^{Monthly Archive}February 2023

Human android cyborg eye futuristic control protection personal internet security access.Concept robot dna system, future scientific technology innovation science. Blue polygonal vector

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
February 28, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Consciousness, Dystopian, Engineered Arts (robotics), fiction, Novel, Robert J. Marks}

Klara and the Sun: A Review

_{The sci-fi bestseller asks us: can machines become humans?} _{Peter Biles

February 28, 2023

5

Arts & Culture}

Klara and the Sun is novelist Kazuo Ishiguro’s latest novel, a dystopian story told through the lens of an “artificial friend” (AF) named Klara. Ishiguro is known for his provocative speculative fiction, including the novels Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day. Klara and the Sun similarly alludes to a dark, post-industrial, futuristic world, but it is told through the innocent lens of an artificial mind, highlighting the vestiges of human behavior and brokenness in ways that perhaps an “ordinary” narrator might not be able to manage. The novel starts out with Klara on display in a store waiting to be purchased. Eventually, she’s chosen by a girl named Josie and her mother, and thus begins her Read More ›

Armed super soldier with supersonic gun in the cyber city. cyberpunk city. cyborg. Robot. Generative AI

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
February 28, 2023

Categorized
Robotics

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, drones, Free speech, Military, Police, PTSD, Robert J. Marks, robotics, warfare}

“It All Comes Down to Ethics”

_{Robert J. Marks interviewed for recent article on "killer robots"} _{News

February 28, 2023

1

Robotics}

Robert J. Marks and his book The Case for Killer Robots: Why America’s Military Needs to Continue Development of Lethal AI were mentioned in a Fortune Magazine article by Jacob Carpenter, which discussed the issue of robotic and AI-controlled weapons in police and military forces. Marks was interviewed for the article and his phrase “in the end, it comes down to the ethics” was also featured in the article’s title. The article weighs different perspectives on weaponized AI and whether this is the direction the country is headed in the future. Marks notes the parallels with the gun rights issue in the debate over weaponized robots. The issue will inevitably extend to the question of AI deploying firearms, not just Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Smith
Date
February 27, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Consciousness, Gary Smith, intelligence, Large Language Models (LLMs), Understanding}

Let’s Take the “I” Out of AI

_{Large language models, though impressive, are not the solution. They may well be the catalyst for calamity.} _{Gary Smith

February 27, 2023

7

Artificial Intelligence}

When OpenAI’s text generator, ChatGPT, was released to the public this past November, the initial reaction was widespread astonishment. Marc Andreessen described it as, “Pure, absolute, indescribable magic.” Bill Gates said that the creation of ChatGPT was as important as the creation of the internet. Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, said that, “ChatGPT is one of the greatest things ever created in the computing industry.” Conversations with ChatGPT are, indeed, very much like conversations with a super-intelligent human. For many, it seems that the 70-year search for a computer program that could rival or surpass human intelligence has finally paid off. Perhaps we are close to the long-anticipated singularity where computers improve rapidly and autonomously, leaving humans far behind, Read More ›

portrait of a woman in a black hat on a black background black and white photo

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
February 27, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, ChatGPT, Dall-E, Image, Midjourney, OpenAI}

Photographer Who Used Midjourney Calls His Own Bluff

_{The lifelike portraits gained attention, but alas, weren't real} _{News

February 27, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

Joe Avery started posting portraits on his Instagram page in 2022, getting attention and gaining followers at a surprising pace. His pictures were aesthetically pleasing, rendered in black and white, and given captions that assumed the faces in the pictures were legitimately human except, oops. Turns out, they were all AI-generated. Richard Whiddington writes at Artnet News, The problem, one Avery struggled to disclose to his 28,000 followers, was that he was creating the images using Midjourney, an A.I. image generator. Avery made the images by entering a text prompt into Midjourney and then fine-tuning them using Photoshop.” -Richard Whiddington, A Photographer Who Found Instagram Fame for His Striking Portraits Has Confessed His Images Were Actually A.I.-Generated (artnet.com) Avery claimed the images Read More ›

Flat design cartoon World Book Day illustration. Open book with stories coming out of the pages. AI generated

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
February 27, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Censorship

Tagged
Arts & Culture, Big Tech, censorship, Creativity, Literature, Publishing, Revision, Roald Dahl, tv}

Roald Dahl is Safe (For Now)

_{How long until making revisions turns into full-blown censorship, and what impact will that have on the creative arts?} _{News

February 27, 2023

2

Arts & Culture, Censorship}

Publishers decided last week to revise certain aspects of beloved author Roald Dahl’s books, like James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They said the decision was intended to make Dahl’s books more inclusive. The decision sparked controversy and outrage in the literary community, and now, Penguin Random House has changed their minds and will preserve the original texts. ABC reported: The updates to Dahl’s works under Penguin had meant to be more inclusive, progressive and more acceptable to today’s readers. Phrases like ‘mothers and fathers’ in Dahl’s ‘Matilda,’ first published in 1988, could have been replaced with ‘parents’ while some descriptions of ‘fat’ characters could have been edited or removed entirely. Description of women’s jobs Read More ›

Dinosaur Fossil (Tyrannosaurus Rex) Found by Archaeologists

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
February 25, 2023

Categorized
Science Fiction

Tagged
Dinosaur, Gary Varner, Jurassic World, Science fiction}

Jurassic World: Dominion Part 4

_{A bad movie that makes an okay end to the franchise. But does it actually end here?} _{Gary Varner

February 25, 2023

7

Science Fiction}

After Owen and Kayla survive a plane crash, they begin their search for Claire, evading yet another hungry dinosaur without so much as a limp. What follows is a sequence of random dinosaur encounters, each scene driven by a series of coincidences because all our characters are scattered throughout the valley, and we need them to get together somehow. The most egregious of these coincidences comes when our entire main cast finally meets. Ellie, Alan, and Maisie are on an underground train to an airport, but the bad guy, Dodgson, discovers what they’ve done and turns the train off. This forces them to wander through a series of caves, but they eventually escape with the help of Ian. They drive Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
February 24, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Consciousness, Max Tegmark, Melanie Mitchell, MIT, Robert J. Marks, Tech, The Agenda}

Robert J. Marks Appears On “The Agenda”

_{Watch Dr. Marks engage with two leading artificial intelligence thinkers on "The Agenda"} _{News

February 24, 2023

1

Artificial Intelligence}

Dr. Robert J. Marks, director of the Walter Bradley Center, appeared on a segment of “The Agenda” recently to speak on the topic of artificial intelligence and ChatGPT. He was joined with Melanie Mitchell of the Sante Fe Institute and MIT’s Max Tegmark. Hosted by Steve Paikin, the three discussed the benefits and drawbacks of artificial intelligence and what it means to be human in a technological age, as well as the perennial question of consciousness. You can watch the entire conversation on YouTube: Dr. Marks had the opportunity to discuss some of the key themes he discusses in his book Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will, contending that AI, while it has benefits, does not Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
February 24, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Bing, ChatGPT, Google, Kevin Roose, Large Language Models (LLMs), metaverse, Microsoft, New York Times, Search engine, SEO}

The Metaverse was a Bust. Will AI Save the Day?

_{Microsoft is counting on it, investing billions into AI research and development} _{Peter Biles

February 24, 2023

3

Artificial Intelligence}

Just a couple of years ago, the metaverse was taking the tech world captive with grandiose promises of revolutionizing the internet and representing the future of human interaction. Microsoft was among the moguls who embraced the metaverse project with open arms, only to face the harsh fact that the technology was underdeveloped, investors were skeptical of its viability, and a massive swath of the American public seemed simply uninterested in the product. But, it was new technology. It was exciting. It was supposed to be the future. Now, Microsoft is hailing AI as the destiny of the internet, again with the sort of optimism that directed their love affair with virtual reality. The company has jumped the gun and sought Read More ›

Earth at night, view of city lights in United States from space. USA on world map on global satellite photo. US terrain on dark planet.

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
February 22, 2023

Categorized
China

Tagged
Aerial, Balloon, China, Military, National Security, Satellite, Spy, Surveillance, United States}

The Chinese Spy Balloon Saga, Part 2

_{China continues to deny that the balloon was used for spying on military bases} _{Heather Zeiger

February 22, 2023

7

China}

The U.S. has shot down four aerial objects this month, one of which was a Chinese surveillance balloon that had traversed the U.S. from Idaho to the Atlantic Ocean. Part 1 of Mind Matters Spy Balloon Saga provides an overview of the four aerial objects that were shot down. Since then, several media outlets found additional information on China’s global high-altitude balloon program, including that the balloon shot down in the Atlantic likely launched from Hainan Island and was intended to surveil U.S. Pacific military bases in Guam and Hawaii. The balloon inadvertently traversed into the continental U.S. Here is a rundown of what of several media outlets have reported: There are 2 known launch sites in China: Dorbod Banner Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
February 22, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, fiction, GPT-3, Journal, OpenAI, Science fiction, Writing}

Separating Fact from Fiction?

_{This sci-fi journal is being flooded with A.I. generated submissions} _{News

February 22, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

The major science fiction/fantasy magazine Clarkesworld recently announced that it will be closing submissions for the foreseeable future. Why? A.I. generated stories. The magazine has long been the recipient of open submissions and is interested in publishing new voices, but because of an influx of poor A.I. written works, is now overwhelmed. Editor Neil Clarke wrote on Twitter, “Submissions are currently closed. It shouldn’t be hard to guess why.” Clarke said the closure wouldn’t be definite, but also noted with some severity that this will be an ongoing problem and that there’s no evident solution in sight at the moment. He continued in the Twitter thread: We have some ideas for minimizing it, but the problem isn’t going away. Detectors Read More ›

Landscape illustration with rocket taking off, vaporwave style. Generative AI

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
February 22, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Arts & Culture, Elon Musk, Literature, Postmodernism, Rockets, Thomas Pynchon, Wired}

Developing a Penchant for Pynchon

_{The bizarre novel on the impact of tech on society turns 50 this month} _{Peter Biles

February 22, 2023

3

Arts & Culture}

50 years ago this month, writer Thomas Pynchon published the 1973 National Book Award Winner Gravity’s Rainbow, a 700-page novel/biopic on the absurdity and technocratic madness of modern life. While I haven’t personally read the book, I now plan to this year after reading an entertaining memorial review of the book over at Wired. Pynchon was famous for being un-famous—that is, for evading the limelight while making an indelible mark on the unfolding postmodern literary landscape. Along with tomes like Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, Pynchon’s book often seems devoid of a storyline with its cacophony of events, characters, and nebulous sub-plots. An Almanac of its Time But that might be kind of the point, according to this review Read More ›

close up view of human eye looking away in darkness, panoramic shot

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
February 21, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, Book, Consciousness, Non-Computable You (book), Robert J. Marks, The Federalist}

“Non-Computable You” Reviewed in The Federalist

_{Marks explains what makes human beings unique, and therefore why no computer will ever match all human capabilities.} _{News

February 21, 2023

1

Artificial Intelligence}

Dr. Robert J. Marks’ book Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will got a shout-out and a well-written review over at The Federalist today. David Weinberger writes, Ever wonder whether computers will one day be capable of doing everything that human beings can? If so, pick up the recent book by engineer and computer scientist Dr. Robert J. Marks: “Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will.” Marks explains what makes human beings unique, and therefore why no computer will ever match all human capabilities. To be sure, computers excel humans at many tasks — but only tasks that are “algorithmic,” or that entail step-by-step instructions to complete, such as calculating probabilities, retrieving information, or Read More ›

Businessman holding a light chatbot hologram intelligence AI. Digital chatbot, chatGPT, robot application.Chat GPT chat with AI Artifice intelligent developers digital technology concept.

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Smith and Jeffrey Funk
Date
February 21, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Gary Smith, Google, GPT-3, LaMDA, Large Language Models (LLMs), Microsoft, OpenAI}

Does New A.I. Live Up to the Hype?

_{Experts are finding ChatGPT and other LLMs unimpressive, but investors aren't getting the memo} _{Gary Smith and Jeffrey Funk

February 21, 2023

7

Artificial Intelligence}

Original article was featured at Salon on February 21st, 2023. On November 30, 2022, OpenAI announced the public release of ChatGPT-3, a large language model (LLM) that can engage in astonishingly human-like conversations and answer an incredible variety of questions. Three weeks later, Google’s management — wary that they had been publicly eclipsed by a competitor in the artificial intelligence technology space — issued a “Code Red” to staff. Google’s core business is its search engine, which currently accounts for 84% of the global search market. Their search engine is so dominant that searching the internet is generically called “googling.” When a user poses a search request, Google’s search engine returns dozens of helpful links along with targeted advertisements based on its knowledge of the Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
February 21, 2023

Categorized
Addiction, Social Media

Tagged
AA, addiction, Adolescents, Asbury, CBN, Depression, god, Recovery, Revival, Robert J. Marks, social media, suicide, TikTok}

The Asbury Revival and the Cure for TikTok

_{In the age of social media addiction, young people need to know they can be imperfect and yet loved} _{Robert J. Marks

February 21, 2023

3

Addiction, Social Media}

Social media portrays a world where everybody is happy and having a good time. Everybody, of course, except for you. There must therefore be something wrong with you. You are a loser. Teenage boys without girlfriends feel like social freaks. One in three teenage girls who use social media suffers from body image issues. Social Media and Depression Young adults who use social media are three times as likely to suffer from depression. Depression can lead to suicide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, female suicides aged 15-24 increased by 87 percent over the past 20 years and male suicides increased by 30 percent. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry says suicide is now Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
February 18, 2023

Categorized
Science Fiction}

Jurassic World: Dominion (Part 3)

_{In case you were still wondering, this movie is crashing and so is an airplane} _{Gary Varner

February 18, 2023

6

Science Fiction}

In the last review, Ellie and Alan arrive in Biosyn and reunite with Ian, while Claire and Owen endure an absurd raptor chase. During the chaos, Owen and Claire learn that Maisie has been taken to Biosyn, Fortunately, a smuggler with a heart of gold, Kayla, has offered to fly them to Biosyn so they can sneak into the company’s complex and free their daughter. As they enter the valley where the Biosyn compound is located, they are informed that they’re flying into restricted airspace. If they do not turn around, then the Aerial Deterrent System will be turned off, and they will be vulnerable to the various breeds of flying reptiles. Kayla tries to stall the tower, but they Read More ›

modern concept artwork of a person wandering through an abandoned apocalyptic city overgrown by plants

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
February 17, 2023

Categorized
Science Fiction

Tagged
Apocalypticism, Dystopian, Fungus, Gary Varner, Science fiction, The Last of Us, tv, Video Game, Zombie}

The Last of Us Review (Part 1)

_{From a writing standpoint, the story in episode one is about as tight and well-written as one can expect, but will they maintain that standard going forward?} _{Gary Varner

February 17, 2023

7

Science Fiction}

HBO Max has begun airing the series The Last of Us, which is based on one of the most popular video games to come out in recent years. However, if you’ve followed the video game series, then you know there’s a part two, and The Last of Us Part 2 has become known as one of the most infamous bait and switches in video game history. So, needless to say, there was a great amount of suspicion directed at this series before it ever aired. That makes reviewing this first episode rather difficult because the truth of the matter is that the episode is good. From a writing standpoint, it is solid. There are no plot holes or contrivances of Read More ›

Robot hand holding heart Technology Future Power

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
February 16, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Bing, ChatGPT, loneliness, Love, marriage, New York Times, OpenAI, Search engine, Sydney, Valentine}

Love at First Click? A Creepy Conversation With Bing’s Chatbot

_{New York Times tech journalist thinks AI has crossed a line} _{News

February 16, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

The new Bing bot is freaky. Kevin Roose is a technology reporter for The New York Times and wrote a piece today detailing his “conversation” with Bing new’s chatbot. To put it simply, it was weird. The chatbot diverged from its initial informational output and ended up introducing itself as “Sydney” and then “confessed its love” for Roose. He writes, For much of the next hour, Sydney fixated on the idea of declaring love for me, and getting me to declare my love in return. I told it I was happily married, but no matter how hard I tried to deflect or change the subject, Sydney returned to the topic of loving me, eventually turning from love-struck flirt to obsessive Read More ›

Male speaker giving presentation in hall at university workshop. Audience or conference hall. Rear view of unrecognized participants in audience. Scientific conference event, training. Education

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
February 16, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, brave new world, ChatGPT, education, GPT-3, Higher Ed}

Will ChatGPT End Up Improving Higher Education?

_{Oral exams are an endangered species in higher education today, but they are a powerful tool for evaluating knowledge in a world of AI} _{News

February 16, 2023

6

Artificial Intelligence}

This article was written by Peter Jacobsen and was reposted from MercatorNet under a Creative Commons License. A new artificial intelligence (AI) system called ChatGPT has been released to the public, and many have been shocked to see the extent of its abilities. ChatGPT can accomplish many tasks. For example, it can write poems about any topic, give book recommendations, summarize specific chapters of books, and create workout routines. If you’re asking whether the AI just Google-searches for responses, the answer is no. If you try to find the source of ChatGPT’s responses, you’ll find they are fresh writing. This brings us to the most impactful thing ChatGPT can do when it comes to my fellow academics and me. ChatGPT can write Read More ›

Spy balloon. Weather balloon with solar panels. View from the ground. Aerostatic balloon. 3d rendering

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
February 15, 2023

Categorized
China

Tagged
Canada, China, Defense, Department of Defense, espionage, Military, Nuclear, Spy Balloon, Surveillance, Taiwan, UFO, US}

The Chinese Spy Balloon Saga (Part 1)

_{China may be playing a psychological game with the United States} _{Heather Zeiger

February 15, 2023

6

China}

On February 4, the U.S. shot down a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina. The balloon was first spotted on January 28 over the Aleutian Islands, and then traveled over Alaska, through Canada, and then into Idaho. Chinese spokespersons maintained that it was a meteorological research balloon that had veered off-course. However, recovery crews confirmed that the balloon platform was equipped with communication surveillance and interception tools. Since then, three other aerial objects, all flown within the vicinity of sensitive U.S. military sites, have been shot down. The other three are not confirmed to be of Chinese origin and have not been identified as surveillance balloons. NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) Read More ›