^ArchiveArticles

^{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 ›

Sci-fi fantasy futuristic background art scifi artwork tech technology Architecture digital illustration art wallpaper future concept dystopia cyberpunk

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
February 15, 2023

Categorized
Transhumanism

Tagged
AI, Applied Science, C.S. Lewis, education, Limits, media, mortality, Salvo, Tech, The Abolition of Man, transhumanism, virtue, Vulnerability}

Humans Have Limits. Transhumanists Want to Overcome Them

_{The prophetic words of C.S. Lewis still strike home today} _{Peter Biles

February 15, 2023

4

Transhumanism}

This article originally appeared as a blog post at Salvo on May 13th, 2022. C.S. Lewis wrote an apt and prophetic line in his book The Abolition of Man that feels even more prescient today: “There is something which unites magic and applied science while separating both from the wisdom of earlier ages. For the wise men of old the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue. For magic and applied science alike the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men.” I think it’s safe to say that today, the world’s elites in government, tech, media, and education embody precisely the opposite of Lewis’s understanding Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
February 14, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Consciousness, Dallas Innovates, Facebook, Futurism, Innovation, John Cormack, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, metaverse, Robots}

Will AI Ever Achieve Consciousness?

_{A former Facebook executive thinks so, assuming progress will eventually get us there} _{News

February 14, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

John Carmack, a former Facebook executive who famously expressed doubts over Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitious metaverse project, thinks AI is “on the cusp” of simulating the human brain. Per a report from Futurism, Carmack sat down with Dallas Innovates and talked about the possibilities of AI, as well as its prime obstacle: an inconvenient thing called consciousness. Carmack said, The thing we don’t yet have is sort of the consciousness, the associative memory, the things that have a life and goals and planning. I mean, forget human brains; we don’t even have things that can act like a mouse or a cat.” Despite the far-off dream of developing consciousness in AI, Carmack thinks it’s plausible, given the great strides we’ve seen Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
February 13, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Advertisement, AI, He Gets Us, Image Generator, Jesus, Midjourney, religion, Robert J. Marks, Super Bowl, YouTube}

Artificial Intelligence and the Love of Jesus

_{The "He Gets Us" video ends with the declaration "Jesus' love was never artificial"} _{Robert J. Marks

February 13, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

How does artificial intelligence deal with the teachings of Jesus Christ? Apparently quite well in some cases. Super Bowl ads this year included two about Jesus from the ministry He Gets Us. There are more thought-provoking videos at their web site HeGetsUs.com. One, linked here, is about AI. An artificial intelligence image synthesizer Midjourney was asked by He Gets It to generate images about love from simple text prompts. The video shows generated images using software from the company Midjourney. When prompted to synthesize an image from the prompt “love”, the response was pictures containing hearts – the kind you might see on a cheesy valentine day’s card. Then the AI was asked to visualize love the way Read More ›

Meteorological probe drone on white balloon on sky. Concept secret espionage and climate change monitoring. Generation AI

^{Type
post

Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
February 13, 2023

Categorized
China

Tagged
Air Space, China, espionage, Featured, Military, Robert J. Marks, Space Force, Spy Balloon, Surveillance, United States, war}

China Balloons, EMP’s and Bioweapons: A Chilling Possibility

_{One nuclear burst 250 miles above Kansas could damage most of the power grid} _{Robert J. Marks

February 13, 2023

3

China}

No one has mentioned that the China balloon recently shot down after sailing across the United States could have been weaponized with a bomb or bioweapons. Thankfully, it was not. A single nuclear burst 250 miles above Kansas could destabilize much if not most of the US power grid. Almost the entire country, as well as parts of Mexico and Canada, would be affected by the resulting EMP (electromagnetic pulse). 250 miles above the Earth is about as high as the US Space Station is from Earth. Potential military threats from outer space was a prime motivation for creating the United States Space Force in 2019. The China balloon was not 250 miles up required for a coast-to-coast EMP Read More ›

Art collage. Businessman with a laptop instead of a head. Online research concept.

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
February 13, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Accountability, AI, Associated Press, ChatGPT, CNET, Computers, Content, data, GPT-3}

The Need for Accountability in AI-Generated Content

_{Just because we live in a world of AI does not mean we can escape responsibility} _{Jonathan Bartlett

February 13, 2023

4

Artificial Intelligence}

AI-generated content has become increasingly common on the web. However, as we enter this new era, we will need to think through the moral and social ramifications of what we are doing, and how we should negotiate the new ethical landscape. But first, a brief recap of recent history. The first major player to pioneer AI-generated content was the Associated Press. AP realized that many market-oriented articles were pretty monotonous and read like templates anyway, so they decided to fully commit and auto-generate many of them. If you read an AP story about a company’s earnings report and it sounds eerily like every other story about other companies’ earnings reports, there’s a reason for that. Templated content, while annoying, provides window-dressing to raw Read More ›

Dinosaur eye, Closeup yellow eye of the dinosaurs with terrifying. Dinosaur hunters are staring with horrible yellow eye. Generative AI

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
February 11, 2023

Categorized
Science Fiction

Tagged
Chris Pratt, Cloning, Dinosaur, Futurism, Genetics, Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, Sci-Fi Saturday, Science fiction}

Jurassic World: Dominion Review Part 2

_{Incorporating characters from the original movies gives continuity to the franchise} _{Gary Varner

February 11, 2023

7

Science Fiction}

In the previous review, the clone daughter of one of the engineers from the first Jurassic Park, who was being protected by Claire and Owen from the first two movies of the second trilogy, was kidnapped, and her surrogate parents enlisted the help of the CIA to track her down. At the same time, Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant, our heroes from the first trilogy, suspect the international cooperation, Biosyn, of creating genetically altered locusts to eat their competition’s crops. Another survivor of the first Jurassic Park incident, Ian Malcolm, is working for Biosyn, and he has offered to allow them access to the cooperation’s secret lab. Ellie and Alan fly to Biosyn, where they find that many of the Read More ›