We were gonna change the world for the better, allow people to connect and access knowledge right from the palm of their hand. Working conditions were great, we were solving interesting problems and there was a general sense of positivity.
Now, our industry's leaders are embracing far-right movements across the world, actively working to make the world a worse place. Everything's increasingly shittified - Google and Netflix are putting ads even into their paid products.
AI companies keep talking about how their products will change the world, without talking or even thinking through the results of that change. In their dreams, they will replace most of the work force with computers, saving costs on those pesky wages. Not a single thought is given to what might happen to the recipients of said wages or how that would affect society at large.
Meanwhile, a contingent of our peers is enthusiastically working towards that future state, again, without ever thinking about consequences. In the process of doing so, we use immense amounts of energy, accelerating the already happening climate catastrophe.
It seems like we're openly building a dystopia, making the very few even more wealthy and powerful while dooming the rest.
What is one to do in this scenario if they have a conscience? Is anyone else struggling with this? How do y'all deal?