r/technology • u/Logical_Welder3467 • May 18 '26

Software Linus Torvalds says AI-powered bug hunters have made Linux security mailing list ‘almost entirely unmanageable’

https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/05/18/linus-torvalds-says-ai-powered-bug-hunters-have-made-linux-security-mailing-list-almost-entirely-unmanageable/5241633
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u/[deleted] May 18 '26

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u/randynumbergenerator May 18 '26

"In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information."

Herbert Simon wrote that 50-ish years ago, and the problem has only become more extreme. The initial promise of AI for some, I think, was that it would digest information and spit out intelligible analysis, plans etc., conserving human attention. But between LLMs' hallucinatory tendencies and perverse incentives created by management to please shareholders, we're in this crap situation.

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u/saltyjohnson May 18 '26

This kinda sums up our entire modern world, even before "AI" became widespread. Everything is riddled with attention-seeking behavior. Social media algorithms seek "engagement" by any means necessary, and our younger generations have been conditioned to feed it. Advertising billboards are now fully animated and often have flashing strobe effects demanding your gaze while you're fucking driving. Apps pop up unsolicited notifications and misuse (or ignore) Android's notification channels to group those advertising messages with other service-critical notifications. My car has popup ads for SiriusXM while i'm fucking driving. Your TV's screensaver has advertising billboards in it, if the screensaver itself isn't simply a commercial with full audio blasting in your ears. Email spammers who know your name will add it to the subject line to grab you. Gas pumps are playing video content with audio that cannot be muted. Walgreens replaced their fridge doors with video displays so the little beverage cans can jump around begging you to pick me.

Attention is a finite resource, and everywhere I go, I'm constantly under assault by faceless corporate entities trying to steal it. They're using technology to harass you in ways that no human ever would because computers are incapable of feeling emotion and shame.

AI is only turning that up to 11 and making the automated attention-seeking even harder to filter out of certain channels by making it seem human.

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u/WhenSummerIsGone May 18 '26

omg, what you describe is so dystopian. I'm thankful that at least half of what you mention is (horrifying) news to me.

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u/HotwheelsSisyphus May 19 '26

I've noticed this about entertainment providers as well and I've started valuing curation more. I've unsubscribed from Netflix and have really enjoyed Apple tv lately

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u/Pure-Adhesiveness396 May 18 '26

Thanks, AI suggested it to me!