Imagine the day when you go to some web site and see a picture of your wife, with a caption saying something like, “isn’t it time that you talked to your doctor about Viagra?” How about those pre video ads on YouTube with your dead grandma, telling you to consider cremation?

What does that really mean, to use your data for ad targeting? Can they use your pictures to generate an AI image of those you love?

I see lots of posts that it doesn’t affect you because you’re not on Google services. What about that friend who took pictures at last week’s happy hour? Grandma sharing pictures of her favorite granddaughter with her pickle ball group? Unless you’re a hermit, you can’t stop the slow trickle of your personal data being sucked up and stored for generations. It’s your data, where are the laws to protect it?

They mandated that we return to the office. I now have long stretches of time with my laptop closed while attending in person meetings or standing at a white board or even socializing. Track that.

Wait, we’re not tokenmaxing anymore? So when the AI salesman said to make a leaderboard of people spening the hardest, it was to line their own pockets with cash? Huh. Color me surprised.

So next, you’ll tell me that it costs more to have an LLM produce the same quality of code as a senior developer.

For those of you posting that it won’t affect you for various reasons, it will eventually if we allow this behaviour to continue. Right now, it’s McDonald’s. Next, it’ll be grocery stores, gas stations, and everything else. Delta airlines said that they were doing this, too. I heard that they later backed down after consumer backlash. I heard that Whole Foods is considering something similar (surge pricing).

Write to McDonald’s, preferably in a public forum. Boycotts are great, drawing the attention of others is better. Write to your local representatives, especially if they’re up for reelection this fall.