I’m not confident we’ll know when we’ve crossed the threshold to singularity, that point where machine intelligence exceeds our own; perhaps we’ve already done so. But it doesn’t really matter because does anyone think we can restrain ourselves from the technological wonders that await us?
It’s too late for that. Therefore, maybe we should celebrate our status as the last generation of humans that is biologically distinct from the hybrid species we’re hell-bent on morphing into.
As such, future beings may look upon us as somewhat quaint, curious creatures who actually believed we could solve problems better than our machine extensions. How sweet!
Every day now, without even trying, I include a half dozen or so links to fascinating reports on AI — Some believe it is a grave threat to our humanity; others think it promises nirvana. I’m pretty much an in-betweener on that question.
Clearly there will be functional improvements in many fields thanks to LLMs and chatbots. In medicine alone, AI will be helpful in diagnostics for sure. No one human brain can possibly hold all the known diseases and their symptoms, so robots will prove to be useful assistants in this regard.
But I wonder what’s to become of human beings generally when we are no longer much needed for our labor. What will we do with ourselves? Play games all the time?
So far we have kept ourselves occupied with a range of professions almost all of which are at risk of replacement by ever-smarter robots. We’re in need of the best philosophers to help us grasp our next steps.
Because the engineers don’t know what to say.
LINKS:
Putin makes a surprise visit to Mariupol and tours an occupied city destroyed by war (NPR)
Secret document reveals Russia’s 10-year plan to destabilize Moldova (CNN)
Inspired by their mom, these sisters share the same dream. The Taliban shattered it for one of them. Sadaf is studying in the U.S. Back in Afghanistan, her sister Zolheja's studies have been thwarted by the Taliban's ban on women's education. (NBC)
Taliban officials must sack sons given government jobs (BBC)
Chris Christie: ‘The circus continues’ on Trump calling for protests over potential arrest (The Hill
The Jan. 6 investigation is the biggest in U.S. history. It’s only half done. (WP)
Here's why one judge who oversees Jan. 6 cases is afraid for American democracy (CBS)
A Four-Decade Secret: One Man’s Story of Sabotaging Carter’s Re-election (NYT)
Dominion lawsuit is just the start as Fox faces losing friends – and viewers (Guardian)
Where Dominion v. Fox Could Lead — The case may have profound implications not only for the two companies but also for the legal framework in which the media operate. (New Yorker)
Online-Books Lawsuit Tests Limits of Libraries in Digital Age (WSJ)
I Asked ChatGPT to Control My Life for 24 Hours — Like a monkey in a test lab, I handed my autonomy over to the AI chatbot for a day to see what would happen. (Vice)
How AI could upend the world even more than electricity or the internet (AFP)
I'm an AI prompt engineer. Here are 3 ways to use ChatGPT to get the best results. (Business Insider)
How AI can save you time: 5 skills you no longer need to learn (EuroNews)
Why China has edge on AI, what ancient emperors tell us about Xi Jinping (Harvard Gazette)
UBS Close to Deal to Buy Credit Suisse for Over $2 Billion (WSJ)
20 Years After U.S. Invasion, Iraq Is a Freer Place, but Not a Hopeful One (NYT)
Enlightenment From Below — Pirates and radical democracy in Madagascar. (The Nation)
The looming threat of deep-sea mining (BBC)
There's an Odd Correlation Between Brain Size And Yawning, Study Reveals (ScienceAlert)
The forgotten maths genius who laid the foundations for Isaac Newton (Guardian)
Raccoon dogs may have been linked to the pandemic. What are they? (NPR)
Higher cancer rates found in military pilots, ground crews (AP)
School systems sue social media companies for unprecedented toll on student mental health (WP)
Wayfair Shopper Who Didn’t Read Dimensions Would Never Have Bought Sofa If She Knew It Was 300 Feet Tall (The Onion)
No comments:
Post a Comment