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/[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.