[Technology] Artificial Intelligence

[Stat Brother]

@The Clamp give this a 15 minute listen.

Private Eye | Page 94: Planet-Destroying Technologies

Matt Muir provides the Eye’s take on new AI technology ChatGPT, which may well obliterate mankind in a new and exciting way, while Jane Mackenzie reveals the latest on open-cast mines in Wales, which might contribute to wiping out the species in an old-fashioned way.

www.private-eye.co.uk

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Yeah, I was going to post something similar. ChatGPT is not really 'artificial intelligence'. At the moment at the very best it's a kind of idiot savant: brilliant at processing existing data but not really capable of original thought, merely giving a pretence of it.

Of course we don't know what the boffins (or evil scientists) are currently working on, and if some experts are worried then yeah, there could be a cloud on the horizon. But at the moment I've got this filed under 'GM Foods'; something else where dire warnings were issued that proved to be groundless. (Of course by the time I find out I'm wrong and the earth is ruled by robots it'll be too late, but heigh ho, such is life).

GM foods is actually something that works well, and is totally misunderstood. It is no different in outcome from selective breeding. Simple more wide ranging and efficient. The idea of gene splicing a food plant so it produces chemicals made by other plants that repel locusts, for example, is a bit of genius.

The true danger of GM is the creation of weaponized plants or animals that are then used carelessly (like mustard gas in the 14-18) or nefariously (like Saddam and his chemical weapons).

The perceived danger however was different - that food manufacturers will make foods that are dangerous. This fear is on a par with the ideal that MMR vaccine will cause autism. Gene modification is very specific, and when someone modifies a carrot so it grows bigger, the risk that it secretes cyanide is nil (and in any case the safety will be rigorously tested). The worst bit of public tomfoolery was the idea that a genetically modified carrot will modify human genes. Well, if you extract the DNA and inject it into a human stem cell, maybe. But if you simply eat the fugger it will be digested by gut acid and enzymes, the chemicals detoxified and reassembled by the human liver and repurposed by the human body's cells. That's....how....mammals .. . . . live. We eat all sorts of shit like bread, potatoes, sweets and fruit and turn it into the same chemical, glucose. And so on in a million different ways. Top machine, the mammal.

While we are on the topic of stupidity, my favourite cartoon (in Private Eye in the 80s) is of a couple watching TV and an add appears that claims that 8 out of 10 cats prefer cattomeat. The woman turns to the man and says 'well, I'm not buying anything that has been tested on animals!'.

 

[jcdenton08]

GM foods is actually something that works well, and is totally misunderstood. It is no different in outcome from selective breeding. Simple more wide ranging and efficient. The idea of gene splicing a food plant so it produces chemicals made by other plants that repel locusts, for example, is a bit of genius.

The true danger of GM is the creation of weaponized plants or animals that are then used carelessly (like mustard gas in the 14-18) or nefariously (like Saddam and his chemical weapons).

The perceived danger however was different - that food manufacturers will make foods that are dangerous. This fear is on a par with the ideal that MMR vaccine will cause autism. Gene modification is very specific, and when someone modifies a carrot so it grows bigger, the risk that it secretes cyanide is nil (and in any case the safety will be rigorously tested). The worst bit of public tomfoolery was the idea that a genetically modified carrot will modify human genes. Well, if you extract the DNA and inject it into a human stem cell, maybe. But if you simply eat the fugger it will be digested by gut acid and enzymes, the chemicals detoxified and reassembled by the human liver and repurposed by the human body's cells. That's....how....mammals .. . . . live. We eat all sorts of shit like bread, potatoes, sweets and fruit and turn it into the same chemical, glucose. And so on in a million different ways. Top machine, the mammal.

While we are on the topic of stupidity, my favourite cartoon (in Private Eye in the 80s) is of a couple watching TV and an add appears that claims that 8 out of 10 cats prefer cattomeat. The woman turns to the man and says 'well, I'm not buying anything that has been tested on animals!'.

Excellent post.

 

[The Clamp]

I’m perhaps

I guess you didn't read my whole post?

I sense you're being deliberately obtuse on this topic.

Are you in a bit of a general funk (tired maybe?), or just determined to bury your head in the sand on this?

being a little obtuse.

However, in all seriousness I really do think this is being over stated and AI is not going to be the game changer many think it is.

The players in the game are talking it up to generate a bubble. A short window of time where they can monetise what is essentially hope and projection and become overnight millionaires. We’ve seen it time and again. Like any bubble…..pop!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The US military started using AI back in the early 90s. Over 30 years ago now and we're all still here.

In the early 90s we barely had the internet. Technology has evolved exponentially in the past 30 years. Obviously

 

[BrightonCottager]

So this September there are thousands of kids who are going to spend thousands of pounds on courses for jobs that probably won't exist by the time they graduate. That seems like an important thing for the government to be talking about.
See Labour talking about phasing out fossil fuels and the amount of jobs that will be created in the green sector. But will it create jobs? How many jobs in the energy sector will need to be done by humans in 5-10 years?

The Green Party have been calling for a massive insulation retrofit programme for years (before the other parties). We have the oldest leakiest housing stock in Europe. No government gas invested in the skills needed to retrofit or install low/zero carbon energy and heating. This work cannot be done by AI. Listen to yesterday's BBC R4 You and Yours for an idea of the challenges.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

In the early 90s we barely had the internet. Technology has evolved exponentially in the past 30 years. Obviously

And yet it hasn't brought the world to it's knees. If anything it's starting to reverse a lot of things that were very damaged.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

And yet it hasn't brought the world to it's knees. If anything it's starting to reverse a lot of things that were very damaged.

Less than a year ago, Google fired one of its senior software engineers who claimed the firm's AI chatbot was a sentient being. OK, maybe a bit of a screw loose somewhere, but its going to become increasingly difficult to tell the difference from here on in

Google fires software engineer who claims AI chatbot is sentient

Company said Blake Lemoine violated Google policies and that his claims were ‘wholly unfounded’

www.google.com

 

[The Clamp]

And yet it hasn't brought the world to it's knees. If anything it's starting to reverse a lot of things that were very damaged.

My porn collection, for one.

 

[The Clamp]

Anyway, where’s my f***ing jet-pack? That’s what I want to know.

 

[sydney]

I’m perhaps

being a little obtuse.

However, in all seriousness I really do think this is being over stated and AI is not going to be the game changer many think it is.

The players in the game are talking it up to generate a bubble. A short window of time where they can monetise what is essentially hope and projection and become overnight millionaires. We’ve seen it time and again. Like any bubble…..pop!

AI is all about getting machines to do as much as possible for rich people so they don't have to pay poor people wages.

 

[The Clamp]

AI is all about getting machines to do as much as possible for rich people so they don't have to pay poor people wages.

Oh, I’ve no doubt.
Luckily my job is safe and unless Chatbot can come over and fix my leaky taps or give me a handy, I shan’t be investing anytime soon.

 

[The Fits]

And yet it hasn't brought the world to it's knees. If anything it's starting to reverse a lot of things that were very damaged.

Like inequality, political corruption, corporate greedy, climate change. Owning it.

 

[The Clamp]

“Is it here to stay? Definitely. It is a progression of technology and a branch of computer science that I believe is important. It will find its level somewhere in our ecosystem and will become a part of something bigger, possibly playing a smaller role than we think.

Is it a flash in the pan? At the moment, yes. We are fumbling around trying to work out what it is. Not dissimilar to a child exploring the world with its mouth in its very early days. They eventually work out what it’s useful for but in the intervening period they stick everything in there and see what works and what doesn’t”


A little rationale here;

AI – Here to stay? » TBN | Brand Strategy & Design Agency

AI. Sentient force for good that will make better decisions for society or number crunching fraud that will find a place in our tech governed world?

www.thebrandnursery.com

 

[MJsGhost]

I’m perhaps

being a little obtuse.

However, in all seriousness I really do think this is being over stated and AI is not going to be the game changer many think it is.

The players in the game are talking it up to generate a bubble. A short window of time where they can monetise what is essentially hope and projection and become overnight millionaires. We’ve seen it time and again. Like any bubble…..pop!

There will always be some people over-egging the pudding and the reality is that what does happen will be somewhere between nothing much and complete annihilation of the human race. I don't think we'll get the latter, but I think you're wrong about it being the former. I also think your opinion (if I'm correct about it) is based on ignorance rather than analysis of what's actually going on.

I also think you're wrong to surmise that the major players voicing their concerns are only doing it to generate publicity and a 'bubble'. It's a bold move to tell the world that the product(s) you're developing should be treated as an extinction risk, just for a few column inches.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/technology/ai-threat-warning.html

Luckily my job is safe and unless Chatbot can come over and fix my leaky taps or give me a handy, I shan’t be investing anytime soon.

I have no idea what you do, but I suspect your job could be taken by someone whose job has been made obsolete by AI. There will be a huge shake-up in the world of work, whether directly or indirectly because of AI - it's more a case of when rather than if IMO.

 

[The Clamp]

There will always be some people over-egging the pudding and the reality is that what does happen will be somewhere between nothing much and complete annihilation of the human race. I don't think we'll get the latter, but I think you're wrong about it being the former. I also think your opinion (if I'm correct about it) is based on ignorance rather than analysis of what's actually going on.

I also think you're wrong to surmise that the major players voicing their concerns are only doing it to generate publicity and a 'bubble'. It's a bold move to tell the world that the product(s) you're developing should be treated as an extinction risk, just for a few column inches.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/technology/ai-threat-warning.html

I have no idea what you do, but I suspect your job could be taken by someone whose job has been made obsolete by AI. There will be a huge shake-up in the world of work, whether directly or indirectly because of AI - it's more a case of when rather than if IMO.

Well, anyone’s job at any time in history could be taken over by someone who’s been made redundant. It’d be a bit silly losing sleep over it.

It’s all what ifs and buts at the moment.

If ifs and buts were crisps and nuts, what a jolly Christmas we’d all have.

 

[The Clamp]

Genuine question;

What jobs can it do? Which jobs will it be able to do?

 

[The Fits]

Genuine question;

What jobs can it do? Which jobs will it be able to do?

Manufacturing, agriculture, mining, any jobs involving data entry, numbers, many that involve words. Jobs in the medical profession, radiography for instance. Obviously with self driving vehicles and drones many driving jobs
Pretty much everything in the publishing industry. Loads of creative stuff- illustration is already looking a bit redundant- try using Dall E or whatever it's called to see the kind of stuff you can quickly generate from prompts.
Shop work obviously, we see that already.

 

[MJsGhost]

“Is it here to stay? Definitely. It is a progression of technology and a branch of computer science that I believe is important. It will find its level somewhere in our ecosystem and will become a part of something bigger, possibly playing a smaller role than we think.

Is it a flash in the pan? At the moment, yes. We are fumbling around trying to work out what it is. Not dissimilar to a child exploring the world with its mouth in its very early days. They eventually work out what it’s useful for but in the intervening period they stick everything in there and see what works and what doesn’t”


A little rationale here;

AI – Here to stay? » TBN | Brand Strategy & Design Agency

AI. Sentient force for good that will make better decisions for society or number crunching fraud that will find a place in our tech governed world?

www.thebrandnursery.com

A blog post by someone at a brand agency outlining the chat they've had in the office about AI (seemingly the free version of chatGPT) and its influence isn't exactly powerful stuff. It's sandwiched between "The Fear of Change" and "Fancy Food Show 2022"

Genuine question;

What jobs can it do? Which jobs will it be able to do?

A quick answer is to not think of it as machines that will replace individual people, but more powerful software that will enable one person to do the work of, say, 5 people.

Examples already posted above include legal work - AI systems can take a 'brief' written in natural language and draft contracts (for review and completion by lawyers) that would have taken many hours for paralegals to put together.
The Photoshop example follows the same principle - just tell it what you want to see and it'll generate the changes that would have taken ages for someone skilled to do.
Apply those principles to any number of jobs and you see the scale of change that's coming.

 

[schmunk]

Manufacturing, agriculture, mining, any jobs involving data entry, numbers, many that involve words. Jobs in the medical profession, radiography for instance. Obviously with self driving vehicles and drones many driving jobs
Pretty much everything in the publishing industry. Loads of creative stuff- illustration is already looking a bit redundant- try using Dall E or whatever it's called to see the kind of stuff you can quickly generate from prompts.
Shop work obviously, we see that already.

For a very visceral flavour of how AI/automation is already being used in the real world:

Giant 180-ton robot trucks are mining gold

As global demand soars, extractive industries are embracing automation.

www.zdnet.com