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Dev creates a tool to automatically inform Sam Altman of all the RAM sitting unused in your PC
Developer Iain Kay has created Ram-Altman, a script that emails Sam Altman when a computer has more than 10% of its memory unused. The tool mocks Altman’s comments about the global allocation of memory, which drew criticism for suggesting that RAM sitting idle in personal computers could be better used in AI data centres.
Altman later said his remarks had been taken out of context and that he wanted people to have plenty of memory in their computers. Kay’s script sends one email a day, reporting how much RAM is available; a sample message describes 8.6 GiB, or 56.2% of the computer’s installed memory, as unused. The script is shared on GitHub.
In short
- A developer made a script to report unused RAM to Sam Altman.
- It sends one email daily when more than 10% of memory is free.
- The tool satirises Altman’s comments about RAM allocation.
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The case for
Kay’s script makes a pointed but peaceful joke about a debate over who should benefit from computing resources. Critics of Altman’s remarks can argue that idle memory in personal computers is not automatically available to companies, and that framing it as a resource for data centres risks overlooking owners’ control and future needs.
The case against
Altman’s comments can be read as raising a legitimate question about whether computing capacity is being used efficiently as demand for AI grows. He later said he had been taken out of context and wanted people to have plenty of memory in their own computers; on that view, the script satirises a suggestion he says he did not intend, while sending unsolicited daily emails.