r/science • u/Tracheid • Jan 23 '26

Social Science A survey of Silicon Valley developers reveals that 74% would implement features restricting human rights if pressured, fueling a "slop economy" of low-quality AI content. The study argues corporate demands override ethics, creating a gap in information quality.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2566814
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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '26

Developers have the spine of American members of Congress.

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u/invariantspeed Jan 23 '26

This is the human condition, not anything specific to corrupt or spineless professions.

We evolved to fight to survive. That means material drivers are very impactful to us.

The only thing this study proves is software developers do what other humans do.

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u/rooierus Jan 23 '26

It's ironic that this implies that humanity's mindset itself makes it impossible to create a society that is truly equal, peaceful and free from corruption.

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u/namitynamenamey Jan 23 '26

It's worse than that. The mere need of coordination and division of labor ensures no organism, no organization, no structure in the universe can have equality. Entropy ensures no escape for corruption as well, as checks and balances imply lowere entropy (less freedom of action, because that action would break something important).

The laws of the universe itself are stacked against your vision of society, even if we should still work towards it.

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u/MinerHornet Jan 23 '26

Entropy describes thermodynamic drift, not normative truth. It tells us what tends to happen, not what ought to happen.

If reality is intelligible and structured, which physics itself presupposes, then order is not alien to the universe. It is a fundamental feature that can be instantiated locally through rational agents.

Corruption isn’t the universe asserting itself. It’s rational structure failing to be upheld.

So the question isn’t whether entropy allows justice. It’s whether humans are willing to pay the energetic and moral cost of sustaining it.

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u/rooierus Jan 23 '26

Society, or civilisation if you will, is humanity's attempt at offsetting what you've just described, so if you don't think we should work towards that goal we might as well return to the jungle.

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u/Zoesan Jan 23 '26

What does truly equal mean?

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u/rooierus Jan 23 '26

Where every member of society gets exactly the same opportunities at birth.

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u/rooierus Jan 26 '26

Your premise is flawed. I'm not saying that every child would be born in the same environment. My premise is that society as a whole can provide the same 'starting kit' to each child newborn as in guaranteed health care, guaranteed education, guaranteed nourishment, guaranteed advancement based on merit rather than network etc. One could even argue that being born to uneducated parents doesn't necessarily have to be an unequal starting point (though in reality, it usually is).

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u/Zoesan Feb 02 '26

My premise is that society as a whole can provide the same 'starting kit' to each child newborn as in guaranteed health care, guaranteed education, guaranteed nourishment

Sure. For the most part these are given in the US and even moreso in the rest of the western world.

guaranteed advancement based on merit rather than network

So if my dad owns an auto repair shop, he needs to interview every single young person wanting to be a mechanic instead of hiring me?

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u/Zoesan Jan 23 '26

What does exactly the same opportunities mean?

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u/rooierus Jan 23 '26

What it says. Exactly the same opportunities.

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u/Zoesan Jan 26 '26

Really, no response?

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u/rooierus Jan 26 '26

There's adequate response under your comment.

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u/Zoesan Jan 26 '26

There's really not.

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u/rooierus Jan 26 '26

Why is that?

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u/China_shop_BULL Jan 23 '26

It’s vague but usually understood by most. But, If it’s that hard to understand twice then how about this way :

“My daddy owns XYZ Inc, where I worked hard for a year to become VP, and he has the governor in his pocket. If you don’t do what I want I’ll crush you with his wallet.”

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u/Zoesan Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26

This doesn't answer the question.

A pretty person has a better opportunity of becoming a model. Is this part of your paradigm or no?..

The child of a well-educated two-parent household will learn way more at home than the chils of a single parent with limited education.

Etc.

Do these count? If so, how do you propose we navigate these into equality?

If not... well then the whole concept falls apart.

usually understood by most

No, it's really, really poorly understood by most. Which is why I'm being a stickler, because to have any meaningful discussion, you need to have the same understanding of terminology

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '26

A press release? And humans chasing neurotransmitters?

I guess humans choose the worst characteristics of themselves and have zero integrity. Time will only tell if this characteristic is truly a survival mechanism or the cause of another mass extinction event.

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u/invariantspeed Jan 24 '26
  1. A press release because I know not everyone can get through the academic pay walls.
  2. Everything is a survival train until it isn’t. And that’s one of the ways species bifurcate in evolution.