The one question that an "old soul" like me asks with all of this is, who is profiting from the progress? It is these people who are calling the shots, and the wellbeing of humanity is not really in the focus of people looking for profit. So, the architecture of the soft- and hardware is less my concern than why do these people do what they are doing? What is their agenda?
I use AI but I remain (as far as I can see) in control of what I use. ChatGPT, for example, has made so many mistakes when I have used it for convenience that I check what it is telling me. It also has biases and tries to compensate possible biases of the user. That makes it unreliable – not because it couldn’t be, but because we program these biases into the software.
Money, influence, and power is the driver for commercial enterprises. Competition drives a one-upmanship mentality. The agenda is to generate profit.
As for AI making mistakes, that's an interesting thing. It really depends on what is attempting to be achieved in a given instance (AI is being used in many different contexts). What makes me smile is that if the goal was to model human behavior, then the results would be riddled with mistakes, prejudice, and bias. In learning human traits, these things are going to happen.
Human thinking levels are, as far as I am concerned, thankfully restricted to humans. I don’t want AI to think like a human, neither as an end goal or as a milestone. I don’t want neurotic and narcissistic computers, or AI that runs so fast in a direction that is bad for us, that our end is happening before we notice it. Computers are just an extension of human minds with an exponential speed – and I mistrust human minds.
AI will indeed up end being a tool. There are already many things computers, robotics, and AI can do better than humans. I also don't think we, as a species, would be able to agree on what is good for us, and what is not. But I think the same kind of discussions happened with the Steam Engine and the whole industrial revolution. There's a lot of doubt, suspicion, and angst. It's normal, change is a constant, and we don't always like it.
Are computers simply an extension of the human mind? Hm. Maybe, I'd need to think about that. But how fast do we need things to go? We're nearing the maximum speed for copper used in CPU's today (for switches etc). I'm not sure what comes next, but with Quantum Computing coming into the picture, it's a little up in the air. I've read about quantum computing, but the more I read the less I understand.
You point to the internet, the source of addiction, mental illness, cyber-bullying, online harassment, information overload, fake news and misinformation, privacy concerns, online radicalisation, social isolation, online scams and fraud, pornography, and dark web - known for hosting a variety of illicit activities, including illegal marketplaces for drugs, weapons, stolen data, and counterfeit currency. It also serves as a platform for hackers, cybercriminals, and individuals involved in various illegal activities to communicate and collaborate anonymously. You give enough examples of the same.
The thing about the internet is that is has fundamentally changed society. It has changed how we think, feel, and act. It's influence is greater than anything else seen over the last 100 years. People now struggle to keep off the their phone (which is a computer), and computers. We're a slave to the machine, but not because the machine enslaved us, but because we VOLUNTEERED for it.
Let's not forget, every app, every phone, every PC, is DESIGNED to be addicting. There's a lot of psychology that goes into video games, Social Media apps, and the like. We've taken what we know of human behavior, and coded it into everything we use. We accept it. Humans, as it turns out, are low hanging fruit for outside forces looking to become part of our lives. And while Social Media is a cyber-activity, please believe that its effects are leaching into every day actions. It's grasp is way beyond the screen.
Hell, even on this forum you see some strange stuff. You see person A doesn't like person B because of something that's been written, or some perceived slight. But really, how well do we know anyone here? And if we're going to get so angsty about another member, then what does that say about us? I think it shows a fragility. People absolutely LOVE to judge others, especially if it's a negative connotation. But we're just names on a screen here, often discussing points in an abstract way. Perspective gets lost. I know I've had one PM that sort to psychoanalyze me in a negative way. I mean, really? How much of yourself is on these boards? 1%?
The development will go on, unless people boycott it. There are already people realising that the most substantial aspects of life are gained when we escape and find solitude somewhere. In old traditions, it was the old people who stepped out of the daily rut and started looking for meaning who guided societies. I sometimes think that technological development was slowed at least in part because these old people saw the folly of wanting everything fast and free of trouble.
We're projecting, of course. But I'd say, people aren't going to boycott AI. Already, the idea of old people being wise and informed has gone by the wayside. Have you watched social interactions these days? Heard children talking to their parents? Take a look at the political candidates who have traction - they're a long long way from being the best for the job. But look at the fervor their supporters have! It's completely bonkers.
I can't predict what the future holds. Shopping Malls are closing down, High Streets in the UK are being converted into apartments, and drugs ravage the streets. Not only that, but with Social Media anyone's bad day has become a Trauma Show. Endless numbers of people getting on Tik Tok to cry and scream about cold burgers, neighbors who moved trash cans, bad hair days, and fake cancer claims. It's just drama. People get a high from it, and they feed at the trough of dopamine hits thinking they're adding to society. Yikes.
But you know what? When the chicken comes home to roost on that one, I'll be long gone. Thank goodness!! But my main point is, I worry far less about AI than I do actual people today.
“Death is our friend precisely because it brings us into absolute and passionate presence with all that is here, that is natural, that is love,” Rilke wrote while ailing with leukemia. To comprehend the luckiness of deathis to comprehend life itself. When a loved one is dying and we get to be by their side, it is a double luckiness — lucky that we got to have the love at all, and lucky, which is not everyone’s luck, that we get to say goodbye. Even so, accompanying a loved one as they exit life is one of the most difficult and demanding experiences you could have.
