[Technology] Artificial Intelligence

[The Fits]

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

It's funny to all of a sudden we see people becoming worried or scared about AI even though it's been chugging along in the back ground for years now.

Nobody was giving a toss about it 3 months ago but now people are starting to say shut it down

 

[The Fits]

Well do what Joe Biden suggested, learn to code.

Don't need to. The coding is done. AI can already do more than most of the best coders in the word. You ask it for something, anything, and it will write you the relevant code.
Also re your comment above...
It's not chugging away in background.
People are seeing it make silly Haiku's and pretty pictures and not really being able to imagine or understand the vastness of the issue here. Everything as we know it is changing. Chat GPT, and how everyone is using it, is the tip of the iceberg. It seems fun, a fad.
One of the best videos (important to say here- the bulk of these videos don't feature conspiracy theorist weirdos, it's the people at the very forefront of the technology) about it all atm doesn't talk about jobs or the end of the world, it just highlights how problematic it's becoming already- asking the built in AI 'friend' on Snapchat if it's okay to be meeting a man 18 years older than yourself for your 13th birthday, with the intention of having sex (anyone who uses Snapchat has access to this), and AI replying 'sounds like you'll have a lovely time, you can use candles to set the mood'. Synthesised versions of your children ringing you up to ask for their bank details or to say they don't need picking up because they're going to Johnny's house to play. Content filtering will become impossible. Internet security will be breached in a way that far exceeds online fraud or password mining within the next few months.
This is the reality right now and most of this has been developed and integrated in the last few months, weeks even.
We need to forget about the existential side of it all right now and everyone needs to focus on this new reality. It's not the technology we need to worry about, more how human beings will use it and interpret it.
The way we use the internet and technology has changed forever.

 

[Napper]

The same outrage and worry would of been said about the internet and thats mostly turned out well

 

[The Fits]

The same outrage and worry would of been said about the internet and thats mostly turned out well

No. It's not like that. It's a super human that can work out the answer to any problem you give it. Chat GPT4 has an IQ just shy of Einstein. Within months it will have an IQ ten times that, within a year it could be thousands of times more intelligent again. This technology is increasingly becoming available to all. Right now there will be countries and individuals working on code that will be able to bypass bank security. It would take a human brain and pre AI computer years to do that, AI will be able to do it instantly in the not too distant future. And nobody will be bright enough to provide new security. That will also have to come from AI, and from AI more intelligent than the one breaking the code. It already has the ability to generate entirely new text to learn from.
It needs to be controlled and regulated and understood fully today.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Don't need to. The coding is done. AI can already do more than most of the best coders in the word. You ask it for something, anything, and it will write you the relevant code.
Also re your comment above...
It's not chugging away in background.
People are seeing it make silly Haiku's and pretty pictures and not really being able to imagine or understand the vastness of the issue here. Everything as we know it is changing. Chat GPT, and how everyone is using it, is the tip of the iceberg. It seems fun, a fad.
One of the best videos (important to say here- the bulk of these videos don't feature conspiracy theorist weirdos, it's the people at the very forefront of the technology) about it all atm doesn't talk about jobs or the end of the world, it just highlights how problematic it's becoming already- asking the built in AI 'friend' on Snapchat if it's okay to be meeting a man 18 years older than yourself for your 13th birthday, with the intention of having sex (anyone who uses Snapchat has access to this), and AI replying 'sounds like you'll have a lovely time, you can use candles to set the mood'. Synthesised versions of your children ringing you up to ask for their bank details or to say they don't need picking up because they're going to Johnny's house to play. Content filtering will become impossible. Internet security will be breached in a way that far exceeds online fraud or password mining within the next few months.
This is the reality right now and most of this has been developed and integrated in the last few months, weeks even.
We need to forget about the existential side of it all right now and everyone needs to focus on this new reality. It's not the technology we need to worry about, more how human beings will use it and interpret it.
The way we use the internet and technology has changed forever.

I was taking the piss out of Joe Biden.

His response to people losing jobs to technology was to tell them to learn how to code.

And it had been chugging away in the back ground until a new bit of tech was noticed and available to the masses.

The internet was changing anyway, it's why web3 was being worked on. To remove power from these mega-companies who have too much power in controlling it.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

No. It's not like that. It's a super human that can work out the answer to any problem you give it.

Don't tell Todd Boehly that.

 

[Triggaaar]

I'm Afraid I Can't Do That, Dave

 

[Napper]

No. It's not like that. It's a super human that can work out the answer to any problem you give it. Chat GPT4 has an IQ just shy of Einstein. Within months it will have an IQ ten times that, within a year it could be thousands of times more intelligent again. This technology is increasingly becoming available to all. Right now there will be countries and individuals working on code that will be able to bypass bank security. It would take a human brain and pre AI computer years to do that, AI will be able to do it instantly in the not too distant future. And nobody will be bright enough to provide new security. That will also have to come from AI, and from AI more intelligent than the one breaking the code. It already has the ability to generate entirely new text to learn from.
It needs to be controlled and regulated and understood fully today.

or we evolve with it. like everything

 

[Change at Barnham]

Thank you for sharing the above. It pretty much encapsulated most of the news items I have been hearing and reading about over the last few months.
I think the episode is probably the most profound thing I have seen, which is in itself quite a statement as I'm 61 years old.
It is quite shocking to think that there is a solution to avoid our self-destruction but we as humans are too greedy to stop it happening.
I've read all the previous comments on this thread and I'm sure there will be many more to follow and I accept we all have different views, but blimey we really need to urgently start paying attention to what is currently happening.

I find it quite terrifying that these experts are stepping away from AI development and warning us that we need to press the pause button, and quickly.

The podcast is nearly two hours long and extremely thought provoking, but if you're feeling a bit vulnerable maybe give it a miss.
We're destroying our society, it's still preventable yet the lead news story on BBC today is an interview with Philip Schofield.

More than anything it should make us focus on ensuring we are as kind to each other as much as possible.
Give your kids and grandchildren a hug and tell them how much you love them.

 

[The Fits]

Thank you for sharing the above. It pretty much encapsulated most of the news items I have been hearing and reading about over the last few months.
I think the episode is probably the most profound thing I have seen, which is in itself quite a statement as I'm 61 years old.
It is quite shocking to think that there is a solution to avoid our self-destruction but we as humans are too greedy to stop it happening.
I've read all the previous comments on this thread and I'm sure there will be many more to follow and I accept we all have different views, but blimey we really need to urgently start paying attention to what is currently happening.

I find it quite terrifying that these experts are stepping away from AI development and warning us that we need to press the pause button, and quickly.

The podcast is nearly two hours long and extremely thought provoking, but if you're feeling a bit vulnerable maybe give it a miss.
We're destroying our society, it's still preventable yet the lead news story on BBC today is an interview with Philip Schofield.

More than anything it should make us focus on ensuring we are as kind to each other as much as possible.
Give your kids and grandchildren a hug and tell them how much you love them.

I think what he said about living in the present is very important. We won't stop this, the cat is out of the bag and we never stop things until, mostly, they've run their course and we end up having to clear up the mess. Certain actors had the chance months or even years ago, but they chose not to do it. We had the chance with nuclear. With weapons. With social media. With COVID. With countless things.
They will put profit and greed ahead of anything else. Meta won't stop. Microsoft won't stop. Google won't stop. Snapchat won't stop using AI bots promoting grooming and we will get less outraged by that than Scofield having an affair with a consenting adult.
None of them can afford to stop financially or in terms of their brand. Rogue states won't stop. Individuals won't stop.
All we can do is educate ourselves, our friends and family, and try our best to enjoy our lives.

 

[The Fits]

And without sounding dramatic, to anyone who dismisses this...
Please take a bit of time to read or watch the interviews with the key players in this (they're not cranks, they're literally the creators of this). Especially if you have kids or older relatives. The way we interact with technology and each other is going to change in unimaginable ways in the not too distant future. Make sure your children are safe, especially online. Make sure your older relatives understand the complexities of this. Try and forget about Chat GPT or pictures of dogs surfing, automated jobs or a Terminator style dystopia.
Think about how it will impact you and most importantly the more vulnerable people (to this technology) in your life. People will take advantage of this very quickly.
(Anyone who has a child with Snapchat should be telling them NOW that the AI bot in their friends list is an unreliable actor)

 

[sparkie]

Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Drone Went Full Terminator In Air Force Test

A U.S. Air Force officer disclosed details about a simulation that saw a drone with AI-driven systems go rogue and attack its controllers.

www.thedrive.com

 

[KZNSeagull]

That, and it didn't exist. The text below from Wikipedia, where reference links can be found.

Supporting view

This view holds that the vast majority of problems were fixed correctly, and the money spent was at least partially justified. The situation was essentially one of preemptive alarm. Those who hold this view claim that the lack of problems at the date change reflects the completeness of the project, and that many computer applications would not have continued to function into the 21st century without correction or remediation.

Expected problems that were not seen by small businesses and small organizations were prevented by Y2K fixes embedded in routine updates to operating system and utility software that were applied several years before 31 December 1999.

The extent to which larger industry and government fixes averted issues that would have more significant impacts had they not been fixed, were typically not disclosed or widely reported.

It has been suggested that on 11 September 2001, infrastructure in New York City (including subways, phone service, and financial transactions) was able to continue operation because of the redundant networks established in the event of Y2K bug impact and the contingency plans devised by companies. The terrorist attacks and the following prolonged blackout to lower Manhattan had minimal effect on global banking systems. Backup systems were activated at various locations around the region, many of which had been established to deal with a possible complete failure of networks in Manhattan's Financial District on 31 December 1999.

Opposing view

The contrary view asserts that there were no, or very few, critical problems to begin with. This view also asserts that there would have been only a few minor mistakes and that a "fix on failure" approach would have been the most efficient and cost-effective way to solve these problems as they occurred.

International Data Corporation estimated that the US might have wasted $40 billion.

Sceptics of the need for a massive effort pointed to the absence of Y2K-related problems occurring before 1 January 2000, even though the 2000 financial year commenced in 1999 in many jurisdictions, and a wide range of forward-looking calculations involved dates in 2000 and later years. Estimates undertaken in the leadup to 2000 suggested that around 25% of all problems should have occurred before 2000. Critics of large-scale remediation argued during 1999 that the absence of significant reported problems in non-compliant small firms was evidence that there had been, and would be, no serious problems needing to be fixed in any firm, and that the scale of the problem had therefore been severely overestimated.

Countries such as South Korea and Russia invested little to nothing in Y2K remediation, yet had the same negligible Y2K problems as countries that spent enormous sums of money. Western countries anticipated such severe problems in Russia that many issued travel advisories and evacuated non-essential staff.

Critics also cite the lack of Y2K-related problems in schools, many of which undertook little or no remediation effort. By 1 September 1999, only 28% of US schools had achieved compliance for mission critical systems, and a government report predicted that "Y2K failures could very well plague the computers used by schools to manage payrolls, student records, online curricula, and building safety systems".

Similarly, there were few Y2K-related problems in an estimated 1.5 million small businesses that undertook no remediation effort. On 3 January 2000 (the first weekday of the year), the Small Business Administration received an estimated 40 calls from businesses with computer issues, similar to the average. None of the problems were critical.

The Millenium Bug did exist, it was just vastly overblown. Essentially, if your systems were not using date comparisons, you were not affected. If you were using date comparisons but were using 4 digit years, you were not affected.

Many legacy systems only used 2 character years so if those comparisons were not changed, the opposite of what should happen would happen
eg:
If Todays_Date_YYMMDD > YesterdaysDateYYMMDD Then
Do This
Else
Do That
End If
So when the year was 99, this code would execute "Do This", but if the year was 00 The code would execute "Do That", which is not what you would expect.
So unchanged, would this have brought about the end of days? Only if a stupid human had coded something into the powergrid, for example, that said If Todays Date is greater than Yesterdays Date, keep the power on, if not turn it off. Hopefully no-one would have coded that in the first place, but billing systems would have coded things like that so they would have not stopped working, but got unexpected results like not billing anyone anything or billing someone for everything that they had already paid for. Anything sorted into Date order would suddenly give unexpected results. That really was the crux of it. Much of the code was fixed in the late 90's.

What did happen though is that software companies saw this as a great opportunity to get users to upgrade their software because it may go wrong, thus making lots of money.

AI is very different. From the video above, AI's are learning at an exponential rate. Some people want this to be paused as they are unsure how to control something that will become much more intelligent than humans are. They do not know the ramifications of creating something like that, but the genie is out of the bottle. They have connected AIs to the Internet and have taught them how to write code.

The AIs are mainly being taught by companies whose goal is to maximise profits. The biggest cost to any company is it's staff, so if AI's develop enough intelligence to replace humans then they will. Companies will not stop individually as they do not want their competitors to get an advantage. Society is not equipped to deal with millions unemployed. The chap in this video is saying that this will start much sooner than people think, I don't know how true that is but it should be a cause for concern. Governments are way behind the curve on this as they always are when dealing with technology - how many technology experts run for office? And then you have the issue of certain regimes using AI for nefarious means which is another story entirely.

Anyway, that's my Sunday morning essay done. Probably a load of crap but it's my two penn'orth worth. Off to watch my son play cricket later, hope the sun comes out.

 

[WATFORD zero]

The Millenium Bug did exist, it was just vastly overblown. Essentially, if your systems were not using date comparisons, you were not affected. If you were using date comparisons but were using 4 digit years, you were not affected.

Many legacy systems only used 2 character years so if those comparisons were not changed, the opposite of what should happen would happen
eg:
If Todays_Date_YYMMDD > YesterdaysDateYYMMDD Then
Do This
Else
Do That
End If
So when the year was 99, this code would execute "Do This", but if the year was 00 The code would execute "Do That", which is not what you would expect.
So unchanged, would this have brought about the end of days? Only if a stupid human had coded something into the powergrid, for example, that said If Todays Date is greater than Yesterdays Date, keep the power on, if not turn it off. Hopefully no-one would have coded that in the first place, but billing systems would have coded things like that so they would have not stopped working, but got unexpected results like not billing anyone anything or billing someone for everything that they had already paid for. Anything sorted into Date order would suddenly give unexpected results. That really was the crux of it. Much of the code was fixed in the late 90's.

What did happen though is that software companies saw this as a great opportunity to get users to upgrade their software because it may go wrong, thus making lots of money.

I wrote mainframe code like that in the early 80's as a late 90's retirement plan

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The Millenium Bug did exist, it was just vastly overblown. Essentially, if your systems were not using date comparisons, you were not affected. If you were using date comparisons but were using 4 digit years, you were not affected.

Many legacy systems only used 2 character years so if those comparisons were not changed, the opposite of what should happen would happen
eg:
If Todays_Date_YYMMDD > YesterdaysDateYYMMDD Then
Do This
Else
Do That
End If
So when the year was 99, this code would execute "Do This", but if the year was 00 The code would execute "Do That", which is not what you would expect.
So unchanged, would this have brought about the end of days? Only if a stupid human had coded something into the powergrid, for example, that said If Todays Date is greater than Yesterdays Date, keep the power on, if not turn it off. Hopefully no-one would have coded that in the first place, but billing systems would have coded things like that so they would have not stopped working, but got unexpected results like not billing anyone anything or billing someone for everything that they had already paid for. Anything sorted into Date order would suddenly give unexpected results. That really was the crux of it. Much of the code was fixed in the late 90's.

What did happen though is that software companies saw this as a great opportunity to get users to upgrade their software because it may go wrong, thus making lots of money.

AI is very different. From the video above, AI's are learning at an exponential rate. Some people want this to be paused as they are unsure how to control something that will become much more intelligent than humans are. They do not know the ramifications of creating something like that, but the genie is out of the bottle. They have connected AIs to the Internet and have taught them how to write code.

The AIs are mainly being taught by companies whose goal is to maximise profits. The biggest cost to any company is it's staff, so if AI's develop enough intelligence to replace humans then they will. Companies will not stop individually as they do not want their competitors to get an advantage. Society is not equipped to deal with millions unemployed. The chap in this video is saying that this will start much sooner than people think, I don't know how true that is but it should be a cause for concern. Governments are way behind the curve on this as they always are when dealing with technology - how many technology experts run for office? And then you have the issue of certain regimes using AI for nefarious means which is another story entirely.

Anyway, that's my Sunday morning essay done. Probably a load of crap but it's my two penn'orth worth. Off to watch my son play cricket later, hope the sun comes out.

I understand it was about systems not recognizing dates, presenting a money making opportunity (consultants were brought into where I work!). .

Unlike some I also recognize it wasn't a computer virus that would close down everything from GCHQ to my toaster, the notion of which spawned most of the conspiracies that preoccupied a former (now banned) poster on NSC. 5G anyone?

I hope you have a lovely day watching your boy play cricket

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Oh there's already a thread..

 

[TomandJerry]

This guy was light years ahead of us

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

What a great bit wet twat.

There has never been a finer time to be alive.

We even have a good flow of accessible information and the means to mobilize through judicious use of the internet. If needs must.

 

[Happy Exile]

And without sounding dramatic, to anyone who dismisses this...
Please take a bit of time to read or watch the interviews with the key players in this (they're not cranks, they're literally the creators of this). Especially if you have kids or older relatives. The way we interact with technology and each other is going to change in unimaginable ways in the not too distant future. Make sure your children are safe, especially online. Make sure your older relatives understand the complexities of this. Try and forget about Chat GPT or pictures of dogs surfing, automated jobs or a Terminator style dystopia.
Think about how it will impact you and most importantly the more vulnerable people (to this technology) in your life. People will take advantage of this very quickly.
(Anyone who has a child with Snapchat should be telling them NOW that the AI bot in their friends list is an unreliable actor)

I was at a conference recently that had a "fringe" invitation session looking at the future of work that I went to. A lot of supporters of AI so not at all biased one way or another but there were two memorable moments for me:

Someone said something like the speed of technological development and AI development has never been this fast. It'll also never be this slow again.

Then someone who works for a company that's pretty cutting edge in AI (I won't say who) made a comment about AI currently being limited by our understanding of the world, but it'll evolve beyond that pretty quickly. He was challenged what he meant and he used an example like a smart phone. In 1700 a smart phone only wasn't possible because our thinking hadn't evolved enough to make it (and the manufacturing) possible, our thinking hadn't even evolved conceptually enough to imagine it. It won't be long, he thought, before we're the equivalent of a 1700 peasant and AI is Steve Jobs. Harnessed to solve world problems that's immense. The problem is most AI is owned by a handful of private companies with billionaire owners with their own agendas.

My thoughts coming away from that event was how little choice it seems we have whether to be part of it or not. And also a vague, unrealistic hope that AI might free us all up to work a bit less by augmenting, not replacing us.