LLMs and the AI hype is just an imperialist cover for the very real environmental war that is being waged on the Global South each day. LLMs jobs are not to take jobs or threaten the positions of the imperial core proletariat (this is simply a distraction created by imperial core mass media even in leftist circles), it is to stimulate the artificial demand for production to combat the falling rate of profit. Climate change is an imperialist caused calamity to destroy Global South nations and it's no coincidence we see the worst ecological disasters in the most victimized parts of the planet and LLM's high compute cost for very low return comparably are perfect for promoting it. ChatGPT is just one tool in the belt of imperialist powers to control the narrative around technology and to ensure continued extraction at even greater amounts.

This isn't unique with LLMs, the crypto tech craze had also served the same purpose as computing power (GPUs) were scalped to all hell and creating even more artificial demand (thus continuing the supply chain cycle of unequal exchange). Proprietary software is one of the root maintainers of the imperialist hold over technology. Apple and Microsoft, both companies (but not the only companies but speaking generally) who are deeply entwined with US hegemony (and MIC, these guys arm Zionists), maintain their positions over a distorted sense of importance as all of their discoveries and achievements are locked away or undocumented and employ propaganda departments to sell the USAmerican luxury brand of technology.

All the discourse surrounding whether AI is "useful" or not is manufacturing consent for plundering even more resources to be hoarded by western powers. Of course AI is useful, most computer programs were made to serve a purpose in some capacity and it's not worth discussing (esp considering the companies themselves publish their own benchmarks in highly choreographed publicity stunts), but the push of AI serves a deeper purpose than what MSM would ever present.

Anyone who discusses AI in the context of "wow the youth's brains are being melted, you better make sure to safeguard your job" are missing the bigger picture (esp in the Global North). All your silicon is bloodied with the hardship and sacrifice of the Global Majority and neo-colonial extraction and we should maintain that as main leftist position on AI which can and will go further than crypto ever did.

Just as a side note, using Linux and free software is praxis actually, it's not because people are contrarian.