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We are in the midst of a hype driven mania for all things AI at this time. This is not entirely unusual, as humanity has done this before. There have been fevers for all sorts of things from tulips to Facebook over the years. In this instance, however, it involves handing over agency to something called Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI: Why do we give our power away? Human beings have a tendency to be inclined to pass over responsibility to something perceived as wiser than ourselves. We did it with God! For millennia, large sections of the human race have handballed autonomy to an invisible, apparently supernatural entity with a lot of oms. Omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. All powerful, all knowing and everywhere. Of course, the concept of God has proven to be scientifically unverifiable.
Humanity’s Predilection For Hype & AI
Despite the fact that God may not exist outside of our own ideas about an all powerful deity presiding over us this concept captured the hearts and minds of millions and probably billions to some degree. Hype about appealing stories with archetypal elements has spun us right around again and again. A select cohort of human beings have driven these divine tales with agendas of their own conveniently linked to their uptake by the general population. Princes and priests have created holy smoke screens for their own power grabs and regimes to take charge of things here on earth. Is the idea of super intelligent computers and machines merely another example of this phenomenon?
Are the IBM’s, Google’s, Microsoft’s, Apple’s, Amazon’s and OpenAI’s the new high tech priesthood delivering humanity into a new kind of enslavement?
Homo Sapiens, Computers & Perceived AI Power
The truth is that for the greater majority of human beings the digital age has made us dumber. Once we stop thinking for ourselves we lose that faculty through underuse. AI poses a much more sophisticated loss of human thinking power and application. Touching a screen and getting an answer to a question does not make us smarter, as we have not engaged our thinking processes to find that solution.
Knowing the answers to stuff does not necessarily mean we understand the questions in the first place.
So, What Is AI?
What is AI? Large Language Models (LLM) employ massive amounts of computing power (bigger chips) to crunch word associations through transformers sifting through huge data bases upon which they have been trained. Chat GPT4 has one trillion plus parameters to draw upon. In addition, AI like Chat GPT4 can process, identify, and produce images via similar amounts of transformer processing. Despite these computing achievements this is not the kind of intelligence we employ and is not superior to our own brains. Generative AI is an LLM Deep Learning program that uses a repository of human knowledge to determine what it spits out in response to queries and creative requests. It is not some sort of all wise, God like machine. The hype generated by the billions invested and the marketing unleashed around AI would suggest otherwise. This is where the danger arises for us, as businesses and institutions invest in this technology will they value it higher than their human workforce? Early indications are that many will to the detriment of humans. Human nature, unfortunately, has this tendency to bestow greater kudos upon non-human technologies, especially if they have invested large amounts of money in them. Bells and whistles impress all of us big brained monkeys. The computer business model has been incredibly successful despite the many beta blips and stuff ups along the way. We want to believe in these machines, which seemingly possess magical abilities. Companies and businesses want to have in their arsenals sleek new screens and devices with capabilities promising advantages over the competition. The hype around AI will cost jobs, damage lives, and there is little guarantee we will be a great deal better off than where we are right now.
The game will change, however, with more decisions made according to algorithms devised by AI which affect human beings. Many of us will be shunted to the back of the queue.
Betrayed By Our Love Of Technology
AI: Why do we give our power away? Especially, so easily to technology driven hype? Smartphones have led a generation of us to look down bent over our handheld screens. Will the fact that so many of us are busy playing digital games rather than thinking about stuff cause us problems down the track? A generation of non-daydreaming humans too busy watching streamed entertainments on our smartphones on public transport. Now, we are in danger of being betrayed by AI generated fake images, videos and news. You cannot trust the digital universe to provide you with reliable information. Scammers inhabit this sphere like nothing we have experienced before. Legions of bots and bad humans are phishing for your data and assets. AI has given these nefarious agents the sophisticated tools to pull the wool over your eyes. Virtual worlds are not real but we have become accustomed to interacting with them as part of the digital revolution. The message today is do not assume the veracity or credibility of what you see online and who or what you communicate with online. Fake stuff is everywhere and you are operating in a sphere where you cannot use all of your five senses. You cannot check the body language of who you are dealing with, as it is likely to be a deep fake AI altered image or video. We are bereft of our animal senses and thus vulnerable to fraudulent behaviour. Identity theft is all too common online in the 21C.
Everybody Rushing Toward An AI Generated Utopia
“I bought an iPhone 15 the other day to replace my five-year-old iPhone 11. The phone is powered by the new A17 Pro chip and has a terabyte of data storage and accordingly was eye-wateringly expensive. I had, of course, finely honed rationales for splashing out on such a scale. I’ve always had a policy of writing only about kit that I buy with my own money (no freebies from tech companies), for example. The fancy A17 processor is needed to run the new “AI” stuff that Apple is promising to launch soon; “
Humanity is rushing toward AI technologies like pilgrims to Mecca. Marketing departments are in overdrive telling us about AI designed golf clubs, cars, robots, programs, dental technologies, online doctors, and a plethora of products with the term AI proudly affixed to them. Capitalism functions best when it is excited about stuff and all the levers are being pulled with enthusiasm because there is lots of money to be made. Nvidia shares are on a rocket like upward trajectory because AI needs big juicy chips to power the trillions of computations. Indeed, AI is going to require a shit load of electricity from our grids to power its revolution. There are going to be challenges ahead for this game changing transformation. There are more than 8 billion of us humans on the planet right now. Are we all going to be pushed to the rear of a very long queue behind a whole bunch of AI generated machines? Who will be making vital decisions about your working life? What will be deciding important matters about your health and recommended treatments? Who will be pulling the trigger and dropping the bombs in conflicts around the globe? What will be policing our communities? Governments and institutions have shown a proclivity for investing our tax dollars in technologies which lessen their own direct responsibility for decisions affecting their citizens and members. Large corporations are usually first in line when it comes to big ticket purchases like this.
“But the concentration on technology and particularly AI saw the Wall Street boom — up 39 per cent in the past nine months — concentrated into just seven companies, leaving the other 493 of the S&P 500 floundering in their wake. More than 60 per cent of Wall Street’s gains were down to the Magnificent 7: Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Apple and Tesla. In the past fortnight, however, that has begun to unwind.”
We Are Paying For The Privilege Of Being Superseded
AI: Why do we give our power away? Away to machines and conceptual manifestations of divinity? Are we all so keen to follow the lead of someone or something else? Apple watches and smartphone apps are already directing the lives of millions. Step counting health apps are all the rage. The herd mentality of human beings have us lining up for the next bossy disembodied voice barking instructions. GPS maps and their imperative directions. “Take the third exit at the roundabout. Take the exit!” Vehicles that tell the driver how to drive and sound constant warning alarms. “Keep your hands on the wheel.” The take-over by AI technology is gathering pace.
We are paying for the privilege of being superseded. We are complicit in the increasing likelihood of our own demise. All this stuff is not making us smarter but rather dumber and less responsible for our fates.
Japan Bucking The AI Trend
“A Reuters survey released recently laid bare a nuanced picture of Japanese corporate acceptance and social attitudes toward technology. The survey, conducted by Nikkei Research, anonymously polled 506 companies from 3-12 July, with around half responding. It provides a broad view of how corporate Japan is striking a balance between incorporating AI and tightening cybersecurity amid changing social attitudes toward work.
The survey revealed a striking divide in AI adoption across Japanese businesses. While nearly a quarter of companies have already integrated AI into their operations, a significant portion – over 40% – have yet to make any immediate plans to leverage this cutting-edge technology. Specifically, 24% of respondents reported having introduced AI in their businesses, with an additional 35% planning to do so in the future. However, the remaining 41% indicated no intention to adopt AI, illustrating the varying degrees of technological embrace within corporate Japan.”
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
©MidasWord
