15 comments

  • blfr 52 minutes ago
    The subsidies deployed by the industry are so massive I don't even know if consumers need public assistance here. It's kinda like the gov was subsidizing web hosting or basic banking. The price for a regular consumer already barely hovers above zero.

    Just look at this list of services included in Google's AI Pro subscription[1]. Google took everything it could think any consumer might need and bundled for $20/mo. There's even $10 GCP credit (that you can use for AI API calls).

    [1] https://support.google.com/googleone/answer/14534406?hl=en

    • gwerbin 11 minutes ago
      It's a ploy to drive adoption. Once it's considered essential they can turn the screws in massive contracts with governments, big enterprises, universities, and public school systems. Probably some genuine competition on price, but the equilibrium price is probably below cost and not sustainable.
    • vovavili 10 minutes ago
      I wish Google had something like Codex app. To me, Gemini's output feel much more well-written, humane and mature than ChatGPT, and the bundling effects that you get with it are unreal. That said, I am way too used to tabs in Codex and SKILL.md-based workflow to go back.
    • ecommerceguy 13 minutes ago
      I had a free 3 month trial I just terminated. I deemed it too expensive.
    • dwa3592 40 minutes ago
      Thank you for this comment and holy cow, I have the pro subscription and didn't know it came with that many bells.
  • ninjahawk1 44 minutes ago
    I’m personally not a fan of OpenAI always referring to their model as “providing intelligence as a utility.” Sounds very condescending, are you saying this isn’t something we already have? If that’s the opinion, may be good to reflect on how the models were trained. On millions upon millions of books which no authors were compensated for.

    But that’s besides the point, the whole initiative is self-defeating by design. This isn’t like power, it’s something humans do inherently possess, this is simply a way to amplify what already exists. Intelligent people using AI generally seem to be more productive than when they don’t use it, and lazy or unintelligent people generally see cognitive decline, at least based on what I’ve heard online but I could be wrong on that.

    So saying “this is where you get intelligence” is both false marketing and destructive to OpenAI as a company, since by all definitions, it isn’t true.

    • arcanemachiner 22 minutes ago
      > I’m personally not a fan of OpenAI always referring to their model as “providing intelligence as a utility.” Sounds very condescending, are you saying this isn’t something we already have?

      Your body also generates electricity and natural gas. Do you also get upset when energy companies claim to provide these services as a utility?

      • malfist 19 minutes ago
        Is the electricity or natural gas that your body produces a defining feature of humanity?

        Does AI actually provide intelligence?

      • raq98 16 minutes ago
        "Humans also produce farts" is a new low. Can the AI people be interned or moved to some seasteading libertarian hellhole so the rest of us can live a normal life?
    • Muromec 22 minutes ago
      >I’m personally not a fan of OpenAI always referring to their model as “providing intelligence as a utility.” Sounds very condescending, are you saying this isn’t something we already have?

      We do and we don't. If you would go out there and talk to a random person about elliptic curves and matrix multiplications and whether you hit a performance ceiling in a specific 2x2 multiplication thingy with Karatsuba and wnaf, they would not know half the words, but the lying and flattering machine will be able to hold the conversation.

      The thing will not get all things right and bullshit me about DSTU4145 using normal basis, will lie about A being set to 1 for all standard curves, but it's definitely more intelligence that you can get from a taxi driver.

      If it's not general superintelligence right there for five bucks a piece, I don't know what is

      • malfist 18 minutes ago
        Is a dictionary intelligent?
        • hilariously 16 minutes ago
          These philosophical questions are decades if not older https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_room And the answer is "depends on who you ask and how many capabilities it has"
        • Muromec 8 minutes ago
          Does the prayer by a kafir not knowing the language in which the prayer is recited get forgiveness?

          I mean, what's the point of this question even. The thing is either useful or fun or it's not. I personally think the whole AI is the work of devil tempting us, but some people would say that about pork sausages and Paulaner and I like my pork sausages with Paulaner.

      • preisschild 18 minutes ago
        > We do and we don't. If you would go out there and talk to a random person about elliptic curves and matrix multiplications and whether you hit a performance ceiling in a specific 2x2 multiplication thingy with Karatsuba and wnaf, they would not know half the words, but the lying and flattering machine will be able to hold the conversation.

        Wikipedia has existed for decades...

        • Muromec 13 minutes ago
          You can't talk to wikipedia either, but it exists and is helpful, yes.
    • pizza 22 minutes ago
      you can say the same thing of the watts in a person too
    • delusional 15 minutes ago
      > providing intelligence as a utility

      Lol, they are literally just promising to make people fungible. Tale as old as time.

  • 1295817 3 minutes ago
    The comments here were not sufficiently obsequious towards AI companies, so the submission dropped from the front page to page three in minutes.

    That is how AI boosterism works here.

  • rtlambh 34 minutes ago
    A gambling, money laundering and Mafia paradise where journalists are killed for investigating the Mafia partners with OpenAI. A match made in heaven!

    Next, force an eyeball scan on the peasant population.

    • Muromec 18 minutes ago
      Eyball scans are already there on the border for other people. So are AI turrets shooting people on sight, just a different border
    • purrcat259 30 minutes ago
      Unfortunate thats the reputation we have :(
      • eska 25 minutes ago
        I used to work for a hosting company, and all the shady business like exploitation of children and sex workers came from there unfortunately. But that’s because people move their business there for legal reasons, not because of their residents I assume.
  • decimalenough 21 minutes ago
    It's a one year free trial, after that it costs money.
  • zitterbewegung 58 minutes ago
    Would be interesting long term if this sways public opinion about data centers in Malta. I do support though AI literacy in general and this is a good step. Would wonder about the deal in how much this is actually costing Malta if at all.
    • purrcat259 29 minutes ago
      Unlikely. Other than the telcos there's only one proper commercial datacentre here. Space is very constrained and the electricity supply stability + summer heat aren't a fun combination
    • preisschild 14 minutes ago
      OpenAI is inherently incentivized to sell as much LLM compute as possible, that is not neutral "AI literacy". You don't let tobacco companies make anti smoking education either.
  • musicale 34 minutes ago
    What could possibly go wrong?
  • varispeed 50 minutes ago
    Can't imagine the size of brown envelope. Handing over your entire nation's thoughts to a foreign company operating under US Cloud Act in normal circumstances would be considered a risk to national security. Why not invest in home grown talent and companies?
    • applfanboysbgon 42 minutes ago
      Malta is the size of a small city, I don't think national security or investing into home grown companies comes into play here.
      • phillc73 28 minutes ago
        Malta is part of the EU. I am personally very surprised about this partnership, just in the context of data security, privacy and the GDPR. How is the privacy of these EU citizens protected when all their prompts and data is sent to OpenAI? How do these EU citizens submit a request for all their personal data to be deleted from OpenAI records, a right they have under the GDPR with a compliant data processor?
        • applfanboysbgon 12 minutes ago
          ChatGPT is already available to users in the EU. It already has an EU-aligned terms of service. Not that I'd trust them, because the GDPR has been borderline useless in reality, but there's nothing particularly legally interesting about this offering.

          > How do these EU citizens submit a request for all their personal data to be deleted from OpenAI records

          Probably by sending an e-mail to a designated address, like most services that operate in the EU, but you can read their TOS if you'd like to be sure.

          • varispeed 10 minutes ago
            > but there's nothing particularly legally interesting about this offering.

            Care to elaborate or we have become completely apathetic to any display of sleaze?

            • applfanboysbgon 6 minutes ago
              I mean, it's just a literal non-event legally. I'm repeating myself here, but OpenAI already operates in the EU. EU users can already use ChatGPT, with some assurances about adhering to GDPR. Offering the ad-free tier to a subset of EU users for free, who could already use the tier with ads for free, doesn't change anything legally in regards to data processing.

              If you want my commentary on the political context, obviously I think it's not very intelligent for nations to be trusting a US corporation with all of their citizens' data. I think the most impactful use of LLMs is going to be their usage as surveillance and propaganda tools, so this is probably not a prudent decision. But legally, as pertains to GDPR, this is not different from the status quo in any way.

    • morkalork 44 minutes ago
      Worse than that, it's bi-directional. The model's responses and tuning now influences a whole nation of people.
  • alfiedotwtf 50 minutes ago
    To be honest, PR pieces don’t all need to go on HN, especially when this is probably not news worthy to anyone here except Maltese living in Malta
    • GaggiX 48 minutes ago
      I'm not Maltese and I did find it interesting.
  • rendx 1 hour ago
    > "Malta’s AI for All initiative will offer people of all backgrounds the opportunity to learn how AI can be used responsibly through a course developed by the University of Malta. The course is designed to help people understand what AI is, what it can and can’t do, and how to use it responsibly at home and work. After the course is completed, citizens can access ChatGPT Plus for one year at no cost to them."*
    • dawnerd 20 minutes ago
      Gotta get them hooked and reliant on it. It’s why they subsidized the entire software industry to adopt it.
    • julianlam 53 minutes ago
      > for one year

      snort

  • syngrog66 35 minutes ago
    Facts for context:

    Malta has a population of only 550k.

    Everyone in Malta could already, before this deal/plan, and even without it now, use ChatGPT (or any other LLM model/service, whether free or premium.)

    • purrcat259 28 minutes ago
      Citation needed. I haven't heard of this.

      I'm Maltese so feel free to be as detailed as needed.

      • collingreen 15 minutes ago
        They are saying that the product is already available then implying a government deal on behalf of all citizens doesn't matter because the product is already available.
        • purrcat259 9 minutes ago
          Maltese population are historically price sensitive. €20 a month isn't something you easily justify especially with recent cost of living increases.

          So the fact that you get it free after doing some basic due diligence is actually a big deal in the local context.

  • MagicMoonlight 36 minutes ago
    It’s a shame ChatGPT is total trash now.
    • Muromec 16 minutes ago
      Thanks CCP for having providing one that is as lying and flattering but cheaper.
  • neon_me 37 minutes ago
    ... rather than that, they should prepay everyone a few hours of therapy and aroma sticks. A waaay more profit in the long game.
  • mock-possum 1 hour ago
    Smart move, just wish a more ethical outfit was making it.
  • sauercrowd 59 minutes ago
    TL;DR: they made a course for citizens