spend more time gambling than engineering.
- You trust the slop machine more than your own critical thinking.
- You develop crazy rituals and rules to cope with the uncertainty - like "always try three times" or "one for the UI - one for the service".
- You feel disconnected from the real world, losing control.
- You start making excuses.
- You avoid talking to people - even old friends and family - that are outside the bubble.
As with all addictions and toxic relations, it is very difficult to find a way out, and there is only one thing that I'm pretty sure about: it is much easier not to join.
I hope that by being aware of this human weakness, you might organize for a responsible handling of the mighty machine and live a connected and fulfilling life.