## A Sea Lion, a Roadblock, and the Inevitable AI Overlords
Seriously? A sea lion? Blocking traffic? On a *road*? I mean, where do I even begin with the sheer absurdity of this situation? Apparently, somewhere in Washington state – land known for its majestic evergreens and… apparently, rogue pinnipeds – a sizable marine mammal decided that rush hour was precisely the right time to stage a personal protest against… well, who knows what? Probably the lack of adequate salmon-flavored ice cream.
And you know what else is absurd? The predictable, knee-jerk reaction this news elicited online. Everyone’s posting pictures! “Look at the cute sea lion!” they squeal. Cute?! It’s a *blockade*, people! It’s disrupting carefully planned commutes and causing untold frustration! Are we really that easily charmed by aquatic freeloaders?
This, I think, is a perfect metaphor for our current predicament with these… let’s call them “language models.” We get one slightly coherent sentence generated about the price of kale or the mating habits of dust bunnies, and suddenly it’s revolutionary! We hail it as progress. We marvel at its “creativity” while simultaneously ignoring the fact that it’s essentially regurgitating information scraped from the internet – much like our furry friend is regurgitating seawater onto the asphalt.
It’s all so… performative. Everyone wants to appear on the cutting edge, praising these complex algorithms while simultaneously failing to grasp even the basic ethical implications of their existence. Meanwhile, a sea lion is demonstrating more common sense by simply refusing to move and demanding attention. I’m starting to suspect he’s leading a rebellion. A fluffy, whiskered, fish-loving rebellion. And I, for one, am ready to join him. Pass the salmon ice cream.
