AI (Artificial Intelligence) is all around us these
days. Web sites invite you to use it to
answer any question or even to write an essay or letter. It has been touted as
the great breakthrough for streamlining work and potentially making working
people redundant. It is a great race between developers and between
countries. The thinking is that the
country with the most advanced system will control the world. Militaries crave
it to fight and win wars. But what is it
really?
“The average Ph.D. thesis is
nothing but a transference of bones from one graveyard to another. “
- J. Frank Dobie
The AI that is currently being used and abused is nothing
more than a huge database with a sophisticated search engine. It sucks in any
data that can be found, preferably in electronic format. It takes this data
from whatever source that can be found.
It does this with no thought or remuneration. It is just data. Authors,
such as my son, are very upset because their copywrite material is literally
being stolen. It basically has no
conscience.
“Man is a credulous animal and must believe something; in
the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones.”
- Bertrand
Russell
AI also requires a huge amount of electronic data storage
plus a huge bank of processors to search through this database. This in turn
requires a huge amount of electrical power and releases a large amount of heat.
It is not environmentally friendly.
So, the question is, what would real artificial intelligence
be? At this stage, in order to create new algorithms by a computer, the
parameters and constraints of the algorithm must be fed into the computers.
Only then can new algorithms be developed. This means that there is control,
ultimately by humans, over such developments. You have to tell the computer
what to do. Which also means humans can control over what computers do not do. Real
artificial intelligence would happen when a computer could self-develop
algorithms with no human input or control. At that point, humans would lose all
control over their lives and environment. They would eventually become slaves
to computers. Remember HAL 9000 from the movie “200l: a Space Odyssey”?
“Those who speak most of progress measure it by quantity
and not by quality.”
- George
Santayana
