[kwlug-disc] AI and social justice

[Chris Frey]

On Fri, May 29, 2026 at 02:39:51AM +0000, Doug Moen wrote:
> I prefer to rely on non-profit companies when I can. I use Linux
> (developed by a non-profit) instead of Windows. I use Codeberg
> (non-profit) instead of Github. GrapheneOS (non-profit) instead of Google
> Android or iOS. The open source ecosystem is heavily based on non-profit
> organizations, and I like the results better than the old days of Windows
> and commercial Unix. If this is "communism", then I think it delivers
> better results than capitalism. I like my current software stack much,
> much better than what I could get in the bad old days of closed source
> capitalist software. I don't think it is communism, since a large
> decentralized network of non-profits bears no resemblance to the Soviet
> state, its authoritarian government, and its planned economy.

While there are advantages to non-profit, the main disadvantage
(whether communist or not) is that you are not the customer.
It's a bit like the ad-driven economy, where incentives can slowly
drift away from what the end user wants or needs.  Most non-profits
depend on for-profits to survive.  I see many for-profit companies,
or rich benefactors, on various sponsorship pages.

Take Mozilla Foundation as one example of gradual drift, where they
claim now that AI is their primary focus, when it used to be a
simple free browser.

Also, from the perspective of the business itself, having direct
customers for an exact product is a valuable data signal.  Is this
product really meeting a need?  Am I really providing enough value
to warrant my paycheque?

- Chris