Given equal scaling speed

This is already not the case for computers. And you’re trying to argue that we might one day be able to run the bigger models on consumer hardware, but I said it’s too expensive to train them. And you know that the cost isn’t just the RAM right?

Sure, my saying they will “always” be tied to concentrated capital is slightly hyperbolic. You never know. But it takes a whole lot of optimism to hope that LLMs will be decoupled from the billionaire class, hence why most analyses of the problems LLMs cause discuss them in this context.

This is mostly true, but you’re glossing over the fact that AI will always be tied to concentrated capital due to the cost of training state of the art models. I understand why you argue that these flaws are not inherent to the technology, but in a practical sense, they might as well be considered inherent. It’s unlikely that the market will open up any time soon so that you can get your LLM from someone who isn’t a fascist billionaire tech bro.

Who’s gonna come at me with a $5 wrench because they really want my data, though? The attack I’m most likely to experience is someone stealing my laptop while I’m out traveling. That’s what full filesystem encryption solves best.