I've been thinking about AI and the hype surrounding it, particularly about chatGPT and Large Language Models (LLM). So many people thinking this is the best thing since sliced bread without regard to the future. We have been here before with other technologies. We didn't think about the ramifications when it first started, when we should, and we are dealing with the issues now.
Let's consider plastics. A little over a 160 years ago, plastics popped on the scene. It was marketed as a substitute for ivory and shellac. Since then it has grown and leaps and bound. Plastic has changed and, in many ways, improved our quality of life. But the cost of that technology has also been significant. Plastic pollution is now a major factor in our societies. When artificial plastic (Bakelite) was first invented, no one considered issues like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Micro plastics wasn't even a concept. But these problems stem directly from both the normal use and abuse of the technology. It will take a very long time to deal with them.
Another technology that is directly impacting us is ultra large data sets. We have sacrificed our privacy for some extremely short term gains. For example, you can now be physically be tracked with your phone and/or your credit card usage. It is not a very far leap to realize you can be associated with other deveices and that those devices don't need to be yours. Suddenly, who you hang out with is now in a third party's hands. When we started down the big data path, not many people said anything. Privacy policies were, and still are, more like carte blanche to use our personal data however a company sees fit. Home automation takes that one step forward. Browsing data, DNS queries and other tech start to fill out the picture.
There are positive aspects to these technologies, but I am not sure they are worth the price we are paying for them. Other than California, nothing in the US currently forces companies to only use the data for the stated purpose. One you give it away, it is gone.
This brings me to AI. We are at the beginning of what could be an invaluable tool for the entire world. It can also be a nightmare. Right now, corporations are all racing to be the first at everything they can and own markets. That's what businesses are supposed to do. However, what is good for a business' bottom line may not be what is best in the long run. I think now is a good time to think about and publicly discuss AI's role in the future. I don't want this to be yet another blind rush to the future without regard to the possible issues. Maybe this is the time our view needs to be a big longer term and controlled by an entity who's sole mission is to make as much money as quickly as possible without regard to the consequences.
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