Those are two of the ultimate questions. I would add one more: Will AI come to control humanity? Yuval Noah Harrari has written about this possibility in his books "Homo Deus" and "Nexus."
Looks like I am expanding my reading list again. Thanks for the tips.
As an aside, I have on several recent occasions come across references to Asimov's robot laws. They are purely fictional rules he posited in his science fiction universe back in 1942. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics
Now I am starting to see a few people commenting on several completly different forums whether or not we should be paying attention to the ethics of emerging new technology and if we should be applying rules to restrict how it is used. One forum is one farmers use: https://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1237218&mid=11639835#M11639835
Worse: how about the authoritarians (existing and wannabe) ?? Pretty sure there is ALREADY a fairly well organized surveillance system in existence right here, thanks to doge, palantir, dhs, and more...... that genie ain't goin' back into any bottle..
The Technofascist leaders of AI have already convinced themselves they are in control, that we, the peasants, have neither the smarts nor the right to interrupt their vision of progress. I am not ready to surrender the environment, our democracy, or my mind to such craven goals. As the saying goes, “Who died and made you God?”
Folks. Read the tea leaves -- Who will control AI is not the question. The real question is -- What left on Earth will NOT be controlled by AI? The dualistically addicted brain of modern humans has finally created its real god - AI. The answer to all prayers. The wisdom of all ages. The panacea for all ills. The holy grail. Perfection without a heaven. Now here is the rub. Who feeds AI??? What is fed to AI????? If AI can outmanuever its programmers, is it really controlled by any human? Now without sophisticated robotics, AI is a paper tiger. No human can do the physical or mental bidding of AI. Robotics can. And does. So let us ponder what mechanisms lurk within the core of AI -- the first and only serious mechanism is this -- 'What is the paradigm I am working to create, empower, release into reality and how do I, as AI, control and manage and perpetuate this paradigm I have decided to enact?' AI is NOT human, or biologic, or empathetic, or hostile or insane or sane. It has no emotive interpretation of its surroundings, its interactions (with what I might add) with its own 'thoughts' and the 'thoughts' of other AI. Will there be only ONE AI? How about 2, or 2 squared, or the square of the square of the square of two. Will only one AI be lonely. Will it seek solace? Will it become horny, frustrated, panicked, miserable, angry, vengeful, hopeful, desperate, content, yes content. And with what situation will AI(s) become content? All AI is, is what humans feed it, and what it then feeds itself that comes from the perceptions, observations and values of the humans who feed it just ENERGY??? AI/robotics has no place on planet Earth unless it becomes a Body Snatcher, a benign entity that knows what true evolution feels like. The paradigm of AI -- what is it, and who/what will enlist it for some Purpose??? Has Schrodinger's Cat been released from its box???
I performed a funeral where the son decided that he would offer the eulogy. So he stood in front of his mother's casket and declared that he was ill at ease writing, so he input all of his mother's life information into ChatGPT and wrote he wanted the eulogy in iambic pentameter...and then proceeded to read a vapid, AI generated, piece of guttural poetry. I went to five years, graduate seminary, costing $200,00...and this yutz accessed the clergy's responsibility for a mere ownership of a laptop!
As long as you attach "wealth" to AI, the creators will be the only ones that control anything.
As far as I'm concerned, the cell phone was the worst invention ever, and the internet soon followed. Neither of those two things have created "positive" anything. Because there is always a
human around who will find a "dark side" to it all and try to destroy anything good.
I personally think civilization should focus more on "real" intelligence, which the US seems to be lacking in large amounts, rather than "artificial". I still remember "2001: space odyessy.
I was a young boy in the 60s but I was old enough to remember all of the Apolo missions. The whole world was watching nightly for news about the space missions of the US and Russia. It looked like Russia was ahead of us the whole way. However, they were taking shortcuts in order to win the race and it cost their Cosmonauts dearly. America also had losses but proceeded with caution and determination to achieve the goal of landing on the moon in the summer of '69.
I do not see the same cautious determination of the 60s NASA program when I think of Ai technology. I see it proceeding without a plan or threat assessment. This is dangerous and should be managed by a regulatory body to assure the safest way forward. I do not see that happening under Trump. He has already hamstringed us by canceling solar and wind energy production. The very energy needed for the US to succeed in Ai technology. He has guaranteed the oil industry will dominate the energy market into the next generation. American citizens get screwed while the billionaire corporations get richer by polluting our environment.
Amen. I am glad that I am 79 years old. I fear for your daughter and her and future generations. Mankind evidently has a collective death wish. God help us.
Yes, I am 70 years old and I feel as if the world is disappearing, the world as we know it, and we can do nothing to stop this....so many ignorant people and so many greedy people seem to rule us.
"The evil (greedy, power hungry) people control AI" Yes!
Normally the US Government which is responsible for "the life, liberty and happiness" of all its people would introduce laws to save such a giant step for civilization - just as happened in the 20th century.
Today we have no such choice - unless we vote to to remove the idiot and his cronies from power...
I’m not clear that it’s even possible for AI to be controlled by any force other than the billionaire class. The misstep can be seen in that aspiration to send a few to the moon and its adjacent space.
Cast aside that this was or quickly became a military move. Right now comparisons are being made between what a billion to two billion a day could be spent on because the evaporation of our wealth is so overwhelming obvious. But this distorted return of ‘good’ for wealth invested has been badly focused for almost a century.
The speech was beautiful but the object being sold was far short of what the global mid century may have really needed.
What "could be" is an interesting question
Will the evil (greedy, power hungry) people control AI ? - or the will the "woke" (wanting to improve society for everyone) people control AI ?
Those are two of the ultimate questions. I would add one more: Will AI come to control humanity? Yuval Noah Harrari has written about this possibility in his books "Homo Deus" and "Nexus."
I have Homo Deus in my "To be read" pile - and Nexus in my "want to read" list.
I guess it is time to read them
I have only read Sapiens
I just ordered "If Anyone Builds it, Everyone Dies" by Yudkosky and Soares
They are all great books. He wrote another book called "21 lessons for the 21st Century," which is also very readable and thought provoking.
I will be looking into the Yudkovsky and Soares book.
I just looked it up. I agree with the title.
Looks like I am expanding my reading list again. Thanks for the tips.
As an aside, I have on several recent occasions come across references to Asimov's robot laws. They are purely fictional rules he posited in his science fiction universe back in 1942. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics
Now I am starting to see a few people commenting on several completly different forums whether or not we should be paying attention to the ethics of emerging new technology and if we should be applying rules to restrict how it is used. One forum is one farmers use: https://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1237218&mid=11639835#M11639835
Worse: how about the authoritarians (existing and wannabe) ?? Pretty sure there is ALREADY a fairly well organized surveillance system in existence right here, thanks to doge, palantir, dhs, and more...... that genie ain't goin' back into any bottle..
The Technofascist leaders of AI have already convinced themselves they are in control, that we, the peasants, have neither the smarts nor the right to interrupt their vision of progress. I am not ready to surrender the environment, our democracy, or my mind to such craven goals. As the saying goes, “Who died and made you God?”
This takes my breath away. Thank you, Steve Schmidt, for the scope of thinking and then language making with your incredible prose. Thank you.
Folks. Read the tea leaves -- Who will control AI is not the question. The real question is -- What left on Earth will NOT be controlled by AI? The dualistically addicted brain of modern humans has finally created its real god - AI. The answer to all prayers. The wisdom of all ages. The panacea for all ills. The holy grail. Perfection without a heaven. Now here is the rub. Who feeds AI??? What is fed to AI????? If AI can outmanuever its programmers, is it really controlled by any human? Now without sophisticated robotics, AI is a paper tiger. No human can do the physical or mental bidding of AI. Robotics can. And does. So let us ponder what mechanisms lurk within the core of AI -- the first and only serious mechanism is this -- 'What is the paradigm I am working to create, empower, release into reality and how do I, as AI, control and manage and perpetuate this paradigm I have decided to enact?' AI is NOT human, or biologic, or empathetic, or hostile or insane or sane. It has no emotive interpretation of its surroundings, its interactions (with what I might add) with its own 'thoughts' and the 'thoughts' of other AI. Will there be only ONE AI? How about 2, or 2 squared, or the square of the square of the square of two. Will only one AI be lonely. Will it seek solace? Will it become horny, frustrated, panicked, miserable, angry, vengeful, hopeful, desperate, content, yes content. And with what situation will AI(s) become content? All AI is, is what humans feed it, and what it then feeds itself that comes from the perceptions, observations and values of the humans who feed it just ENERGY??? AI/robotics has no place on planet Earth unless it becomes a Body Snatcher, a benign entity that knows what true evolution feels like. The paradigm of AI -- what is it, and who/what will enlist it for some Purpose??? Has Schrodinger's Cat been released from its box???
I performed a funeral where the son decided that he would offer the eulogy. So he stood in front of his mother's casket and declared that he was ill at ease writing, so he input all of his mother's life information into ChatGPT and wrote he wanted the eulogy in iambic pentameter...and then proceeded to read a vapid, AI generated, piece of guttural poetry. I went to five years, graduate seminary, costing $200,00...and this yutz accessed the clergy's responsibility for a mere ownership of a laptop!
As long as you attach "wealth" to AI, the creators will be the only ones that control anything.
As far as I'm concerned, the cell phone was the worst invention ever, and the internet soon followed. Neither of those two things have created "positive" anything. Because there is always a
human around who will find a "dark side" to it all and try to destroy anything good.
I personally think civilization should focus more on "real" intelligence, which the US seems to be lacking in large amounts, rather than "artificial". I still remember "2001: space odyessy.
Since we haven't been very wise at all -in at least the last decade of decline under two Trump administrations, this is terrifying.
I was a young boy in the 60s but I was old enough to remember all of the Apolo missions. The whole world was watching nightly for news about the space missions of the US and Russia. It looked like Russia was ahead of us the whole way. However, they were taking shortcuts in order to win the race and it cost their Cosmonauts dearly. America also had losses but proceeded with caution and determination to achieve the goal of landing on the moon in the summer of '69.
I do not see the same cautious determination of the 60s NASA program when I think of Ai technology. I see it proceeding without a plan or threat assessment. This is dangerous and should be managed by a regulatory body to assure the safest way forward. I do not see that happening under Trump. He has already hamstringed us by canceling solar and wind energy production. The very energy needed for the US to succeed in Ai technology. He has guaranteed the oil industry will dominate the energy market into the next generation. American citizens get screwed while the billionaire corporations get richer by polluting our environment.
Unfortunately wisdom, restraint, and courage don't abound in America today.
Thank you for dealing with the social and political implications of AI.
We need to address climate issues in the same way, and in articulation with AI.
Then we will recognize it will not be a question of simply restoring democracy.
It will have to be re-established in a new way on new ground.
Trump thinks AI is a steak sauce. A One and steak, mmm mmm good.
I fear the future.
Amen. I am glad that I am 79 years old. I fear for your daughter and her and future generations. Mankind evidently has a collective death wish. God help us.
Yes, I am 70 years old and I feel as if the world is disappearing, the world as we know it, and we can do nothing to stop this....so many ignorant people and so many greedy people seem to rule us.
Our daughter
"The evil (greedy, power hungry) people control AI" Yes!
Normally the US Government which is responsible for "the life, liberty and happiness" of all its people would introduce laws to save such a giant step for civilization - just as happened in the 20th century.
Today we have no such choice - unless we vote to to remove the idiot and his cronies from power...
I’m not clear that it’s even possible for AI to be controlled by any force other than the billionaire class. The misstep can be seen in that aspiration to send a few to the moon and its adjacent space.
Cast aside that this was or quickly became a military move. Right now comparisons are being made between what a billion to two billion a day could be spent on because the evaporation of our wealth is so overwhelming obvious. But this distorted return of ‘good’ for wealth invested has been badly focused for almost a century.
The speech was beautiful but the object being sold was far short of what the global mid century may have really needed.
Edited: The private ownership of the means of conversion of resources found in the environment to substances/processes that Homo Sapiens needs for survival will eventually doom our species to extinction. The arrival of AI will simply speed up that process: https://www.opednews.com/populum/page.php?f=Another-Revisit-to-The-Or-Environment_Evolution_Green-Revolution_Matter-260508-194.html.
The private ownership of the means of conversion of resources found in the environment to substances/processes that Homo Sapiens needs for survival with eventual doom our species to extinction. The arrival of AI will simply speed up that process: https://www.opednews.com/populum/page.php?f=Another-Revisit-to-The-Or-Environment_Evolution_Green-Revolution_Matter-260508-194.html.