Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagArtificial Intelligence

isolated-childrens-toy-against-a-blue-texture-background-teddy-bear-from-childhood-an-old-pink-hippo-stockpack-adobe-stock
Isolated children's toy against a blue texture background, teddy bear from childhood, an old pink hippo

Pink Dancing Hippos: Don’t Tell ChatGPT-4 Not to do Something

Can OpenAI fix this flaw in GPT4? Absolutely. Time will tell if they do or not.
Moral: Don’t ask GPT-4 to NOT do something. Chances are the current version might let you down. Read More ›
artificial-neuron-in-concept-of-artificial-intelligence-wall-shaped-binary-codes-make-transmission-lines-of-pulses-andor-information-in-an-analogy-to-a-microchip-stockpack-adobe-stock
Artificial neuron in concept of artificial intelligence. Wall-shaped binary codes make transmission lines of pulses and/or information in an analogy to a microchip.

Wrestling with AI: Making More and Better Disciples

AI may have "knowledge," but it lacks wisdom.
Even if it were possible that AI reaches consciousness — it will never have the mind of Christ. Read More ›
artificial-general-intelligence-humanoid-robots-human-robot-interaction-in-business-people-having-job-interview-interviewing-candidates-businessmen-company-office-ai-threat-replacing-manpower-stockpack-adobe-stock
Artificial General Intelligence Humanoid Robots Human Robot Interaction in Business People having Job Interview Interviewing Candidates Businessmen Company Office AI Threat Replacing Manpower

Debunking the Hype of Artificial General Intelligence

In this episode, host Michael Egnor speaks with Dr. William Dembski, a senior fellow at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, about his essay titled “Artificial General Intelligence as an Idol for Destruction.” Dembski argues that the belief in the imminent arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is unachievable and destructive. He points out that while AI has made Read More ›

robot-learning-or-solving-problems-stockpack-adobe-stock
robot learning or solving problems

Can AI Ever Be Sentient? A Conversation with Blake Lemoine

AI can mimic sentience, but can it ever be sentient? On this episode, we return to our conversation with former Google engineer Blake Lemoine. Host Robert J. Marks has a lively back and forth with Lemoine, who made national headlines when, as an employee of Google, he claimed that Google’s AI software, dubbed LaMDA, might be sentient. Lemoine recounts his experience at Google and Read More ›

stock-market-diagram-on-lcd-screen-selective-focus-stockpack-adobe-stock
Stock market diagram on LCD screen. Selective focus.

AI and Wall Street’s Hype Curve

Almost all new tech has a hype curve. Here are the stages.
Technologies that have surfed the hype curve include superconductivity, the Segway, cold fusion, information theory, Theranos, Piltdown man and string theory. Read More ›
the-universe-within-silhouette-of-a-man-inside-the-universe-the-concept-on-scientific-and-philosophical-topics-elements-of-this-image-furnished-by-nasa-stockpack-adobe-stock
The universe within. Silhouette of a man inside the universe. The concept on scientific and philosophical topics.  Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

Is Your Mind Bigger Than the Universe? Well, Look At It This Way…

Surprisingly, there is a way to measure the mind that shows it IS bigger than the universe — information

Imagine you’re sitting at home, relaxing in your favorite easy chair. Go on, kick your legs up. Feel your limbs releasing the stress of the day, starting from the extremities, and progressing up your core to your head. Now, let your mind expand. Let go of what is holding your mind down. Feel it become free, outside of everything around it. Let the feeling continue until your mind is bigger than the universe. Now consider the question: if your mind is bigger than the universe, can it be within the universe? If a ball is bigger than a bag, can it be contained by the bag? Of course not. If the mind is bigger than the universe, then it must Read More ›

servers-data-center-room-with-bright-bokeh-light-going-through-the-corridor-3d-rendering-stockpack-adobe-stock
Servers data center room with bright bokeh light going through the corridor 3D rendering

The Allure of General Purpose Technologies

Generative AI is merely the most recent one.

The printing press, steam engine, electricity, mass production, the computer, the micro-chip, and the Internet are some of the biggest examples of general-purpose technologies (GPTs) over the last five hundred years, with an increasing number of them appearing over the last two centuries. Touted by economists, they define GPTs as those technologies that have impacted on many economic sectors and thus ended up changing the world, mostly for the good. Some of the world’s most valuable companies have succeeded with these GPTs most recently on the Internet. The so-called magnificent seven — Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, Netflix, Nvidia, and Amazon — all succeeded on the Internet, and investors are looking for the next GPTs, most recently in generative AI of Read More ›

robot-hand-typing-on-the-computer-the-concept-of-artificial-intelligence-replacing-a-human-in-dealing-with-another-human-ai-generative-stockpack-adobe-stock
Robot hand typing on the computer. The concept of artificial intelligence replacing a human in dealing with another human. Ai generative

Human Impersonation AI Must Be Outlawed

I didn't used to think that AI systems could threaten civilization. Now I do.

(Previous version first appeared at theepochtimes.com on 1/12/2024) In 15 minutes of techno-evolutionary time, artificial intelligence-powered systems will threaten our civilization. Yesterday, I didn’t think so; I do now. Here’s how it will happen. The AI Human Impersonation Danger Recall how in 2023 criminals used an artificial intelligence (AI) system to phone an Arizona mother and say they were holding her daughter for ransom. The AI system mimicked perfectly her daughter’s voice down to the word choices and sobs. The terrified mom found her daughter safe at home, only then to determine the call was a scam. That crime showed the power of AI audio alone to deceive and defraud people. Today, Mom gets a text message demanding a ransom, Read More ›

earphones-and-mobile-phone-with-podcast-app-on-screen-stockpack-adobe-stock
Earphones and mobile phone with podcast app on screen

Napster, Spotify, and AI: How Will AI Escape Copyright Woes?

Robert J. Marks on AI and learning from past copyright cases.

Copyright lawsuits are abounding against generative AI. Since the advent of ChatGPT in late 2022, various companies, artists, and writers have raised concerns over AI’s plagiaristic tendencies. Robert J. Marks, host of the Mind Matters podcast, has the story over at Newsmax. Marks recalls the debacle of Napster, a music streaming service that provided music for “free” without payment to the artists. Not surprisingly, it was soon shut down. So how will it fare with generative AI? What’s the solution to all the impending legal woes in the realm of AI? Marks writes, Today’s Spotify keeps automatic records of song frequency and, from subscriber’s payments, distributes royalties accordingly. Similar methods could be applied to compensate content creators by generative AI. It’s not Read More ›

graduation-stockpack-adobe-stock
graduation

Artificially Smart: Artificial Intelligence and Higher Education

Understanding needs to remain the metric by which students are evaluated

Artificial Intelligence tools like Copilot and ChatGPT can increase productivity. They speed up workflows and can be used to automate freeing people to spend their time on creative tasks. Advances in artificial intelligence technologies had a significant impact on the economy in 2023. Fortune magazine attributes AI-related economic growth as having helped “saved the economy” because growth in this sector offset disappointing returns in other sectors.  But with great power comes great responsibility. The tools of AI allow freshman college students to do what a year ago would have required a decade of professional experience. Educational institutions must carefully consider where and how these tools can be used without undermining the quality of education. Otherwise, overreliance on artificial intelligence will Read More ›

copyright-symbol-the-word-copyright-typed-on-retro-typewriter-business-copyright-concept-beautiful-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
Copyright symbol. The word 'Copyright' typed on retro typewriter. Business, copyright concept. Beautiful background.

Does ChatGPT Depend on Copyright Violation to Function?

Without copyrighted material, ChatGPT has slim pickings to go on.

ChatGPT, the large language model developed by OpenAI, might seem like it generates novel content, but of course we know that it partakes in what’s generally called “scraping.” It takes pre-existing material on the Internet in response to the prompt a human user inserts. Not surprisingly, the folks who put things on the Internet for a living, like writers and artists, haven’t taken so kindly to AI’s online sleuthing. In fact, a number of artists, writers (including George R. R. Martin, Jonathan Franzen, and John Grisham) and even news outlets have sued OpenAI over copyright infringement allegations. What’s fascinating, though, is that OpenAI hasn’t tried to dodge the allegation but freely admits that ChatGPT depends on copyrighted material to function. Read More ›

a-vibrant-blue-programming-code-background-represents-the-intricate-work-of-software-developers-and-the-art-of-computer-scripting-stockpack-adobe-stock
A vibrant blue programming code background represents the intricate work of software developers and the art of computer scripting

Computers Still Do Not “Understand”

Don't be seduced into attributing human traits to computers.

The subtitle of a recent New Yorker article was: “Geoffrey Hinton has spent a lifetime teaching computers to learn. Now he worries that artificial brains are better than ours.” I respectfully disagree. As I’ve repeatedly argued, the real danger today is not that computers are smarter than us but that we think computers are smarter than us. Hinton is extremely intelligent, but he is not the first, and will not be the last, extremely intelligent person to be seduced by a full-blown Eliza effect, attributing human traits to computers. Consider Hinton’s argument about large language models (LLMs): People say, It’s just glorified autocomplete . . . Now, let’s analyze that. Suppose you want to be really good at predicting the Read More ›

internet-law-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock
Internet law concept

Framework for AI Legislation

Unfortunately, current calls for AI legislation seems to be largely motivated by fear of the unknown rather than looking for specific policy goals.

The sudden rise of artificial intelligence (AI) into the Internet landscape has caused many people to be concerned. The people advancing AI seem to have few scruples about where and how it should be applied. This sudden technological change coupled with the fact that those on the forefront seem to be largely amoral opportunists have raised calls for legislation of AI technology. Unfortunately, current calls for AI legislation seems to be largely motivated by fear of the unknown rather than looking for specific policy goals. In this article, I am going to lay the groundwork for what I think good AI legislation will be. However, before I do that, I want to give some cautionary advice about such legislation. It wasn’t too long ago Read More ›

pile_of_words_and_letters_burning_hot_blacksmith_a_4dad4ef2-8074-4ab4-a36b-c756492b7c07

When it Comes to New Technologies Like AI, Tempers Run Hot

So far, the most tangible LLM successes have been in generating political disinformation and phishing scams.

Ask an AI-enthusiast how big AI is and how big AI will become, and the answer is likely to be that it is already enormous and that we haven’t seen anything yet. Our enthusiasm is more nuanced. We gave Microsoft’s Bing with ChatGPT-4 the prompt, “How big is AI?,” and received some very specific numbers, along with helpful references: I assume you are asking about the size of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) industry. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global AI market size was valued at USD 136.55 billion in 2022 and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37.3% from 2023 to 2030. Another report by Precedence Research estimates that the Read More ›

ai-artificial-intelligence-concept3d-renderingconceptual-image-stockpack-adobe-stock
AI, Artificial Intelligence concept,3d rendering,conceptual image.

Can Artificial Intelligence Hold Copyright or Patents?

Should AI get legal credit for what it generates? On this episode of Mind Matters from the archive, host Robert J. Marks welcomes attorney and author Richard Stevens to discuss the concept of legal neutrality for artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for copyright and patent law. Stevens explains that AI is a tool created and controlled by humans, and therefore should Read More ›

3d-illustration-futuristic-background-with-large-sphere-and-neon-dots-stockpack-adobe-stock
3d illustration futuristic background with large sphere and neon dots

The Two Visions of AI Technology

Competing views of AI's potential comprise a new struggle in Silicon Valley.

A month ago, one of the most dramatic power struggles in Silicon Valley’s corporate history took place in the offices of OpenAI. The board of the tech company suddenly ousted CEO Sam Altman for not being consistently “candid” in his communication. Days later, Altman was back at the helm of OpenAI and the board that canned him got the favor returned. In the following weeks, speculation has swirled over the real reasons Altman and his board butted heads so significantly. Altman, although he’s pushing ahead with AI technologies like ChatGPT and DALL-E, also appeared before members of congress earlier this year and recommended AI be regulated. However, he’s much more on the side of “acceleration,” rolling out AI aggressively and Read More ›

big-data-and-artificial-intelligence-concept-machine-learning-and-cyber-mind-domination-concept-in-form-of-women-face-on-dark-blue-technology-background-3d-illustration-stockpack-adobe-stock
Big data and artificial intelligence concept. Machine learning and cyber mind domination concept in form of women face on dark blue technology background, 3d illustration.

Defending Why We’re More than Machines

We need to look beyond materialism to understand what it means to be human.

With all the discussion surrounding chatbots and consciousness, you might think there are good reasons to affirm that machines will someday be conscious in the way that you and I are conscious. To affirm this would be to deny that ancient belief that we, as persons, are souls or spirits that could exist apart from our bodies. This notion would certainly be out of place in our scientific discussions today as low-level animals and machines are perceived, by some, as meeting all the necessary conditions for becoming conscious, rational agents who can enter into deep and meaningful relationships upon rational deliberation. But this assumption would be too quick. If we humans are souls (or spirits) and the soul is the Read More ›

ai-chatbot-artificial-intelligence-digital-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock
AI chatbot - Artificial Intelligence digital concept

AI Chatbot Claude Passed My “Sex and Gender” Test. I’m Impressed.

The chatbot "Claude" isn't perfect, but it's miles ahead of the others.

The chatbots are improving — fast. One bot, Claude — developed by Anthropic — is truly impressive. In fact, it was the first to pass a test I’ve been giving to various chatbots over the last year. The test is a simple question, designed to determine, first, if the chatbot is just summarizing online stereotypes, or doing real analytic work, and second, if it is ideologically biased. Let me explain. For the last three years, I’ve been working on the controversy over gender ideology, which is responsible for the widespread claim that a child might be “born in the wrong body.” A central theme of this controversy is the shape-shifting uses of the word “gender.” Most people now use the Read More ›

chatbot-social-bot-smartphone-und-chatverlauf-stockpack-adobe-stock
Chatbot / Social Bot, Smartphone und Chatverlauf

How Do We Define Successful Use Cases for Generative AI?

Current generative AI systems are designed to give us the most common solutions, instead of the new ones we need.

The debate about AI continues to diversify and intensify. Amidst the disagreements between techno-optimists and doomsayers, there is also a debate about the extent to which AI is currently used and will be used in the future.  McKinsey estimates that “generative AI could add the equivalent of $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion annually across the 63 use cases [it] analyzed,” five years after it said AI in general can deliver $13 trillion in economic value by 2030. Those are big numbers. On the other hand, Gary Marcus has questioned the existence of successful use cases, consistent with various surveys that show a slow uptake of generative AI. In addition, Gary Smith has repeatedly shown the limitations of generative AI in Read More ›

coding-hologram-ai-programming-and-dark-background-with-chat-machine-large-language-model-or-app-big-data-cloud-computing-and-artificial-intelligence-software-on-live-web-in-technology-abstract-stockpack-adobe-stock
Coding hologram, ai programming and dark background with chat machine, large language model or app. Big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence software on live web in technology abstract

Large Language Models are Still Smoke and Mirrors

Incapable of understanding, LLMs are good at giving bloated answers.

I recently received an email invitation from Google to try Gemini Pro in Bard. There was an accompanying video demonstration of Bard’s powers, which I didn’t bother watching because of reports that a Gemini promotional video released a few days earlier had been faked. After TED organizer Chris Anderson watched the video, he tweeted, “I can’t stop thinking about the implications of this demo. Surely it’s not crazy to think that sometime next year, a fledgling Gemini 2.0 could attend a board meeting, read the briefing docs, look at the slides, listen to every one’s words, and make intelligent contributions to the issues debated? Now tell me. Wouldn’t that count as AGI?” Legendary software engineer Grady Booch replied, “That demo Read More ›