Is knowledge really worth anything anymore?

[Telekinetic-Potato]

When I was a kid, knowledge had a totally different value. There was the kid down the street who always knew how to advance in the Pokémon game.

My dad and his friends all had their own sort of personal style that was flavored by their niches of knowledge. Being able to share information about tools, home improvement, how to walk through a burning house, showing everyone on the team how to hold a bat was almost sort of cool.

Knowledge was frustratingly hard to get. When I was learning VFX, I spent hours every day watching behind the scenes for movies, pausing the videos and reading everything in the background just so I could learn a new word and hopefully it might lead to me figuring out how to do something if I googled it enough.

Now you can just go on chat gpt and get whatever answers you want about bitmap controlled fluid simulation. 20 years ago, it took me a week to make a greenscreen work badly. Now you just tap on your phone and the background doesn't even need to be a solid color.

Anyone can do anything now. It's kind of scary to think what that means.

[NathanDavis]

well, it wasn't exactly true before... and it isn't exactly true today

just because you know, in theory... how to do something, that doesn't mean you are able, nor capable to actually do it

also... just because you know something, that doesn't really you understand something AND THAT'S A GREAT PART OF KNOWLEDGE, understanding...

and, just because you know something, might understand it and then able to go with it... still, doesn't exactly mean you will get somewhere with it, and even if you did others can do it as well, and still do it better than you because they have ChatGPT as well... so the "value" or an advantage is not really lost

if you learned something "organically" you can always improve it with ChatGPT, enhance it if you will..

[Telekinetic-Potato]

I think I get what you're saying. But back to the vfx example, of course the first time I learned to do a greenscreen for example. It took a long time just to get it to kind of work. And then years to understand how to make it perfect. That journey started with knowledge that is so much easier to obtain now.

I bet if I had to learn it now instead of back then, with the same tools but I have chat, I would have needed 3 months to get to the level that originally took me 2 years to obtain.

[NathanDavis]

it makes me wonder... how those felt back then

you see, you learned "how to do greenscreen" and it took you two years to learn something that was already there ready to learn, so imagine those before you who, perhaps had to spend two decades figuring out how to INVENT...

wouldn't it be funny if they were like "just look at this potato kid over there" will take him JUST TWO YEARS, to just grab a book, watch a video... and easily learn what it took me decodes to master after I invented it"

I think that's how we feel know about all this "GPT instant knowledge" lol

at least, you can probably say that you work is of more quality... than most things regurgitated by AI

[Telekinetic-Potato]

Very true

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

"I bet if I had to learn it now instead of back then, with the same tools but I have chat, I would have needed 3 months"

That prediction masks other important factors started by Nathan already. In a goal-oriented antisocial version of philosophy, only the end result would matter. But for real, the two years spent on sharpening the blade brought you all sorts of personal results you incorporated without thinking about them, because during these 2 years with the task, you existed and evolved, not just from a technical standpoint A->B path. The goal was a cool thing maybe, but humanly speaking, unless you're a machine, such a path towards a goal brings many more results than just getting better at one technicality

[Telekinetic-Potato]

@Maybe_Maybe_not I get where you're coming from but I don't think it trumps the access to knowledge.

For example. When you have someone physically stand in front of a greenscreen. The light will reflect off the screen and "spill" onto the edges of the subject. The hardest spill to clean is hair and reflective surfaces.

A good greenscreen keyer will have so many settings for handling these issues, it feels like you're about to fly an airplane.

They were designed under the assumption that you were learning to use the tools under the tutelage of someone else while working at some sort of production company.

So yes, those years were spent learning that the material of the greenscreen matters, the angle you light it at matters, if you don't have enough money to light everything up properly (what is properly?) you have to make calculated decisions what you feel more comfortable fixing in the computer.

Even if you spent money on tutorials which back then you could spend thousands of dollars on a course, many people gatekept information to protect what they charged for their skills.

But I was only able to discover these granular details because I had to look up every function the software had, in many cases go on forms and deduce what it meant by watching people trouble shoot issues on totally different programs and then fuck with it until I'd meet someone who maybe worked in the industry or was involved in the development of this kind of software.

Today I can spend a day or two watching YouTube or I can spend a couple hours having a conversation with an AI.

But because I can ask questions as if I have a person in front of me, it's a lot faster to go back to my computer and play with the new ideas I've learned.

[Telekinetic-Potato]

It's like if you're in a strangers basement trying to find a light switch but it's pitch dark. Let's say you can bet on one of two people to find the switch first in this messy basement, it's a big one too. If you pick the right guy you get 50k. Do you want the guy with 5 years experience doing it or 1 year experience and they've got a flashlight?

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Uhhhhhhh you've shifted to something else entirely, that didn't talk to me lol

[NathanDavis]

@Telekinetic-Potato I'd pick the guy with five years of experience... he can also see the light from the flashlight... right?

and he'll know the answer first, will get to it quicker as well

[Telekinetic-Potato]

I'd say the flashlight represents ai

[NathanDavis]

some do think and say...
that chance and luck, both
do serve and favor, better and more...
to those who are best prepared

I do see AI to be just the same...
just another tool... nothing else

[MrChinaski]

Yes. You can't live a meaningful life without knowing a lot of things.

Is trivia worth anything anymore? No.

[Sangita93]

In our school days, our teachers were telling that there are three things important for happy and easy life, Knowledge, Technology and Skill. Very simple example they were giving was about travel. If you want to go somewhere, you should know how fae it is, and what are the ways. Next – if it is a short distance, you can go by walking, but using bicycle will be less laborious and easy. Car or heavy vehicle may not worth. Skill is practically knowing how to use or manage what resource for what purpose. You can not just ride a bicycle reading or attending lectures, practically you need to learn yourself. Knowledge remains the theoretical bedrock – foundation required to understand why things work. But you cannot develop sophisticated skills without a foundational understanding of the subject matter. Because technology updates continuously and makes facts instantly searchable, knowledge alone is a rapidly depreciating asset compared to active skill development. Ultimately, these elements form a loop rather than standing alone. Knowledge provides the foundation, Technology provides the tools, and Skill is the human capability required to apply the knowledge effectively using those tools. Technology is perhaps non-tangible tool. Technology acts as the great equalizer and accelerator. It makes vast amounts of knowledge globally accessible in seconds, rendering the act of memorizing information mostly obsolete. Any technology or automation cannot replace human skill, but it can amplify it. A person with skills coupled with advanced technology will always outperform. Skill is the most important today. Simply knowing facts is no longer enough. Finishing any work in easy and pleasant way highly relay on skill – therefore skills-first is approach where practical application, adaptability, and critical thinking outpace rote learning. The relationship between these three pillars explains that skill dictate your ability to execute, innovate, and adapt to rapidly changing circumstances. Most job strongly prioritizes proven abilities over theoretical knowledge or formal educational qualifications. With advanced artificial intelligence automating routine cognitive and technical tasks, uniquely human skills like creativity, critical thinking and emotional intelligence have become the ultimate differentiators.

[Telekinetic-Potato]

Reminds me of the debate on what is the difference between knowledge, intelligence and wisdom. This is an intelligent response!

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Knowledge is dull now, it's true.

You can find knowledge about anything, and at the cost of nothing, due to AI agents simplifying quantum physics for you, explained like you were 5yo. You can be knowledgeable and wow g@g with your walls of text about wool industry in Serbia.

Assuming you trust that entity, assuming this program does not hallucinate, assuming you know enough of the topic to register when it hallucinates.

These assumptions matter a lot because:

[AngryCarl3]

Knowledge is less important than understanding what's true and what isn't.

[Telekinetic-Potato]

This guy gets it

[FunkyMonkee]

Probably not because, from the looks of it, nobody really wants it, anymore. Especially democrats!

[Jen_oic]

@Telekinetic-Potato

Everyone tells me to go back to school

[Tomislav7]

Yeah your 2cents

[jahaims]

Ignorant question