Thanks Joel for lighting up our cerebrum this rainy Saturday morning. I recently listened to Porter Stansberry suggest that artificial intelligence is nothing of the sort but rather more properly referred to as "augmented intelligence" (paraphrasing). Yes, the augmentation of human intelligence. I believe he is right. The difference being that large language models cannot think, they have no soul and cannot relate to the living world; something only humans can do. Frankly, and I apologize for my being derogatory, AI is nothing but a wet dream for godless, transhumanist desiring technocrats. Don't get me wrong, I'm quite sure it will provide powerful and helpful tools to the human race, but the likes of Picasso, Michelangelo, Hemingway and artists of all kinds need not worry.
Great insight, Joel. By way of a completely aligned comment here is my one and only attempt at a sonnet. Also an attempt at an uncharacteristically cynical view of Sidmouth, a retirement town on the south coast of Devon, England and a few miles from Sidbury, birthplace of my late father and location of my late grandparent's home, often visited from South London on childhood holidays. Due to the soft Devonian sandstone my grandfather, a tenant farmer, once lost an entire field to the sea one night.
Hey Joel! Should we outlaw AI? 😁 What the heck, there’s some avant-garde art out there that should be outlawed while we’re at it! 😂😂. Ok, so I’m an irreverent individual.
Our humble Notes publication enjoys the kind support of a growing community of paying members, who apparently value human commentary over A.I. generated “content.”
As a paying member, I believe you nailed it. No amount of "AI" (in my opinion, Artificial Intelligence is for those without Natural or Acquired Intelligence) can equal a dedicated, artistic "Mere Human".
I'm a programmer among other things. I've been victim to myself too many times to trust what other programmers call "intelligence", regardless of their credentials. Google just proved the point in spades. However, I'm not ready to discount that AI has LIMITED applications to dispense with routine "Drudge Work". Caveat: How many times have we been promised that "labor savings will free us up to do more productive things", only to find that as humans we use that time UN-productively?
If I was an artist, which I’m not, surely as you pointed out I would delve deeply into my heart and all my emotions of life’s existence and experiences. What would that look like if artificial intelligence could produce a hologram of our thoughts….our minds being the photographic plate? The fantasies of our minds would come to life uninterrupted by human bias. Surely and truly I’m not for any of this AI manipulation of the human race. On the flip side of the coin what if art, with all its human limitations is just as I described “life uninterrupted by human bias.” If I could draw and paint a canvas that’s what I would want it to be. Could art be intrinsically perfect? Am I currently down grading someone else’s art with my own perceptions? Or should I be hailing their work as human inspiration brought into existence as masterpieces without the help of any fabricator? Thanks Joel. I will never view art the same but with a new found super appreciation of the photographic plate of the human mind.
Using computers to read radiology films (mammograms, MRI, CT, ultrasound, and X-ray) has resulted in earlier catches of problems, subtle findings missed by humans but at a cost. Despite being programmed to ignore race/sex, the computers are accurately identifying race/sex based on biological and racial differences in human biology. Yes, Virginia, there are biological differences between sex and race despite what is being taught.
From a mundane perspective, this is why many of us look back on unpleasant and painful experiences with a kind of joy. How many of us wistfully recall surviving military bootcamp with exhilaration?
It appears to me that AI is art, interactive art. One must note that this art is coming from the same individuals that want to cut of kids body parts without parental permission, the same ones who enjoyed censoring freedom of speech, the same ones who supported and still do the covid hoax, the same ones who produced MMT, the same ones who want trans guys dancing in front of kindergartners, the same ones who believe in climate change and hire professors to support their beliefs, the same ones who put people in jail for dissenting on their beliefs, the same ones for flying their own personal jets to conferences to speak out against normal people who simply want to drive cars (talk about hypocrisy), etc. Sorry to leave out some of the nonsense we have had to put up with.
Joel, I think AI has some importance, if used with" common sense".Otherwise AI is another dis-connect of the human race.don't have to think or communicate with each other.
One useful application of AI that has not occurred to the powers that be: not to send me advertisements for products that they know I already buy. Another would give the option from a call centre to wait a predicted number of minutes in order to speak to the first person who took down all your details, the alternative being to play Russian roulette with the rest of your free time on Earth. A third would teach voice activated systems that ask you to spell out names to recognise a Scots accent and not insist on interpreting A as E.
As an example I have problems with my interface with my phone .
As a guy who spends most of his time working on restoring old vehicles and other stuff plus anguishing about my investments my concern is how can I use this "new" tool.
In reality I am pretty sure to fall back to my usual strategy which is to bumble on .
Thanks Joel for lighting up our cerebrum this rainy Saturday morning. I recently listened to Porter Stansberry suggest that artificial intelligence is nothing of the sort but rather more properly referred to as "augmented intelligence" (paraphrasing). Yes, the augmentation of human intelligence. I believe he is right. The difference being that large language models cannot think, they have no soul and cannot relate to the living world; something only humans can do. Frankly, and I apologize for my being derogatory, AI is nothing but a wet dream for godless, transhumanist desiring technocrats. Don't get me wrong, I'm quite sure it will provide powerful and helpful tools to the human race, but the likes of Picasso, Michelangelo, Hemingway and artists of all kinds need not worry.
Yes Joel, I remain aghast at the things I never think about. Until about happy hour.
Cheers
Steve Hoffman
Great insight, Joel. By way of a completely aligned comment here is my one and only attempt at a sonnet. Also an attempt at an uncharacteristically cynical view of Sidmouth, a retirement town on the south coast of Devon, England and a few miles from Sidbury, birthplace of my late father and location of my late grandparent's home, often visited from South London on childhood holidays. Due to the soft Devonian sandstone my grandfather, a tenant farmer, once lost an entire field to the sea one night.
Eventide Homes
Eventide homes in upon the beach
and six hours on will shuffle seaweed coils.
Even surf survives a little, boils,
expiring over worm shafts. Ding dong leach
of salt up river, sweat and urine down.
Red cliffs crumble. Some unpicking stitch
releases sand to join the backwash, sud
in ruffs round grains that tumble till the thud
of breaker. Gulls goose-step the fever pitch
of slated roofs. Oh, Purgatory town.
Deliberately Thirsty Magazine, Argyll Publishing, 2000.
Simply beautiful writing Joel, manna for the soul
Too kind, good sir. I’ll take it!
Hey Joel! Should we outlaw AI? 😁 What the heck, there’s some avant-garde art out there that should be outlawed while we’re at it! 😂😂. Ok, so I’m an irreverent individual.
Haha, this was priceless. Count me with you, among the irreverent. Cheers!
Our humble Notes publication enjoys the kind support of a growing community of paying members, who apparently value human commentary over A.I. generated “content.”
As a paying member, I believe you nailed it. No amount of "AI" (in my opinion, Artificial Intelligence is for those without Natural or Acquired Intelligence) can equal a dedicated, artistic "Mere Human".
I'm a programmer among other things. I've been victim to myself too many times to trust what other programmers call "intelligence", regardless of their credentials. Google just proved the point in spades. However, I'm not ready to discount that AI has LIMITED applications to dispense with routine "Drudge Work". Caveat: How many times have we been promised that "labor savings will free us up to do more productive things", only to find that as humans we use that time UN-productively?
Think about it.
If I was an artist, which I’m not, surely as you pointed out I would delve deeply into my heart and all my emotions of life’s existence and experiences. What would that look like if artificial intelligence could produce a hologram of our thoughts….our minds being the photographic plate? The fantasies of our minds would come to life uninterrupted by human bias. Surely and truly I’m not for any of this AI manipulation of the human race. On the flip side of the coin what if art, with all its human limitations is just as I described “life uninterrupted by human bias.” If I could draw and paint a canvas that’s what I would want it to be. Could art be intrinsically perfect? Am I currently down grading someone else’s art with my own perceptions? Or should I be hailing their work as human inspiration brought into existence as masterpieces without the help of any fabricator? Thanks Joel. I will never view art the same but with a new found super appreciation of the photographic plate of the human mind.
Using computers to read radiology films (mammograms, MRI, CT, ultrasound, and X-ray) has resulted in earlier catches of problems, subtle findings missed by humans but at a cost. Despite being programmed to ignore race/sex, the computers are accurately identifying race/sex based on biological and racial differences in human biology. Yes, Virginia, there are biological differences between sex and race despite what is being taught.
A tool has its place in the tool box. and ai is a tool programmed by a man.
From a mundane perspective, this is why many of us look back on unpleasant and painful experiences with a kind of joy. How many of us wistfully recall surviving military bootcamp with exhilaration?
Terminator 2, except it's real now haha!
It appears to me that AI is art, interactive art. One must note that this art is coming from the same individuals that want to cut of kids body parts without parental permission, the same ones who enjoyed censoring freedom of speech, the same ones who supported and still do the covid hoax, the same ones who produced MMT, the same ones who want trans guys dancing in front of kindergartners, the same ones who believe in climate change and hire professors to support their beliefs, the same ones who put people in jail for dissenting on their beliefs, the same ones for flying their own personal jets to conferences to speak out against normal people who simply want to drive cars (talk about hypocrisy), etc. Sorry to leave out some of the nonsense we have had to put up with.
Joel, I think AI has some importance, if used with" common sense".Otherwise AI is another dis-connect of the human race.don't have to think or communicate with each other.
One useful application of AI that has not occurred to the powers that be: not to send me advertisements for products that they know I already buy. Another would give the option from a call centre to wait a predicted number of minutes in order to speak to the first person who took down all your details, the alternative being to play Russian roulette with the rest of your free time on Earth. A third would teach voice activated systems that ask you to spell out names to recognise a Scots accent and not insist on interpreting A as E.
As an example I have problems with my interface with my phone .
As a guy who spends most of his time working on restoring old vehicles and other stuff plus anguishing about my investments my concern is how can I use this "new" tool.
In reality I am pretty sure to fall back to my usual strategy which is to bumble on .
I get enough of AI everywhere else, give me a break, please.