“Good vs. Evil” was the stark subtitle of an artificial intelligence (AI) panel at the Philadelphia Capital Technology Alliance’s annual Forum conference in Great Valley, Pennsylvania, earlier this month.
The technology business group sees the disorienting rapid growth of programs like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bard that process online sources to create quick, detailed explanations from user questions. A technician was called in to do this. They are designed to “learn” with repeated use and improve over time.
Will these AI applications accelerate the speed and scope of human brain labor, enriching their developers and backers? Do you threaten mankind with a system?
Here are some highlights from the PACT panel hosted by Michael Bachman, Emerging Technology Architect at Berwyn-based communications software integrator Boomi.
“Get familiar with the paywall”
With an AI program that automatically mines free material on the internet and turns it into stories, James Thomason, co-founder of Next Wave Partners and Silicon Valley start-up adviser, is helping the rest of the “free” publishers. predicts that they will rapidly charge for anything they don’t provide. Already sold.
“Get used to paywalls,” Mr. Thomason advised.
In a broader sense, Thomason added, AI is driving “a wave of innovation that we can’t even imagine.” He supports Tesla president Elon Musk’s call to “pause” AI development until standards are set, and hopes the government will intervene.
“If you wait for the private sector, you will be disappointed,” he said. The software giant is “adopting AI at a breakneck pace” despite “Microsoft recently laying off its entire AI ethics team.”
he asked: “Will we be as adaptable to AI as we are to any other technology? We are pessimistic about our ability to adapt, given that we are actively “obsessed” with imposing.
New technology can be liberating for first-time users. But as new technologies become widely adopted, they “begin to impose their requirements on society,” changing cultures and even laws.
In fact, “the Internet is a global experiment, [applying] Thomason said he has adopted the “Silicon Valley model” into his daily life. Along with deep-pocketed companies such as Amazon, Facebook and Uber, “we broke politics, banks, retail and education,” pushing incumbent retailers out of business and forcing established players to compete.
“And now we are working full speed to unlock another new technology,” he said.
Mr. Thomason is not concerned that machines will literally destroy humans. Rather, he fears that the relentless speed-up of machine-assisted creativity will “hollow out humanity,” so we should “stop thinking of technology and AI as tools,” and let them have come to regard the recommendations of the
Don’t Worry About the “AI Apocalypse”
“It’s too late [for] Large and extensive regulations. Ethan Morrick, who teaches business innovation at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said he has no intention of pausing AI development.
“There’s too much emphasis on the AI apocalypse, but not enough about how it’s having a huge disruptive effect on, say, factory work,” he suggested. “What needs to be done to retrain displaced people?”
Indeed, Morrick said, “How to stop superintelligence from killing us all is an interesting question.” But the threat could be more real for the CEO, who recently told Morrick that he believes he can lay off 80% of his engineers and marketers within 18 months and replace them all with high school students. be.
Citing a 2019 paper by Wharton’s Daniel Locke that discussed the value of artificial intelligence skills for employers, Morrick said it’s not the routine manual labor that’s at risk from AI. Research suggests. On the contrary, there is a near-perfect correlation between “how much you earn, how educated, how creative you are” and how well the program does your job. is.
Still, he concludes, “I don’t know if that means replacing people or augmenting people,” and that more can be done with AI assistance.
Don’t worry about engineering jobs… yet
Caroline Yap, director of Google’s AI practice, said she “doesn’t recommend” replacing expensive, experienced engineers with AI-savvy students. First, the “materials” that ChatGPT and similar programs rely on are subject to copyright issues, requiring careful judgment by those who use them commercially. “And you still have to train [AI] for your specific business. ”
“Our customers don’t see AI as something dark,” Yap added. “They are looking for ways to leverage technology…I use Alexa at home. Why not do the same at work?”
Sure, it’s a question of profit, Yap said. “Revenue generation is one aspect.” But like any big tool, AI itself can be compelling to users. [young employees] Want AI? What does that mean for job creation? ”
remember what you have already learned
“Like any power tool, AI allows you to make big mistakes,” joked Peter Coffee, vice president of strategic research at Salesforce.
Coffee said that computing has accelerated and that AI-powered lie detection is now a basic and essential skill. In the 1980s, “computer literacy meant learning to write in BASIC.” [computer language]. After that, I started managing my materials on Facebook.now [with AI] That is the level of well-informed skepticism of what you are being told. ”
maintain skepticism
“We need a culture that knows how to use AI effectively,” says investor and philanthropist Esther Dyson. “It’s not so much about regulation, it’s about having the right amount of skepticism about what it means to be human and what it means to be human. [lying to] you.this is Jurassic Park line: Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should! ”
“The human brain will always matter”
“The human brain will always be important,” said Dean Miller, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Capital and Technology Alliance. “Even if you try to replicate it, you shouldn’t. There are some things machines shouldn’t do. There are some horrible scenarios in the wrong hands.” We look forward to continuing to help people become more efficient and effective.”
