Is AI good or bad?

First, let's start with the fact that calling it/them artificial intelligence is a bit of a misnomer. They are not that. I mean they as in the different models of Ai, i'm not asserting a pronoun here related to gender (this is not a shot at anyone, just clarifying).

The different models of Ai should generally be called LLM's, which mean large language model. Ai is a way sexier headline though, so no wonder it has been labelled so.

I'll also note that i am not an expert, or even above averagely informed, and that i am not searching the web for answers here as i type this post.

This post will be more about the morality within this emerging technology, and the use thereof.

There are two areas of use that i am something like concerned of, without the inherent dread of concern. One area that i wont even comment on right now, is an LLM becoming malicious, and taking over the world/causing chaos etc. This situation for me falls under human negligence, or human misuse, as these models need to be programmed with a directive of sorts.

Also, after the BAD, i'll touch on the amazing potential!

The first area that i think is going to be problematic, is that of recreating others likeness in video or image. If it was up to me, it would be highly illegal, with hefty fines or jail time, to create a video or image of someone without their consent. The quality of this technology is already that of being able to confuse and trick us into thinking it is "real". It is already possible to frame someone of a crime with this technology. It was already possible to do so before, say with a movie set or something, but now with just a simple prompt we can have anyone else doing anything else. Without serious consequences in place, this will lead to video footage not being trustworthy, and then a whole cascade of problems after the fact.

How could this be enforced? I suppose it would be up to the companies who create these models to have some sort of internal watermark, which i am sure is possible. The companies that are creating this technology should have access to what is made by people, and they should have some kind of cloud backup to be able to link these things.

I'll note, that i am not really one for government involvement in all of our affairs, leaning more towards something like democratic anarchy (defined as - "without masters", not defined as what was hijacked and presented as anarchy by media.. i'll explain in a post another time). I say this so you know that i am not really interested in people being held accountable outside of themselves, or each other. But the issue here, is the possibility for the anonymous nature of using these LLM's, and the ability to circulate these photos/videos in as anonymous a way.

This stuff is not being legislated, not being restricted, because governments all over the world want to be the first to get to some invisible goal that they believe is possible.

The west believes the east is developing these technologies without moral guardrails, which will allow them to progress faster.

In one sense, they say that this is about SECURITY and SAFETY. On the flip side, and in the reflection, is they mean this is all about PROFIT.. as a note, if you feel these companies are trustworthy, do a little searching related to an ex-Open-ai (Chat gpt) employee who committed suicide shortly after blowing the whistle on the companies ethics.. use your intuition..

Anyways.. I haven't watched a lot of videos on the topic, but the ones that i have seen echo these sentiments. Its WILD.. Also what the hell is an AI expert when the technology is so young? No one is an expert, and the ones developing the tech will be the first to say!

"mushroom cloud in background, man in suit with devil horns saying "oops"" -Hopefully obvious, but Ai generated...

It's a hot mess, as is normal technological advancement when it comes to the hooman...

Double anyways.. The second thing that is worth being aware of in my opinion, is using these LLM's to think for us........

There is no doubt that we live in a toxic world, i don't mean opinions and actions, i mean chemically and physically toxic. The food is lacking nutrients or is over processed, the products in our cupboards are questionable at best, and even the water coming out of our taps may contain known neuro-toxins..

In this environment, the west is experiencing worse as worse health as time goes on. Anxieties, ADD/ADHD, Alzheimers and demetia out the freaking wizards back door.

Chiefly in this moment i want to draw attention to Alzheimers and dementia in relation to LLM's.

Alzheimers and dementia often have seemingly no pathology when it comes to western medicine and its infinite wisdom (sarcasm). Alternative or complementary sources have no doubt about causes for these conditions, with the primary symptom and concern being memory loss. Aluminum, and other heavy metals in our society (food, products, environment) cause absolute havoc on our systems, and make our body and brain unable to function.

So again that's serious issue with common foods, products, and the environment (including air, water and soils).

The second problem i see with these diseases (dis-ease, the lack of wellness or balance), which is also well known, is that the brain and nervous system can continue to excel into old age as long as the system is exercised and improved/maintained.

You don't EVER see super fit and active old people with these conditions.

-Before my insensitivity and unsympathetic nature is assumed here, i'll share that my grandfather Billy experienced dementia, and my mother was close at his side throughout. I well know the power of this process and how it can feel to the loved ones. All of these processes/problems that i am speaking to were ones that my grandfather went through, and i believe lead to (in part) his decline. I would also like to note that he died beautifully, with dignity, in the company of his wife and children, welcomed to the next place by our dear Auntie Nancy.

I would invite some research if you don't believe me when it comes to the idea of a healthy body = healthy mind heading into old age..

And how the heck does this relate to AI/LLMs?!

I heard this idea on a podcast that i do think is worth listening to. Its on the Diary of a CEO podcast, which i don't totally love, but they do have some good talks on there. He uses lots of clickbait titles (wtf is a brain expert?). This happens to be one of the good ones. It is a long conversation.

The idea is that our brains need constant, or at least daily stimulation and challenge, to continue to grow, or at least keep maintained.

LLM's are dangerous in the sense that it is too easy to just ask for the answer, rather that use our intuition, or rationale.

The ability for us to google the answer to anything has obviously carried a little bit of this problem, but with google we at least have to find a source that is trustworthy.. There is a small amount of rationalizing and brain power here..

With the additional ease of use, as well as convenience, these tools are increasingly tempting to reach towards when any amount of wondering comes up! Taking the pressure, and growth of of the human.

We have a hugely developed brain for a reason, to figure things out! All advances (outside of potential alien intervention and accidental discovery) have been the result of us trying things out, having ideas to test, bouncing ideas off each other..... all the while new neural pathways are being formed and connected within the brain, true neurogenesis (brain growth).

Having technology to think for us, rationale for us, leaves us with one less skill. I am certainly no english major writer, but it has been obvious to me that over my short lifetime the qualify of and use of the modern english language has been continuing to degrade. I can guess key factors in this degradation - how we shorten words or sentences for quicker text, spell check being auto-on (i used it for degradation), how companies want to get quicker and quicker messages across to bombard our systems with thrill.. There is a pretty long list.. do we need to add computers thinking for us to the list??

I THINK, i've got these throughts across enough... i could check with a prompt like "has this post hit the points i have seemed to lay out, in a way that is......".... X-X

So then.. I think its most important to look to history. We have had technological advancements, constantly and forever, and we will continue to do so, this is evolution at work. Type writers had people in fear, which probably helped us lose some penmanship, but also increased ability to produce.. Which is the way with all technology.

No technology is inherently evil. It is just a tool.

I am deeply excited about and stoked, for the applications of LLM's.

In an absolutely moral world, the potential for AI to free us from menial tasks, such as data entry or sorting, searching through information, compiling information, cleaning up presentations, helping us see blind spots or errors....

All of these uses could free up more people who are doing menial jobs they don't really care about, free up these people to find purpose and meaning that we all so deserve to have!

Imagine a world where the Ai is not touted as our savior, but is the tool for us to be our own saviors. I can imagine it. Let more people explore art, build, create, get hands in dirt or water.. Free us up to truly live.

It is wildly likely that many jobs will continue to be replaced, and its a wild blessing that this is the case. It is also wildly likely that despite the headline of "zero errors!" or whatever that comes with an Ai model, many people will still prefer a flesh and blood practitioner.

We will not be replaced, we will be freed..

But/and, we will have to do the work.

Oops this became a call to action and an expression of trust that the future is bright, albeit a potential struggle... Classic. I won't really get deeply into it right this second.

Long story long... The pitfalls of this Ai technology are many, and deep.. But the advances and potential heights this can bring us to are as high as the depths are deep. Another classic, as above so below, two sided coin etc etc..

I use Ai for photos on this website, because i have no money to pay an artist what they deserve as a commission. As soon as i am able to, i'm quite committed to replacing Ai art with custom works by artists, as there are so many talented people out there. The use of ai should not be with shame, or guilt. But it should be with honesty and intention.

I've laughed very hard at videos that are just ridiculous, and would be impossible to film, or take ages to animate. I've seen creatives in the realm of Dungeons and Dragons (including myself), use photo generators to enhance campaigns. I've used LLM's in research papers to help me sift through and find information that would take hours to collect, as well as using it to search scientific articles in other languages!

The use cases are many, and we are lucky to have such a technology. As always, it is up to us to do the right thing.. Which we always do... eventually :)

Where i will not use AI, is to think for me. I invite you to do the same.

-Much love, human and robit alike