>Why is everyone in such a hurry to accept and embrace an imperfect AI anyway?
because this has been the dominant culture in the digital technology space and every argument against it is usually facing some sort of "so you want to stop innovation, huh?!" response.
You're obviously right. Powerful tools require equally powerful means to control them and to make sure they're aligned with our values. Imagine you had a machine on a factory floor with the behaviour of one of these models, or an airplane. It's the same with 'self-driving' cars. Making pedestrians and other drivers unwilling beta testers is absolutely wild to me.
In 1968, Edsger Dijkstra wrote a now-famous letter titled "Goto Considered Harmful", which argued that the use of the "goto" statement in programming languages led to code that was difficult to read and maintain. The letter sparked a heated debate in the programming community, and it ultimately led to a rethinking of programming language design.
Today, we face a similar problem with the way we approach technology adoption. In recent years, there has been an explosion of excitement around new technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain. Tech companies are rushing to integrate these technologies into their products and services, and investors are pouring billions of dollars into startups that promise to revolutionize entire industries.
But is all this excitement warranted? Are we really thinking critically about the potential risks and downsides of these technologies, or are we simply caught up in the hype?
The truth is that excitement can be a dangerous thing. It can blind us to the real risks and downsides of new technologies, and it can lead us to make decisions that we later regret. We need a sober review of where we are as a society and where we want to go, particularly as we face the dawn of AI.
The potential benefits of AI are clear. It has the potential to revolutionize fields like healthcare, transportation, and finance, and it could lead to new discoveries and insights that we can't even imagine today. But we can't ignore the potential risks, either. AI has the potential to automate millions of jobs, exacerbate existing inequalities, and create new forms of surveillance and control.
We need to approach AI with a clear-eyed view of its potential risks and benefits. We need to have frank and honest discussions about the ethical and moral implications of these technologies, and we need to ensure that they are developed and deployed in a way that benefits society as a whole, not just a select few.
Excitement is not inherently bad, but it can lead us to make rash decisions that we later regret. We need to temper our excitement with a healthy dose of skepticism and critical thinking. We need to be willing to ask tough questions and challenge assumptions. Only then can we ensure that the technologies we create are truly beneficial to society.
In conclusion, just as "goto" was once considered harmful to programming, we should also consider the harm that excitement can cause in the context of technology adoption. Let us approach new technologies like AI with a sober and critical eye, and let us ensure that we use them in a way that benefits us all.
We need a sober review of where we are as a society and where we want to go, particularly as we face the dawn of AI.
This is what an intelligent, empathetic, caring population would do. It is what we need to do. I'm sure many people are feeling pretty darn uneasy about where this is all going, especially those with children.
What I'm rather scared of is that we may not really be intelligent, not in the way we like to think of intelligence. I mean look at what we've done to the environment, to each other, now we want to take our ideas and multiple them 10x?
Not sure how this will go.
I always though AI would be kind of, an alien type of intelligence that would tell us where we're going wrong as a society and help us course correct, not this setup we have now.
Definitely. It's way longer and a totally different writing style than its poster's other history. If such a work was actually written elsewhere (where this long format would make more sense) and then (self-)plagiarized here, it would likely be published online, but a Google search only reveals this very thread.
When these tells (and thus your hunch and my assertion) diminish, though...
I bet the prompt was something like "write a considered harmful essay, inspired by goto considered harmful, about excitement as it relates to the adoption of technology" -- here's what Google Bard does with that exact prompt:
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Excitement is a powerful emotion. It can drive us to achieve great things, but it can also lead us to make poor decisions. In the world of technology, excitement can often lead to the adoption of new technologies without proper consideration of the potential risks.
This is especially true for new technologies that are hyped by the media and marketed as being the next big thing. When we hear about a new technology that promises to change the world, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and rush to adopt it. But before we do, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves if this technology is really right for us.
There are a number of reasons why excitement can be harmful when it comes to the adoption of technology. First, excitement can lead us to make decisions without fully understanding the technology. We may be so eager to try out the latest gadget that we don't take the time to read the manual or learn how to use it properly. This can lead to problems down the road, such as data loss or damage to the device.
Second, excitement can lead us to ignore the potential risks of a new technology. We may be so focused on the potential benefits that we don't consider the potential drawbacks. For example, we may be so excited about the new social media app that we don't think about how it could be used to spread misinformation or cyberbullying.
Third, excitement can lead us to adopt a new technology without considering its impact on our lives. We may be so eager to try out the latest gadget that we don't think about how it will fit into our existing routines. This can lead to problems such as feeling overwhelmed or stressed.
In conclusion, excitement can be a powerful force, but it's important to remember that it can also lead us to make poor decisions. When it comes to the adoption of new technologies, it's important to take a step back and ask ourselves if this technology is really right for us. We need to make sure that we understand the technology, that we're aware of the potential risks, and that we've considered the impact it will have on our lives.
In the same way that goto was considered harmful in programming, excitement can be considered harmful in the adoption of technology. It's important to be aware of the potential risks of excitement and to take steps to mitigate them.
because this has been the dominant culture in the digital technology space and every argument against it is usually facing some sort of "so you want to stop innovation, huh?!" response.
You're obviously right. Powerful tools require equally powerful means to control them and to make sure they're aligned with our values. Imagine you had a machine on a factory floor with the behaviour of one of these models, or an airplane. It's the same with 'self-driving' cars. Making pedestrians and other drivers unwilling beta testers is absolutely wild to me.