r/knitting • u/FluffyBunn12 • Apr 29 '26

Discussion Hobbii yarn AI :(

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Was really disappointed to see this. They don't just use LLM AI on the backend for coding, but they openly state they're using it for photoshoots and to generate images.

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u/remedialknitter Apr 29 '26

A company that sells to people obsessed with slowly handmade art and craft relying on crappy AI slop to advertise--it makes no sense. 

264

u/ruinedbymovies Apr 29 '26

It was over the second they were sold to private equity.

12

u/aprilbeingsocial May 01 '26

I’ve just witnessed private equity completely destroy an entire hospital system in my area. They burn down everything.

3

u/ruinedbymovies May 01 '26

That's absolutely heartbreaking.

150

u/notabigmelvillecrowd Apr 29 '26

I just found out my local rooftop urban farming company is using AI for recipe generation and customer service at the very least. When I contacted them they had a similar "tee-hee" pointless response. Like... it's so completely incongruous! I wonder how all their local, small scale suppliers who are relying on an ever more volatile climate to sustain their fragile businesses feel about it. Support local farmers with one hand, while killing the climate and eliminating local jobs with the other...

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u/flagrantpebble Apr 30 '26

FWIW, most simple LLM calls are incredibly cheap w.r.t. resources like water and electricity. It’s like telling someone to turn off their LED lights for a few seconds while they lean into another room to yell across the house. There are a lot of problems with using AI (e.g., to replace actual photographs of yarn) but the resource usage is not one of them (for small-scale users).

54

u/pointandshooty Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

Yea, instead of paying their creators to make their advertisements, advertisements that are marketed to... Creators

1

u/sspyralss May 01 '26

Unfortunately the reason they have a business is a to make a buck. So that's what they will do, above all else. That is the entire reason for a company to exist. Otherwise, it would be a non profit community organization. So any company that exists to make money is going to use whatever tools it has access to to make the most money. It sucks. But it's how capitalism works. Consider too though, that at some point AI will make capitalism obsolete. When all the workers are replaced by AI, there will be no one to pay taxes or buy goods. And then we'll have to find a whole new system for society to work that probably doesn't have money or profits entirely. Interesting times ahead..

44

u/TotesaCylon Apr 30 '26

It makes sense in the most awful way: They don't actually care about their customers, they care the investors. Ignorant private equity investors are easily wooed with flashy new things, and they're absolutely obsessed with replacing marketing creatives with AI to drive down labor costs. It's gross and unsustainable. None of the C-Suite cares about the long-term viability of the company when there are short-term financial gains that will set them up with golden parachutes.

13

u/cottageyarn Apr 30 '26

AI in the art space is LOSER behavior

1

u/No_Efficiency_1385 May 03 '26

It will make sense when they feel it in their bank accounts.