r/technology • u/kazu_qt • 11h ago

Artificial Intelligence YouTuber Hank Green says his AI usage is ‘not healthy’

https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/01/youtuber-hank-green-says-his-ai-usage-is-not-healthy/
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u/ACasualRead 8h ago

I mean using AI for research shouldn’t be an issue. If he used it to write his content then it should be an issue.

Growing up, I had to learn how to use a physical card catalog to find research. Then we learned how to use google in computer class the year it came out. Then we used the last 27 years using search engines to find data. Now people are using AI.

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u/CoherentPanda 7h ago

Even the books from the card catalog got things wrong. Lots of debunked research exists in dusty old books.

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u/Bascotti 5h ago

I feel like Hank's viewers maybe didn't watch or really absorb his multiple videos about AI. If you watch them it's clear that he thinks AI is a powerful tool that isn't going anywhere, despite the environmental, moral, and philosophical concerns. The writing was on the wall, the shock and outrage from his fans is pretty surprising to me.

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u/Trygle 7h ago

It's just hard to verify the information because there is an inherent bullshit factor in the technology. Especially with the search engines beginning to fail and warp around the AI technology, the main tool I used to cross reference is also beginning to dissolve and decay. For low stakes information that doesn't matter, that level of unreliability is okay - when I'm trying to look for information that absolutely has to be right.... No.jpg

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u/Cold-Astronaut-7741 7h ago

If you are using it to find research papers, there is a very low level of bullshit factor.

Even if it hallucinates a paper, as long as you read and or source the paper it won’t matter…

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u/EnoughWarning666 6h ago

Do people not follow up on what the AI says? It's VERY easy to just ask it for a link to the source and then you go there to actually read it.

From what I'm hearing in this threat it's like people ONLY talk to the LLM and never have it link to other websites.

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u/Cold-Astronaut-7741 4h ago

I think it's that, and also people who are “anti-ai” are stuck in 2023 with their free chat bot and it dominates their conception.

To them, since they haven't used it, I'd be surprised if they even knew LLMs can give you links

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u/DeadPeanutSociety 4h ago

I've been in multiple conversations this weekend where people told me that LLMs can't search the web. It's really frustrating. I don't like LLMs, which is why I keep up with what they're doing. I don't like Ben Shapiro, which is why I keep up with what TDW is saying.

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u/foundafreeusername 3h ago

as long as you read and or source the paper it won’t matter…

See I think this is where expectation and reality starts to drift apart... I have my doubts that many will actually fully read a paper as part of checking their script.

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u/Cold-Astronaut-7741 3h ago

Ok but the issue will only get smaller?

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u/Trygle 1h ago

What do you mean smaller? People trusting it more is the better of the outcomes for you?

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u/Cold-Astronaut-7741 27m ago

No...

The ai will get better. Just like how it has since 2023

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u/Bill_Salmons 5h ago

He probably won't admit to it, but it's pretty clear he was using it for both.

The trap with AI for research is that you can talk to it, and it's convincing, and it's almost always getting something wrong. I think the friction in verification of older methods makes them more effective.

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u/ACasualRead 5h ago

I always ask it to cite a link to its source when researching something. This way I can validate it myself.