Ruminations on Theory and Motivations
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The Concept of Enshittification: Coined by Cory Doctorow, it describes the pattern where platforms initially offer great value to attract users, then lock them in, and finally extract value by degrading the service for users while increasing value extraction for business customers (advertisers, etc.) or, in this case, the platform owner themselves by reducing costs.
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Applying it to Frontier AI Chatbots:
- Phase 1: Attract Users: Release a groundbreaking model (e.g., initial GPT-4, Claude 3 Opus). Offer free access or affordable subscriptions. Generate massive hype and positive press. Users are amazed by the capabilities (complex reasoning, creativity, coding).
- Phase 2: Lock-in Users: Users integrate the tool into their daily workflows, studies, or creative processes. They become accustomed to its abilities and interface. Subscription models create a direct financial lock-in