This content originally appeared on Go Make Things and was authored by Go Make Things
One of the more surprising things to me about the AI era is the number of thought leaders in our space who have historically been against tech that causes massive harm to humans but regularly advocate for AI use.
They almost always treat AI as if its inevitable. Take, for example, this thread on Bluesky from Anil Dash…
So there’s this article atop Hacker News right now that says that “nobody wants AI in Firefox”, trying to make the argument that Mozilla shouldn’t go down that path…
And I think that’s wishful thinking. Hundreds of millions of people are using AI. And the vasty majority have NO IDEA how dangerous or harmful these platforms can be. It would be great if there were tools that they could use that might help reduce their risks.
I had a lengthy chat with Anil about all of this.
It struck me halfway through that he was basically advocating for “healthier cigarettes” because “people are going to smoke anyways.”
Do you think Nancy Reagan saying, in an out-of-touch and scolding way, “Just Say No” did anything to change kids’ attitudes on which drugs they used? Is there any self-reflection that should happen due to the utter failure of current tactics? Or just keep doubling down forever?
But we already have a model for this.
In the 1980s and 1990s, when I was a kid, smoking was everywhere. Restaurants, bars, and a little before my time, airplanes!
The idea that people would smoke was treated as inevitable, and the idea that you could get them to stop was viewed as wildly unrealistic.
Sound familiar? But in the early 2000’s, people did stop smoking!
First, smoking in indoor public spaces was made illegal in the US. Then, laws around advertising forbid cigarette companies from making it look cool in ads. That’s why you don’t see the Marlboro Man anymore.
Characters who were supposed to edgy or badass in movies and shows used to smoke. That stopped. Smoking became gross.
Not making something that sucks seem cooler than it was worked.
But a few years ago, the trend started to reverse. You know why?
Vaping.
Vape pens were pushed as a “safer alternative to smoking,” just like Anil is suggesting with Firefox AI. And as a result, not only did people who would have smoked anyways start up again, but people who previously wouldn’t have started.
And oh shit, guess what? Turns out, vaping might actually be even worse for you than regular cigarettes.
Anil asked me…
Let me frame the conversation a different way: if this isn’t abject failure in the effort to slow down adoption of the most harmful platforms by the most vulnerable people, in what ways would that failure be worse than right now?
I think the answer is obvious.
If you shove AI into Firefox, if you try to offer people “good AI” as a counterweight to “bad AI,” you’ll get a bunch of people who wouldn’t have tried AI before using it because now it’s baked right into this tool they use every day anyways.
He’s a very smart guy, certainly way more accomplished in tech that I’ll ever be. But I also think he’s completely wrong about how to advocate around AI, and actively doing harm.
The way to reduce AI harm isn’t shove it into more shit, but “the good kind.” It’s probably not to scold people either, like I do.
It’s to help people see that AI is loser shit.
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This content originally appeared on Go Make Things and was authored by Go Make Things
Go Make Things | Sciencx (2025-11-19T14:30:00+00:00) AI and cigarettes. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/19/ai-and-cigarettes/
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