Are you prepared for our AI overlords?

[avatar! | 1,827]

Nothing to see here... move along, humans...

Exclusive: 42% of CEOs say AI could destroy humanity in five to ten years

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/14/business/artificial-intelligence-ceos-warning/index.html

“It’s pretty dark and alarming,” Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld said in a phone interview, referring to the findings.

“I’m just a scientist who suddenly realized that these things are getting smarter than us,” Hinton told CNN’s Jake Tapper in May. “I want to sort of blow the whistle and say we should worry seriously about how we stop these things getting control over us.”

Hinton told CNN that if AI “gets to be much smarter than us, it will be very good at manipulation,” including “getting around restrictions we put on it.”

[Link | 2,726]

7 hours ago, avatar! said:

Hinton

I see you been looking up my boy. What do you think? How do we address this? 

Answer from any perspective you like. Said CEOs who claim to be concerned. Policy and legislation. R&D depts. Future freedom fighters. Ordinary citizens. 

What can or should we do? 

[avatar! | 1,827]

On 10/13/2023 at 9:54 PM, Link said:

I see you been looking up my boy. What do you think? How do we address this? 

Answer from any perspective you like. Said CEOs who claim to be concerned. Policy and legislation. R&D depts. Future freedom fighters. Ordinary citizens. 

What can or should we do? 

Great questions. Scholars have been looking deeply into this --

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/12/10/solutions-to-address-ais-anticipated-negative-impacts/

It's clear that AI will be a new revolution, arguably as great as the Industrial Revolution -- although of course that remains to be seen. At least some of the problem scenarios are as follows:

1)Having AI go rogue -- for example, if you give AI control over combat aircraft and they decide that bombing a civilian population or allied troops on the ground is the best course of action. Or of course, the nightmare scenario is when AI decides to wipe out humanity via nuclear weapons. I think right now the best course of action is simply to NOT let AI control weapons without some human authorization or at the very least, make sure AI is instructed that under no circumstances can it target innocents etc.

2)Loss of jobs. Well, I think this is inevitable. The question becomes what skills should people learn? If AI is able to code far faster and better than people, what will happen to all the numerous people studying computer science etc? In at least the next generation or so the world will need programmers. After that, hard to say. Also, what about self-driving cars? Sounds great to most of us and it will be great! You can just sit in your car and sleep as it drives you to work through traffic far more efficiently than people, so you will be safer and arrive quicker! Great, but that will also put millions of drivers out of work. What about them? What about having AI make you a burger? Maybe doesn't sound appealing to some, but it will once that burger costs 1/2 what it used to be! Again, arguably people need to learn new skills, and it's time we really consider looking at UBI --

https://college.unc.edu/2021/03/universal-basic-income/

3)Cheating, plagiarism, etc. There's already so much cheating going on it's hard to know what course to take. Many people have already said what will have to happen is that professors/teachers will need to assign more weight to exams, and have exams taken in class, with no devices. It's a real problem, as discussed in this recent article --

AI cheating is hopelessly, irreparably corrupting US higher education

https://thehill.com/opinion/education/4162766-ai-cheating-has-hopelessly-irreparably-corrupted-us-higher-education/

In terms of writing new compositions, art, etc. well people are already suing ChatGPT

‘Game of Thrones’ creator and other authors sue ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for copyright infringement

https://apnews.com/article/openai-lawsuit-authors-grisham-george-rr-martin-37f9073ab67ab25b7e6b2975b2a63bfe

I certainly do not know the legality of the lawsuits, but I do know this is not going to really impact AI. For instance, since George Martin just refuses to finish Game of Thrones, an AI can absolutely finish the series! Heck, you don't need to publish the book and get into a legal mess, you can just ask the AI to read everything GRRM has written and in his style finish the series and it will do it! You'll have your own completed series written just for you in a matter of seconds

So, clearly there is good along with the "bad" or to be more precise, the unknown. I think the most important thing is to make sure AI does not go rogue. That said, I think the most impact will be in loss of jobs and skills. It's going to affect everyone. In the future you will be able to tell AI something like "I want a game similar to the original Super Mario Bros -- make it more challenging, but with cool new features, and not as challenging as the Lost Levels, and I want to be able to play as Peach!" and presto, you'll have a brand new SMB-like game just for you. Awesome, except for the fact that it may put video game producers out of business. Who knows, maybe sooner or later there will be some Butlerian Revolution

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_among_the_Machines

[Link | 2,726]

On 10/16/2023 at 1:23 PM, avatar! said:

What about having AI make you a burger? Maybe doesn't sound appealing to some, but it will once that burger costs 1/2 what it used to be!

I don’t see that happening. Might reduce cost on the production side but I bet the menu price doesn’t change. See: size of a candy bar today and in the past. 

 

On 10/16/2023 at 1:23 PM, avatar! said:

AI will be a new revolution, arguably as great as the Industrial Revolution

On 10/16/2023 at 1:23 PM, avatar! said:

it's time we really consider looking at UBI

I definitely agree. 

On 10/16/2023 at 1:23 PM, avatar! said:

plagiarism, etc. There's already so much cheating going on it's hard to know what course to take.

I lost the article but I read something earlier today about cover letters.  Somebody applied to a job within five minutes of the post. The interviewer was impressed with the (unrequested) cover letter. It was well-written, pertinent info, etc. Then she noticed it basically parroted the job description and even plagiarized a bit of the owner’s story. 

We are going to have to improve  our skepticism as a society. Or, perhaps our brains will atrophy until we achieve Idiocracy. An apparent bot posted here the other day and we see right through it, but this is still just the cotton gin of the revolution. 

Side note, Disney just used outtakes from Aladdin in a new production, against Robin Williams’ written wishes. That, the issue of scanning actors by Hollywood, and people making songs that sound like certain singers made me think of Bicentennial Man. 

[avatar! | 1,827]

21 hours ago, Link said:

 Side note, Disney just used outtakes from Aladdin in a new production, against Robin Williams’ written wishes. That, the issue of scanning actors by Hollywood, and people making songs that sound like certain singers made me think of Bicentennial Man. 

I think this is going to be big with AI in the future. Imagine having a conversation with anyone from the past -- Socrates, Einstein, Hypatia... AI will be able to give this to you! Pretty cool, but of course it raises questions

1)Who owns such material?

2)How will we be able to determine fact from fiction? With AI, you can (or in the near future) be able to fake most anything. You can have George Washington giving a televised speech saying the USA should return all lands to England! Of course we laugh at this now, but the dangers are real, and never ever underestimate human stupidity!

[Gloves | 11,826]

Just now, avatar! said:

I think this is going to be big with AI in the future. Imagine having a conversation with anyone from the past -- Socrates, Einstein, Hypatia... AI will be able to give this to you! Pretty cool, but of course it raises questions

1)Who owns such material?

2)How will we be able to determine fact from fiction? With AI, you can (or in the near future) be able to fake most anything. You can have George Washington giving a televised speech saying the USA should return all lands to England! Of course we laugh at this now, but the dangers are real, and never ever underestimate human stupidity!

They already did this at an exhibit (I forget where, and am on my phone/too lazy to check), with Salvador Dali. 

Personally I thing it's the height of avarice to presume what a dead person might say or do. We have public records sure but you don't know who they were inside. Some Gen Z asking Plato what he thinks about their fursona, he's gonna respond in the most watered down politically correct way imaginable. Cuz you KNOW they're gonna put checks and balances in, and the humans behind the AI are always biased in some way. 

Who was it again? Microsoft? They put out an AI on Twitter if I recall, and within hours it was spouting racist exist and generally hateful remarks, so they took it down. 

The thing about AI is its shit in, shit out, and all the data is from humans, so have fun with that. 

[avatar! | 1,827]

4 minutes ago, Gloves said:

They already did this at an exhibit (I forget where, and am on my phone/too lazy to check), with Salvador Dali. 

Personally I thing it's the height of avarice to presume what a dead person might say or do. We have public records sure but you don't know who they were inside. Some Gen Z asking Plato what he thinks about their fursona, he's gonna respond in the most watered down politically correct way imaginable. Cuz you KNOW they're gonna put checks and balances in, and the humans behind the AI are always biased in some way. 

Who was it again? Microsoft? They put out an AI on Twitter if I recall, and within hours it was spouting racist exist and generally hateful remarks, so they took it down. 

The thing about AI is its shit in, shit out, and all the data is from humans, so have fun with that. 

I understand where you're coming from, and I agree right now it's just in its infancy. However, think about this --

What about people that have lost loved ones, and are deeply suffering. Of course an AI construct that looks (think VR) and talks like your loved one is NOT your loved one. However, that does not change the fact that such use of AI can be incredibly healing. I am certain this is going to be the future. Not this year, not next year, but somewhere along the road this will make a difference to people, and is one of the benefits I see with (controlled and regulated) AI.

[Link | 2,726]

Speaking of dangers, deepfake videos are bad enough. Added to AI and we may have KGB/CIA or even Joe Schmoe inciting international incidents. I will not be surprised when some reporter or several get fooled by a “prank” or something made by a hate group. 

12 minutes ago, avatar! said:

such use of AI can be incredibly healing.

I think this would make me feel even worse. And there’s potential to kind of delude someone or place them in arrested development. Like that guy who just married a sex doll. 

[avatar! | 1,827]

17 minutes ago, Link said:

Speaking of dangers, deepfake videos are bad enough. Added to AI and we may have KGB/CIA or even Joe Schmoe inciting international incidents. I will not be surprised when some reporter or several get fooled by a “prank” or something made by a hate group. 

I think this would make me feel even worse. And there’s potential to kind of delude someone or place them in arrested development. Like that guy who just married a sex doll. 

I know, it's terrifying and people need to really start looking into ways to quickly address such dangers.

In terms of speaking with a loved one who has passed away, I can understand it's not for everyone. That said, I think it can absolutely be an important healing tool which currently simply does not exist.

[Link | 2,726]

Well, whatever the effects and consequences, I agree that it’s a thing that will probably happen. Shit, it’ll probably become an option in funeral services. I hope it does help people but I kind think it will collectively have a net negative effect on society. 

It is a powerful tool. As some comments in the below link note, it will be tremendously helpful in medical, technical, and other scientific fields. I just think as far as personal interaction goes, it  “doesn’t have the life experience to fully grasp” emotion, [or creativity, as stated in the case mentioned there - tl;dr Black Mirror creator says it can’t write for shit.*]

which is what’s really needed for any more than a one-off statement.

But who knows. Ray Kurzweil wrote The Age of Intelligent Machines (1990), followed up by The Age of Spiritual Machines (1999). I should review those. 
 

*Booker says he’s not worried now, although I would have expected him to extrapolate and predict further. 

[Brickman | 4,012]

4 hours ago, Link said:

Well, whatever the effects and consequences, I agree that it’s a thing that will probably happen. Shit, it’ll probably become an option in funeral services. I hope it does help people but I kind think it will collectively have a net negative effect on society. 

It is a powerful tool. As some comments in the below link note, it will be tremendously helpful in medical, technical, and other scientific fields. I just think as far as personal interaction goes, it  “doesn’t have the life experience to fully grasp” emotion, [or creativity, as stated in the case mentioned there - tl;dr Black Mirror creator says it can’t write for shit.*]

which is what’s really needed for any more than a one-off statement.

But who knows. Ray Kurzweil wrote The Age of Intelligent Machines (1990), followed up by The Age of Spiritual Machines (1999). I should review those. 
 

*Booker says he’s not worried now, although I would have expected him to extrapolate and predict further. 

It’s already here. I was watching a documentary where people alive today can answer a long set of questions and then the company will create an AI program based around their responses so when people die their loved ones can ask questions and the AI can respond. William Shatner’s AI was featured haha

[Link | 2,726]

Thanks for the confirmation. Zero surprise. It’s an industry built on sadness and grief where everything commands a high price and people are desperate for options to feel and share connections. 

[Dr. Morbis | 2,091]

9 hours ago, Gloves said:

Some Gen Z asking Plato what he thinks about their fursona, he's gonna respond in the most watered down politically correct way imaginable. Cuz you KNOW they're gonna put checks and balances in, and the humans behind the AI are always biased in some way.

Yeah, this is already 100% happening and won't change.  Ask any AI a question about a contentious issue and you'll get the most pc answer imaginable.  What does Plato think in 2023?  What's the point?  The answer the AI spits out will 100% conform to the norms of 2023, not what someone believed thousands of years ago.

Utterly pointless...

[Link | 2,726]

I wanted a picture. Bing says 

Unsafe image content detected

Your image generations are not displayed because we detected unsafe content in the images based on our content policy. Please try creating again with another prompt.

 

This is what I described: 
3 anthropomorphic kittens at work dressed in old fashioned house painters clothes. they are grey kittens. they are all wearing white painters caps, and white overalls over blue button-down collared shirts. two of them are carrying a ladder. they also have paint buckets and brushes. they are doing work and they are slightly clumsy. draw this in the style of illustration for a childrens book from the 1940s.

[Link | 2,726]

I modified the prompt. It did it this time.

three kittens acting like people and dressed in old fashioned house painters clothes. they are grey kittens. they are all wearing white painters caps, and white overalls over blue button-down collared shirts. they are going to do work and they are slightly clumsy. they are walking from right to left in front of a brick wall. two of them are carrying a long ladder. they also have paint buckets and brushes. illustrated by hand with flat and simple colors

[avatar! | 1,827]

11 hours ago, Dr. Morbis said:

Yeah, this is already 100% happening and won't change.  Ask any AI a question about a contentious issue and you'll get the most pc answer imaginable.  What does Plato think in 2023?  What's the point?  The answer the AI spits out will 100% conform to the norms of 2023, not what someone believed thousands of years ago.

Utterly pointless...

AI is just at its infancy. Yet, it's amazing what it can do with just a little bit of data. For instance, it can mimic your voice if it hears you for just a few seconds --

Microsoft’s new AI can mimic any voice after just 3 seconds and some experts are worried

https://www.thestar.com/business/technology/microsoft-s-new-ai-can-mimic-any-voice-after-just-3-seconds-and-some-experts/article_ce81c205-e350-578e-a322-7cd52204d63b.html

Being able to have conversations with loved ones that have passed away may not be of interest to you or others on here, but I promise you it will be a huge thing in the future. Overall, I see it as being very healthy and healing. That said, I'm not dismissing the negative aspects of AI, I'm very worried about them. But, like most new things, it's a double-edged sword with good and scary components all mixed together.

[Mega Tank | 974]

15 minutes ago, avatar! said:

AI is just at its infancy. Yet, it's amazing what it can do with just a little bit of data. For instance, it can mimic your voice if it hears you for just a few seconds --

Unfortunately, scammers are already using this.

[Link | 2,726]

19 minutes ago, Mega Tank said:

Unfortunately, scammers are already using this.

I saw that on the news this morning. They made the reporter’s voice say something like “I’ve been in a car accident and I need money right away.” The reporter said it sounded real. I didn’t think so. The speaking cadence was very unnatural. Actually it sounded just like a cheap commercial for life insurance or something. That skepticism I mentioned earlier is already insufficient. 

[Mega Tank | 974]

6 minutes ago, Link said:

I saw that on the news this morning. They made the reporter’s voice say something like “I’ve been in a car accident and I need money right away.” The reporter said it sounded real. I didn’t think so. The speaking cadence was very unnatural. Actually it sounded just like a cheap commercial for life insurance or something. That skepticism I mentioned earlier is already insufficient. 

It may sound unnatural to you, but when people panic and fear starts to set it, it may be very convincing. The fact they can even try to replicate your voice off a few words is enough for me to continue letting calls go to voicemail unless it's a saved contact. I never all unknown numbers back. If it's urgent, they'll leave a voicemail with my generic voicemail greeting.

My mom and dad were both scammed. Luckily we were able to get back the funds on one, but the funds were lost on the other. I spoke with my mom and basically came up with system for her to verify if any future "emergency" so it doesn't happen again.

It's so sad the effort people go through to scam others. They need to take all that time and effort and do something productive.

[Link | 2,726]

7 minutes ago, Mega Tank said:

I spoke with my mom and basically came up with system for her to verify if any future "emergency" so it doesn't happen again.

Oh yeah, they mentioned that in the news story. Basically, have a password. Is that what you did? 

My parents did that with me when I was a kid. Same example. “If a stranger says ‘your parents have been in a car accident, come with me’ don’t do it unless they know our special word.” I chose trolley for the special word, because I liked the one on Mister Rogers. 

Edited October 19, 2023 by Link

[Mega Tank | 974]

55 minutes ago, Link said:

Oh yeah, they mentioned that in the news story. Basically, have a password. Is that what you did? 

My parents did that with me when I was a kid. Same example. “If a stranger says ‘your parents have been in a car accident, come with me’ don’t do it unless they know our special word.” I chose trolley for the special word, because I liked the one on Mister Rogers. 

Great minds think alike. Some random info about the person recieving the call that can't be researched or looked up should do the trick. Good thing my mom shares plenty of stories so there was plenty to pick from lol

[avatar! | 1,827]

South Korea: Man crushed to death by robot that mistook him for a box

https://news.sky.com/story/south-korea-man-crushed-to-death-by-robot-that-mistook-him-for-a-box-13003635

According to the Yonhap news agency, the robot was lifting boxes of bell peppers when it misidentified the man. Citing police sources, it reported that the mechanical arm pushed the man's upper body onto a conveyor belt and crushed his face and chest. He died later in hospital.

[BlackVega | 583]

26 minutes ago, avatar! said:

South Korea: Man crushed to death by robot that mistook him for a box

https://news.sky.com/story/south-korea-man-crushed-to-death-by-robot-that-mistook-him-for-a-box-13003635

According to the Yonhap news agency, the robot was lifting boxes of bell peppers when it misidentified the man. Citing police sources, it reported that the mechanical arm pushed the man's upper body onto a conveyor belt and crushed his face and chest. He died later in hospital.

Gosh the robots are already taking over.......

[avatar! | 1,827]

2 minutes ago, BlackVega said:

Gosh the robots are already taking over.......

I know this was clearly an accident, and I'm sure more accidents are bound to happen. Yet, no one is instilling Asimov's laws of robotics on any AI or robot... and quite honestly, I always viewed those "laws" as idealistic bullshite

[RH | 4,965]

1 hour ago, avatar! said:

I know this was clearly an accident, and I'm sure more accidents are bound to happen. Yet, no one is instilling Asimov's laws of robotics on any AI or robot... and quite honestly, I always viewed those "laws" as idealistic bullshite

Because you can't.  This bot wasn't "sentient".  In a way, it was programmed to not harm humans by being programmed to do a specific  task.  However, due to lighting or whatever was happening from it's sensors at that moment, the man appeared as a box.

Isamov was a smart man and definitely wrote Sci-Fi as a philosophical perspective but fundamentally, the way AI works and has for the past 40 years isn't like saying "Hey, Mister Machine, here are the tasks you need to do.  Oh, by the way.  Don't hurt people when you do it."  It just doesn't have that intelligence.

Taking a robot and explicitly "teaching" it to identify boxes is hard.  Adding to it an extra safe-guard layer to know what a human is (vs any thing else) is difficult.  I don't know the robotics device they are specifically using but I am aware of box stacking/packing AI bots.  This isn't about intelligence--this is essentially a highly-specialized conveyor system and when a sensor was probably getting out of range of correct tolerance, but not enough to break and give an error, the guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Don't get me wrong.  This is bad, and I'm sure something might be able to come of this but these are machines acting as machines.  The real problem is we assume they have "intelligence" and treat them like that when, in fact, they are just executing code and if you get in their way, they are going to keep doing what they were programmed to do.

Edited November 13, 2023 by RH