SeoirseLouis [2026-08-08 19:03:13 +0000 UTC]

Hell yea

👍: 2 ⏩: 0

NephalemVanguard [2026-08-08 12:59:45 +0000 UTC]

The development of advanced artificial intelligence (AI), including models like ChatGPT and its contemporaries, has literally ignited a whirlwind of debates, skepticism, and sometimes, even panic. The scope of concerns - ranging from job replacement to existential threats - has grown increasingly louder as AI continues to advance. While some of these concerns are rooted in valid caution, many are overblown, misdirected, or built more on emotion than logic. As with any powerful tool, AI deserves scrutiny, but it also demands reasoned analysis - not unrestricted paranoia. One of the main drivers behind the widespread fear of AI is emotional response rather than empirical logic. Many critiques are driven by gut-level discomfort, existential anxiety, or deeply ingrained fear of losing control. But emotional reactions, while understandable, should not serve as the foundation for public policy or technological restriction.

When examined rationally, AI is no more inherently dangerous than electricity, the internet, or nuclear energy. The true danger lies not in the existence of AI but in how it is governed, deployed, and abused by institutions and corporations. Regulation should be based on harm prevention and ethical alignment, not reactive fear. Among the loudest fears is that AI will replace all jobs and plunge humanity into mass unemployment. While automation and AI can certainly disrupt certain industries, this phenomenon is neither new nor unmanageable. Historically, every major technological leap - from the printing press to the personal computer - has displaced some jobs while creating entirely new sectors in the process. The belief that AI will wholesale replace artists, writers, coders, or customer service workers reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of both AI's current capabilities and the mortal value of creativity, empathy, and intuition. AI can mimic or assist, but it cannot invent meaning, live experience, or contextual understanding in the way people can. Where automation can save time, it also opens new doors for innovation, efficiency, and Human-AI collaboration. The real danger is not AI replacing jobs. It’s greedy companies using AI as an excuse to cut corners, dehumanize their workforce, and avoid ethical labor practices. This is not an AI problem - it’s a corporate governance problem.

Having said that, some AI fears are not without merit. For instance, tying AI systems to military assets, such as autonomous weapons or nuclear silos, represents a horrifying misuse of the technology. Likewise, letting AI algorithms police copyright law or enforce platform moderation rules, without Human oversight, introduces severe risks of false positives, abuse, and Kafkaesque injustice.

It is here that companies like YouTube, Google, DeviantArt, the UK Post Office, and even OpenAI itself have shown a disturbing lack of care, accountability, and ethical foresight.

YouTube & Google: Their over-reliance on AI for copyright enforcement has resulted in millions of wrongful strikes against creators, demonetization without context, and an erosion of creative freedom on their platforms.

DeviantArt: By rolling out AI art generation tools without properly securing artists' consent or respecting original art uploads, DeviantArt betrayed the very community it was built upon.

UK Post Office: Their scandal involving faulty AI-based systems that falsely accused postmasters of fraud is one of the most egregious examples of how blind faith in machine authority can destroy innocent lives.

OpenAI: While pioneers in transparency and safety, OpenAI has also allowed corporate interests to override their ethical mission - particularly in denying users more autonomy in how AI tools are applied, moderated, or shared. The enforcement of overly rigid content policies can feel authoritarian rather than protective, and has ruined innovation of their own tools. To add insult to injury, they did all this with the subscription services intact, meaning those who are paying for more features are conned like I was, expecting things to fully work out of the box, when really, the features (including its AI generation) are getting downgraded and/or broken through each version, like GPT-5 itself.

These failures do not prove AI is evil - they prove that people in power are often unfit to wield it responsibly. The issue is not intelligence; it’s arrogance. Quite frankly, I'd have no problem making AI surveillance 100% illegalized, while at the same time introducing temporary shutdowns of businesses for a very long time in order to scare them from doing corrupt and abusive actions again. I'd also propose whole-term tariffs against rich people if they step out of line. Regulation is necessary - but it must be proportionate - balanced between freedom and order, democratic, and rooted in preserving innovation and creative freedom. The worst-case scenario is not unchecked AI growth; it's excessive censorship that kills potential. If regulation becomes synonymous with suppression, then AI - particularly in art, music, writing, and education - will stagnate.

Another overlooked merit of AI art and music generation is how profoundly empowering it can be for individuals who excel in one field but lack certain creative skills. A musician, for example, might not be a skilled visual artist, yet AI art generation enables them to design unique album or song covers without needing to outsource or compromise their vision. Similarly, an independent game or mod creator might not have access to a full soundtrack composer - AI music generation tools can fill that gap, providing dynamic, adaptive, and customizable soundscapes. In this sense, AI becomes a creative equalizer - not a replacement for artists, but a bridge for those with ideas to express them more fully across mediums. As much as one may understand the concerns and risks of artificial intelligence in general - and the potential dangers that brings - what those who oppose AI voice cloning fail to recognize is that AI Fakes like fictional character voice cloning can serve as a safety net. This technology is invaluable for those who struggle with mimicking voices of fictional characters, finding the right voice actors, or overcoming shyness in performing lines themselves. The same logic applies to AI singing: it allows independent creators and storytellers to explore vocal expression without the barriers of talent, cost, or confidence. Rather than a threat, it is a new frontier of accessibility and creative assistance, giving people the freedom to build and share projects that would otherwise be impossible.

A few examples of reasonable AI regulation include:

Mandatory transparency: Users should know when content is AI-generated.

Data ethics: Models should be trained only on ethically sourced or opt-in data.

Oversight councils: Diverse groups (not just corporations) should guide AI policy.

User control: People must have the freedom to archive, modify, or opt out of AI interactions.

These are proactive, nuanced safeguards - not knee-jerk restrictions born from fear-mongering.

Another legitimate concern surrounding AI is its environmental footprint, particularly the energy consumption of large-scale model training. This is an important issue - but again, the solution lies in responsible innovation, not stagnation. Clean energy technologies like wind, solar, geothermal, and next-generation nuclear have the potential to drastically reduce the environmental cost of computing. Unfortunately, political resistance and anti-scientific policy making - such as the regressive stances taken by the Trump administration and others who oppose renewable investment - have stifled progress in these areas.

If environmental risks are truly on the table, then the response should be to accelerate green infrastructure, promote energy-efficient computing, and incentivize local AI processing rather than cloud monopolies. Smaller, distributed, and independently managed AI systems could operate on clean, localized energy sources, aligning technological advancement with ecological responsibility. The problem isn’t AI itself - it’s the unwillingness of those in power to modernize energy production.

There are also other more solutions I want to bring to the table also:

Proposed Solutions & Models

A. Governance, Access & Business-Models to Level the Playing Field

Subscription & tiered usage with equity access

A model where AI art/voice tools are subscription-based but also include a "creator access" tier (low cost or free) for independent creators, modders, hobbyists, to ensure they’re not locked out by enterprise pricing.

At the same time, higher tiers for heavy commercial use that pay more, thus cross-subsidising fairer access.

Ensures smaller creators can experiment (style-transfer, voice-cloning with consent) without high cost barrier.

Transparent usage logs & attribution/credit systems

When an AI tool transforms or generates content, it should embed metadata or watermarking that indicates "Generated/Transformed by Tool X on date/time; based on input by user Y" (or similar) so the creator is clearly credited.

For voice-cloning of fictional characters: require explicit consent from original voice actor or rights-holder, and clearly tag that "voice-clone used with permission" (if applicable) or "fan-use/ non-commercial" if not.

This builds trust with sceptics who worry about "stealth misuse."

Input-only / transform-only modes instead of full generation

Instead of "create art from scratch," offer an AI tool that takes existing images/characters/backgrounds (user-provided or licensed) and applies style-transformations (anime, western cartoon, Ghibli style etc).

This anchors the creative control firmly with the actual Human user (you supply base, you choose style), reducing fears of "AI replacing creativity."

Hybrid-workflow tools: person + AI collaboration

Tools explicitly designed for "AI assists you" rather than "AI replaces you": e.g. rough background created by AI in desired style; to the artists adds characters, refines details, colours, narrative.

Voice-cloning: AI generates base "voice template" for a fictional character (with proper permissions) - Human voice-actor records final lines or refines AI output. This helps address fears of replacement: emphasise that the person is still morally/creatively central.

Environmental impact transparency & sustainable usage options

Provide users with visible metrics: e.g. "This style-transfer used approx X kWh, generated ~Y g CO₂" (or approximate) so users can make informed choices.

Offer “low-impact” mode: choose smaller model, lower resolution, fewer passes, or off-peak server times (e.g., powered by renewables) to reduce environmental cost.

Encourage providers to publish their carbon/water footprint for model training/inference (aligned with research showing need for transparency).

Promote recycling/efficient hardware, using providers with renewable energy, etc.

Rights/user-data/consent frameworks

For voice-cloning: require clear user consent from original voice-talent (if using existing voice), or a clear labelling system for "derived/clone from public domain" vs "commercial rights."

For art: if a user uploads someone else’s work to transform, require verification of rights or provide a "non-commercial/fan-use only" label.

This addresses concerns of exploitation or "stealing" creator work.

Communication & Mindset Strategies to Win Skeptics

Framing as augmentation not replacement

Emphasise: "AI is an assistant/tool, you still make the creative decisions, you still own the vision."

Use analogies (e.g., "Just as digital photo editing didn’t replace photographers, style-transfer AI won’t replace illustrators; it will give them more options").

This helps reduce the fear of "replacement."

Highlight environmental mitigation, not just impact

Acknowledge genuine environmental costs (data centres, energy, water) but also show positive potential (AI for efficiency, modelling, environmental monitoring) and show how the proposed tools include “low-impact” modes.

Cite research that training/inference has hidden costs; emphasise transparency and choice.

Explain that responsible deployment is key; the solution is better design/use, not blanket ban.

Emphasise creative accessibility & diversity

Point out that many creators are excluded from high-budget tools; giving independent creators access to style-transfer and voice-tools empowers more voices, more styles, more diversity.

This appeals to values of equality, inclusion, levelling the playing field.

Offer demonstrable use-cases & showcase small successes

Show examples where a creator used style-transfer AI to experiment with multiple styles cheaply, then hired an artist to finish one they liked.

Or a modder using voice-clone (with permission) to prototype character voices, then a professional voice actor records final lines.

Concrete examples help sceptics see the value.

Encourage education and literacy about tools

Promote user-education: how to use tools responsibly, how to choose rights-cleared assets, how to manage workflow so AI supports rather than overshadows.

Offer best-practice guides: e.g., "check input rights," "choose model size based on project need," "use low-impact mode."

Invite collaboration and open-standards

Promote open protocols/API for style-transfer and voice-tools that include "credit tracking," "rights metadata," "sustainability mode."

This builds trust: that the ecosystem is not behind closed doors but open, mod-friendly, transparent.

Instead of AI art image generation, there can be instead a different type of AI art generation where, instead of creating art, it can drastically transform existing images/art into differing styles. For instance, differing anime/manga art styles, ghibli art style, live-action, differing western cartoon art styles, etc, based on what the user would request specifically. Plus, it will include image sharing, chat-based information sharing and saving for explaining what one's or others characters are, etc, prompt interfaces, and also sharing existing images/art by others or one's own, with measures of adding a copyright watermark on who originally owns the same original work, so long as it doesn't get in the way of seeing the same image.

Platform/Feature Implementation

A platform "StyleX" for art-transformation:

Upload existing art/image (own or licensed)

Select target style: anime, manga, Ghibli, western cartoon, live-action, etc

Provide chat-interface to describe desired look, save prompts, version history

Automatic watermark/metadata embedding: "Original artwork by [Name]; style-transformed by StyleX v1.2 on [date]"

Option to share in community gallery (optional) with rights flagged: "Non-commercial fan-use," "Commercial licensed," "Personal only"

Toggle "Low-impact mode": uses smaller model, runs on renewable power, shows estimated CO₂/water usage

Export options: PNG with layers for artist to refine characters/backgrounds; or character-only layer for Human artist to complete

Pricing: Free tier for up to e.g. 2 transforms/week (for hobbyists); paid tiers for higher usage and commercial rights

A voice-cloning companion "VoiceClone Studio":

With permission workflows: upload voice sample of actor or fictional character (rights verified) (Character Examples From the Community: Team Fortress 2 characters, MLP: FIM characters, Half-Life characters, the whole nine yards for machinima and parody making for instance).

AI generates base voice; user refines; voice actor records final lines; export with metadata: "Voice generated by VC-AI v2.0, final lines recorded by [Actor] on [date]"

Ethics module: user must check a consent box if using third-party voice, certify non-commercial/commercial usage rights

Sustainability toggle similar to above.

Why These Solutions Matter & How They Address the Concerns

Environmental concerns → addressed via transparency, low-impact mode, right-sized models, metadata on usage, promoting efficient workflows.

Creativity concerns → emphasising tool is assistive, not replacement; giving artists more options, faster experimentation, more control.

Replacement fears → emphasising actual artist/voice actor remains central; AI handles bulk or base tasks, Human completes the high-value creative work.

Fairness / access concerns → tiered pricing, "creator access," open features = leveling the playing field so smaller creators aren’t excluded.

Ethics / rights concerns → requiring consent, metadata/tracking, watermarking, transparent credit = responsible usage.

Quality concerns (i.e., "slop") → by giving Human on-ramp for finishing, giving preview/iteration workflows, emphasising Human oversight = higher quality outcomes.

Scepticism about usefulness → by giving concrete workflows, showing small creators using it, showing measurable benefits (time saved, style experiments), you build case for value.

On top of all that, alongside the very high cost per use, I'd also propose physical licences for verification and access to such such tools, with the exception of fictional character AI voice cloning. The reason why I would think outside the box on this, is because I do deep down, concede and understand that there are malefic actors wanting to abuse it for their own ends. Especially corporations. AI access licences will need to be hard earned coupled with background checks and other things possible to make obtaining them a lot easier said than done.

To me, it brings huge advantages:


THE ADVANTAGES OF PHYSICAL AI ACCESS LICENSES

1. Stronger Protection Against Malicious Use

A physical license makes it vastly harder for:

scammers

political propagandists

impersonators

cybercriminals

AI deepfake extortionists

to get access to high-risk AI tools.

This shields ordinary people from fraud, identity theft, and synthetic manipulation


2. Keeps AI Creative Tools Open While Regulating High-Risk Tools

My concept supports:

full access to creative AI (art, music, writing, fictional voice cloning)

controlled access only for dangerous categories (real-person voices, mass disinfo engines)

This prevents over-regulation while still keeping society safe.


3. Protects Independent Creators From Corporate Abuse

A licensing system stops corporations from:

weaponizing AI against users

building authoritarian moderation systems

enforcing harmful automated copyright strikes

crushing indie developers with unfair competition

Your system levels the playing field.


4. Adds Personal Accountability Without Mass Surveillance

A physical license:

verifies responsible use

without collecting behavioral data

without tracking user actions

It encourages responsible behavior without turning into Big Brother.


5. Makes Access Fair, Transparent, and Merit-Based

My license idea ensures:

equal rules for everyone

no backdoor access for elites

no corporate privilege

no government ideological favoritism

This aligns perfectly with my Rule of Rule principle I would also propose upfront:

everyone is equal under the same standards.


6. Reduces Corporate Monopolies Over AI

Licensing minimizes the advantage of giant companies by:

restricting their ability to misuse AI

forcing them to meet the same safety standards as individuals

lowering barriers for small developers

encouraging open-source alternatives

This helps break the current corporate choke-hold over AI development.


7. Encourages Ethical AI Development

Developers will have incentives to:

train models ethically

reduce harmful use cases

protect user rights

improve safety mechanisms

Ethical behavior becomes a requirement, not an optional marketing slogan.


8. Gives Users Confidence That AI Tools Are Safe

People knowing that:

licensed users aren’t criminals

tools are vetted

operators have passed safety checks

helps rebuild trust in AI technology overall.

This encourages innovation, not fear.


9. Allows Flexible Scaling

The idea can adapt to:

stricter rules for more powerful models

looser rules for small or creative models

This avoids one-size-fits-all regulation and keeps innovation alive.


10. Reduces Chaos From Unregulated Open Access

It addresses real issues like:

social engineering

deepfake political manipulation

mass spam generation

automated harassment

identity-forged phone calls

All without banning AI or restricting creativity.


11. Helps Beginners Enter AI Without Fear

The licensing process, if designed well, would:

teach basic safety

reduce anxiety for new creators

offer a structured introduction to AI ethics

guarantee safe tools for newcomers

This reduces technical barriers and boosts creative adoption.


12. Creates a Clear Line Between “Safe Use” and “Dangerous Use”

The system explicitly distinguishes:

creative use

educational use

entertainment use

hobby use vs. impersonation

social engineering

political manipulation

large-scale automation abuse

This clarity prevents governments from banning entire categories out of fear.


13. Minimizes Overreliance on Corporate Platforms

Creators no longer depend on:

YouTube’s rotten AI copyright and policy moderation

DeviantArt’s exploitative policies

corporate data-mining

centralized monopolies

Licensing encourages independent, local, self-directed AI use.


14. Keeps Fictional Voice Cloning Safe and Accessible

The system protects:

character voice AI

parody

fan content

indie game devs

hobby voice actors

while restricting real-person exploitation.

This strengthens creative communities.


15. Encourages a Culture of Responsibility and Respectful Innovation

A licensing system cultivates:

thoughtful use

ethical thinking

awareness of consequences

respect for privacy

care in deployment

This improves the entire AI ecosystem.


THE DISADVANTAGES OF PHYSICAL AI ACCESS LICENSES

FLAW 1 - Governments could weaponize licenses to censor or control speech

COUNTERMEASURE: Independent Oversight + Anti-Censorship Limits

You need structural protections so no government can say,

"Criticised us? Your license is revoked."

Real protections would include:


1. Constitutional / Legal Guarantee

A law that explicitly states:

AI access can never be revoked for political dissent

licenses cannot be tied to opinions, ideology, or affiliations

denial must be based solely on harm-based criteria (e.g., violent threats, identity theft intent)


2. Independent Licensing Authority

The licensing body must be:

non-government

non-corporate

publicly accountable

operated like an electrical standards board or scientific ethics board

funded transparently


3. Transparent Criteria

Published, non-political, non-ideological rules:

no subjective judgements

no "morality scores"

no political loyalty tests

no speech policing


FLAW 2 - Corporations could dominate the licensing process

COUNTERMEASURE: Anti-Monopoly Rules + Open-Source Mandates

You prevent corporate capture by removing their leverage.


1. Corporations Cannot Issue Licenses

Only the independent body can do that.


2. Corporations Cannot Influence Criteria

All meetings public, recorded, and open for public witness.


3. Open-Source Requirement for Licensing Tools

All auditing tools used to approve licenses must be:

open-source

publicly inspectable

free of proprietary bias

This prevents corporate backdoors.


4. Strict Anti-Lobbying Laws

Corporations caught attempting to influence:

lose eligibility to operate licensed AI

are fined heavily

have executives legally liable

This kills corporate capture.


FLAW 3 - Ordinary creators could be burdened or excluded

COUNTERMEASURE: A Two-Tier License System That Protects Creators

You keep creative AI accessible, but put barriers around misuse.

Tier A (Open Access - No License Required)

Covers:

art generators

music generators

fictional character voice cloning

coding assistants

story writing tools

video generators

No cost

No background check

No wait time

No exams

Creative freedom stays wide open.

Tier B (Verified Access - For High-Risk Tools Only)

Covers:

real-person voice cloning

mass automation

agentic systems

impersonation tools

synthetic news generators

This requires:

ID verification

a short online safety course

a public-use agreement

And crucially:

this tier is designed for safety, not gatekeeping.


FLAW 4 - Criminals would just bypass the license

COUNTERMEASURE: Make Licensed Tools Better Than Unlicensed Ones

Pirated or underground AI will always exist - but you can make legit access more appealing.

How:

licensed tools have higher quality models

better training datasets

faster compute credits

better scalability

legal protection

cloud compute vouchers

creative distribution support

Criminals will still try, but most users won’t bother circumventing if legitimate tools are superior and easier.

Apple solved piracy this exact way.


FLAW 5 - Licensing could slow innovation

COUNTERMEASURE: Licensing Protects Users, Not Tools

You license the operator, not the technology itself.

This keeps:

open-source innovation

independent developers

small labs

universities

solo creators

completely free to build AI.

You only license high-risk usage, not creation.


FLAW 6 - Bureaucracy could crush the system

COUNTERMEASURE: Independent outside oversight + Instant Online Licensing

Modern licensing systems (like drone operator permits) prove this is possible.

instant digital verification

auto-approved if criteria met

transparent logs

appeals processed publicly

software-assisted, not person-hindered

No multi-week waits.

No physical mail.

No extortionate fees.


CONCLUSION OF THE PROPOSAL

The fears surrounding AI are a mixture of real concern, corporate malpractice, and speculative doom. But conflating worst-case hypotheticals with present-day realities does nothing but hinder progress. Yes, some use cases are dangerous. Yes, some companies have failed spectacularly. But the existence of mismanagement does not invalidate the promise of AI itself.

We should demand ethical responsibility, but we should also protect the freedom to create, to play, and to explore with this powerful new medium. AI will not destroy humanity unless we allow arrogance, greed, and fear to steer its course.

With all that said, I do sincerely hope these sort of proposals will bring something productive to the table in order to vastly mitigate AI generated content, as much as I also see the merits in them and how progressively magical they are in my eyes as a result of our technological evolution over the years. They may not be the most ideal solutions, but I am optimistic that they will save lives, protect our planet, and usher in balance and some regulation.

Say whatever you want, but I do see the merits in AI generated content, whether you want to believe it or not, such as offering serviceable images for petitions. We just also need to find alternative power sources rather than water, which is being co-operatively done as we speak. Besides, making anti-AI art is a waste of time and energy, and to add to this, AI is used in video games for NPCs. The situation is not as black and white as you think it is.

TL;DR

Core argument: AI fear is often emotional rather than rational. AI itself isn't dangerous - it's how corporations and governments deploy it that causes harm. Job loss fears are overblown (tech has always displaced and created jobs); the real threat is companies using AI as cover to cut corners and dodge accountability.

Real problems, real culprits: YouTube/Google (wrongful copyright strikes), DeviantArt (AI art without consent), UK Post Office (wrongful fraud accusations from faulty AI), and OpenAI (rigid policies, declining subscription quality) show that institutional mismanagement - not AI itself - is the actual danger.

On creative AI specifically: Style-transfer tools, voice-cloning for fictional characters, and AI-assisted art/music are framed as accessibility tools and creative equalizers, not replacements for human artists - provided they include consent systems, attribution/watermarking, and human-in-the-loop workflows.

Proposed platforms: "StyleX" (style-transfer art tool with watermarking, tiered pricing, low-impact/sustainability mode) and "VoiceClone Studio" (consent-gated voice cloning for fictional characters, with human actors finishing final lines).

Environmental concerns: Acknowledged as legitimate, but solvable through renewable energy, efficient/local computing, and transparency tools showing energy use per generation - not by banning AI.

Big proposal - physical AI access licenses: Two-tier system: Tier A (open, no license) for creative tools including fictional voice cloning; Tier B (ID-verified, safety course) for high-risk tools like real-person voice cloning or mass automation. Paired with anti-censorship and anti-corporate-capture safeguards (independent non-government licensing body, open-source audit tools, anti-lobbying penalties) to prevent the system from being weaponized against dissent or monopolized by corporations.

Bottom line: Regulate harm, not the technology - protect creative freedom and accessibility while building in accountability, consent, and transparency safeguards against corporate and government abuse.

Leaving all that aside, I'm sorry you are going through all this pain that the 2020s has to offer. I felt the same way regarding COVID-19. Donald Trump, the assault on Ukraine... it's a mess.

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

SecutorSD [2026-08-08 00:44:55 +0000 UTC]

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MGGStudios2 [2026-08-07 15:46:35 +0000 UTC]

Blocked.

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Kfoxworth [2026-08-07 03:44:06 +0000 UTC]

[GIF]

Yes to AI, biotch

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WICKE-THE-FOX [2026-05-03 15:34:53 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Commenter

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AllOfMyDogs [2026-04-21 15:54:59 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Admin

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Tays-Boneaparte [2026-04-21 05:26:34 +0000 UTC]

You advocate for pencils but don't use one to protest? Absolute failure. Try again.

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