Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, I've just completed a short course on artificial intelligence. These are some things I learned:
Artificial intelligence is often thought of as scary robots, e.g. Terminator, but AI is used in computer systems to do things like suggest films or books you might like, based on your previous choices. It uses a range of technologies, from simple rule based systems such as " if this is true (or if this is false), then do this" to a complex 'neural net' that is a simplistic model of how the brain works, and can be trained (machine learning)
As well as being used on social media or shopping sites, AI can identify things such as tumour cells in a medical scan or identify galaxies in photographs or from space. Large language models can generate rich interesting text in any language and translate, restructure or re-phrase text. A related field is image generation, where brand new images are generated by the AI.
In Soeul, AI mini robots were used in a pilot scheme to show senior citizens how to use technology such as smart phones, to enable them to better participate in society and help with preventing loneliness.
Youve probably heard of self driving cars. One accident that happened was a self driving car hitting a truck that pulled out in front of it at a junction in the city. This was because the AI had been trained to drive on a highway, not city streets, and the image of a truck it had been given was a view of the back of a truck. When it saw the side of the truck as it pulled out, it thought it was a road sign and so attempted to drive under it. The AI had no perception that the space under the truck was lower than the vehicle it was driving.
There are issues around ethics, inclusion and sustainability. For example, if AI is trained using data that is biased, the AI will acquire that bias. Although it can be used for facial recognition, it can sometimes struggle to determine gender and the darker the skin tone, the less accurate are the results. Training AI uses massive amounts of resources.
What are your thoughts?
And would you be comfortable having an AI robot in your home to help with tasks?
I think like everyone I'm happy that it can spot tumours and do diagnostic stuff like that.
Does anyone remember the TV program Humans, about a world where Ai enabled robots seemed sentient and helped to do things like care for the elderly, they also took over a lot of people's jobs too.
If Ai is being used to do things like pick books and clothes and stuf that I might like, it's doing a pretty poor job so far, there are so many times I want to ask it 'in what universe do I want that?' As AI takes over more and more things for us, how long will it be before it starts insisting that we have it's selections and not our own? How much freedom of choice will it take from us?
I'm deeply dubious about things like facial recognition, not the fact that a machine could do it, as much as the uses such information is put too. I think AI is already showing bias from the narrow sets of data it's been learning from and I'm not happy aboutthat for a number of reasons, increased racism and racial profiling, increased sexism and gender misidentification.
As people who are neurologically different, how will AI recognise, interpret and respect out differences? WIll it increase existing prejudices or actually be of any help? Given the way that autistic services are run now I can't see it as being anything good for us, there's already a bias that we're all good with tech and are happy using it.
I'm not sure I'd want a robot/AI device trying to teach me things, how will it cope with special needs? Would I end up exploding its chip with my technoklutzness, would I even be able to turn it on?
In some ways I'd be happy to have robotic assistance for care, but in other ways I wouldn't, I can see that I wouldn't feel a loss of dignity so much with a machine helping me with personal tasks, but I would worry that it would lack the compassion and sensitivity that makes being cared for OK.
TheCatWoman said:Does anyone remember the TV program Humans, about a world where Ai enabled robots seemed sentient and helped to do things like care for the elderly, they also took over a lot of people's jobs too.
Wow, that was strong stuff, full of ethical dilemmas as I recall.
I'm sure a goodly amount of men here would be tempted by the "upgrade package", BUT would it be like electric cars, where it's my understanding that some owners get bored quite quickly and want to revert to burning dinosaurs again? (Seriously. I heard a stroy of a bloke round here who bought an electric porsche, found it boring after a few months, money no option, so back to the Porche shop for a trade-in and they turned him down).
Question. If they made a male android, which also came with the upgrade package, would they name him Everard? ;c)