Recent conversations about artificial intelligence have made me a little uncomfortable. When SCORE* offered an artificial intelligence webinar in September, I signed up.
I felt more informed afterwards but that was before the dire warnings about the world being threatened because of this unregulated, uncertain technology that mimics the human brain but is so smart, quick, and sophisticated, we may not be able to discern when it’s in use.
Every source I consulted said I was already using/being used by this artificial assistance in every aspect of my life so I tried it as I reworked my now defunct website. I offered broad details and was speechless at what came back almost instantaneously.
The paragraph was clear, concise, interesting, and amazingly accurate, and though I didn’t want to admit it, I couldn’t have done it better. It mimicked my “voice,” and if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would’ve sworn I wrote it.
My first thought was “Houston, we have a problem,” the words from the 1995 movie, Apollo13, when something went horribly wrong during space travel. I was excited and then deeply troubled–if technology can write something this clearly, this succinctly, this quickly, what could/would it replace?
Growing up on the farm when machinery and herbicides made nine-foot cotton sacks and cotton chopping unnecessary, I rejoiced. As Pandora and other music streaming technology replaced cassettes, CDs, and bulky eight-track tapes, I bought the new stuff and never thought twice about what was being left behind.
That didn’t sound or feel dangerous, ominous, or keep me awake, but there’s something unsettling about this.
According to Public Broadcasting, (PBS) AI isn’t humans but rather systems created to handle human and mundane tasks like scheduling appointments, homework assignments, etc., however, where the problem comes is when the rascally systems hack into and override the safety protocols without Dr. Frankenstein there to stop them.
When high profile techies started raising concerns about the need for protective guardrails and regulation, it sounded like closing the proverbial barndoor after the cows left and landed on a Wendy’s menu. When more than 1,000 researchers and lawmakers push for stronger controls, outpacing China in the technology race cannot be our first concern.
Much like the evolution of designer DNA and test-tube babies, we forget that progress and technological advances are important, but some tenets of creation don’t need to be man-made and left unregulated. The group of mostly male high-tech billionaires and tech owners who joined President Trump recently to campaign for self-regulation raised more concerns than dispelled them.
I’m no gambler but I’ll bet my laptop and my long-forgotten cotton sack that their proposed self-regulation won’t hurt any of them as they laugh hysterically all the way to the bank. If anything, it’ll probably add another few zeroes to their already hefty accounts. Nevertheless, the sophisticated intelligence system between my ears says give self-regulation a limited run, regulate now, herd the cows inside the barn, and write your own paragraphs.
*Service Corps of Retired Executives, “a nonprofit organization and resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration.” Source: Score.org
