The Fragile Audacity of Artificial Intelligence
And who said AI companies could change the world?
There are many reports stating that AI is going change the world in significant ways, and many people are saying these changes are going to happen soon. This makes me think back to Apple’s introduction of the iPhone. I can’t think of a product in recent years that has had a bigger impact on the world than the iPhone. Only the opening of the Internet itself can rival the iPhone.
I do wonder if Apple was able to predict what the iPhone would become. I don’t see how one could imagine such a success. I’m sure they knew they had a winning product, but can anyone truly predict that something will change the world? I doubt that was their plan, but I could be wrong.
That bring us to the current AI programs. Some are saying that it is guaranteed, inevitable, 100% certain that AI will fundamentally change the world. Slow down, Sam Altman. Pump the brakes Midjourney. Relax, Google. You have not changed the world yet, and no one can really predict the future. Plus, you have a lot of hurdles in front of you. From a growing number of court cases to your own admission that you don’t always understand how your programs work, to many people simply not accepting you, 2024 may not be as easy or profitable as you think.
And who said you are the ones to change society anyway? What makes you qualified to handle that immense responsibility? I think you are way out of your league here. Instead of racing to produce the fastest, most powerful systems, perhaps you should be consulting with more responsible adults who have actual experience with things like this. I mean, why should we trust you with this responsibility? Frankly, why the hell should I trust you with, everything? Does being a computer nerd qualify you to change the world? Does the fact that you have a shiny new software toy give you the moral authority to handle this responsibility?
I would feel a lot better about you if you were talking to leaders in the government and church and education and the arts and regular people. Show us that you truly understand and that you aren’t only interested in profits. The fact that you are rushing forward and scraping/stealing and ignoring copyright law without pausing to ask for advice says a lot about your arrogance.
I don’t believe you when you say you are concerned about doing it right. If that were true, you would have consulted with writers, artists, and other creators from the beginning and set up a fair, legal system of compensation and acknowledgement while you train your models. Just today I read there are some challenges to your non-profit status. Maybe you ought to stick to learning how to run your business before trying to change the world.
So, Sam Altman et al., we had Steve Jobs. He was a visionary leader. He sold us on Apple and the iPhone. He wanted to create products that people would enjoy using with minimal confusion. Apple’s products looked cool, and they just worked, and they caught on., and then they changed the world. Your inaccurate new toy is not the same, and you can’t predict what will happen. We knew Steve Jobs. You’re no Steve Jobs.
Please help me to grow this newsletter by sharing it with people interesting in talking about these issues. People are welcome to come here and disagree, but I’m not going to post articles showing both good and bad things about AI. There are enough newsletters praising AI, so this one can hopefully provide some balance.
Don’t be a sheep.