Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagArtificial Intelligence

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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 ›

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1950's COMPUTER

The Present Shock We’re Experiencing

Our modern obsession with the possibility of truly smart machinery keeps a self-important anti-humanism alive and kicking.
It’s downright bizarre to view Big Data as a replacement for human ingenuity and possibility. Read More ›
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Funny pixelated boss sunglasses on new blue background. Gangster, Black thug life meme glasses . Pixel 8bit style. Color of the Year 2022. Very Peri

From Memes to Hodgepodge

AI again makes an odd mish-mash out of images, this time with memes
If you go through the slideshow provided at the Gizmodo link, you'll see the blatant distortions in the human faces to the point they're almost unrecognizable. Read More ›
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3d white room with opened door. Brick wall

Is ChatGPT a Dead End?

There is still no known path to Artificial General Intelligence, including ChatGPT.
I have friends and colleagues who’ve gone almost religious about LLMs and conversational systems like ChatGPT. They tell me it’s true AGI. I disagree. Read More ›
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Chat with AI or Artificial Intelligence. Young businessman chatting with a smart AI or artificial intelligence using an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI.

Okay, Never Mind. Sam Altman Returns to OpenAI

The OpenAI CEO is back after a brief absence.
OpenAI is creating technology that, in Altman's view, apparently needs to be fairly tightly regulated. And yet...he's responsible for creating it. Read More ›
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Fuse burning on black background isolated

What Mission Impossible Tells Us About AI Mythology

If you’re looking for an intelligent take on existential risk and superintelligent AI, the latest Mission Impossible movie is not for you.
If you’re looking for an intelligent take on existential risk and superintelligent AI, the latest Mission Impossible movie is not for you. Read More ›
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3d abstract render of blue glass cubes in grid forming data trend

Sam Altman Out at OpenAI, Microsoft Picks Him Up

Will Microsoft become the prime leader in the AI movement, and what will be the future of OpenAI?
According to the Wall Street Journal, Altman was "shocked" that he was ousted at OpenAI. But, he also fostered a close connection with Microsoft. Read More ›
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Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and modern computer technologies concepts. Business, Technology, Internet and network concept.

Why ChatGPT Is Killing Off Traditional AI

We're living in another AI "winter"
Since it doesn’t know anything in the first place, there’s no way to talk it into sanity once it goes insane. Read More ›
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Pixel pattern of a digital glitch / Abstract background, pattern of a digital glitch.

Marks: AI Creating More AI Equals Nonsense

AI "inbreeding" will always lead to model collapse.
While AI is impressive, notes Marks, it needs the creative intervention of human beings to stay fresh and relevant. Read More ›
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History of science, concept. Isaac Newton with Apple in hand

Don’t Expect AI to Revolutionize Science 

Data science is a downstream phenomenon. Thinking isn't. 
We need to start asking tough questions about what happened to the role of human thinking and insight in the discovery of how the world, and we, work. Read More ›
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Will Digital Inbreeding Be the End of AI?

Without the creative input of humans, AI is doomed to deteriorate.
AI training on itself needs fresh creative material on which to train or algorithms will feed off themselves in recursive cycles and degenerate into nonsense. Read More ›
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Robot typing on keyboard

Does Passing the Turing Test Guarantee We’ve Created True AI?

A true test of AI will be able to distinguish between AI and human intelligence.
AI might give us impressive answers to our questions. But that doesn’t mean they have a humanlike understanding of what is going on. Read More ›
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Pipe line oil and gas valves at gas plant pressure safety valve selective

“Ghost Work” and the Enduring Necessity of Human Labor

Contrary to popular assumptions, the greater the automation, the greater the need for human labor.
As automation increases, the need for human labor increases, and as a corollary, so does the need for humans in general. Read More ›
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The editor is editing the video at the computer

How Can Content Creators Avoid AI Theft?

The world of AI appears to be shaping up much like the world of social media.

Whither AI and copyright? Two significant battles working their way through the United States court system will define the relationship between human creators and AI systems. If you are a creator, you need to pay attention. First, can content created by AI be copyrighted? While it seems evident that content created by a user prompt should not be copyrightable by the user, what about the designer and operator of the AI system? It might seem reasonable to infer the humans who create a system that, in turn, creates new “works” should be able to copyright those works. In August of 2023, however, a United States District Court Judge ruled that AI-generated content cannot be copyrighted because “human authorship is a Read More ›

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AI risk and artificial intelligence technology as a human and machine concept with advanced tech or robots taking over humanity and people merging with a cyborg as an existential risk

Megan Review, Part 2

Happy Halloween! A killer doll breaks protocol.

Last time, we talked about how Gemma gave Cady, her niece, a robotic doll, Megan, to help her raise the child after Cady’s parents were killed. At first, things go smoothly enough, but then Megan is attacked by a dog. The writers seem to have given us two potential theories about what’s happening. The first is that the robot is going through some sort of awakening right at the beginning. Megan has overridden the various safety protocols put in place to keep the robot from hurting people, and it’s only pretending to be protective of Cady. The second option is that during this dog attack, the fail safes malfunction, and this enables the robot to go on its murderous rampage. Read More ›

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illustration of a technological eye, close up, future concept, generative ai

Megan Review, Part 1

An AI doll that does more than just play.

Since it’s nearing Halloween, I figured now would be a good time to review some Sci-Fi movies that dabble in the horror genre. Megan came out in 2022 and has been referred to as Chucky for Zoomers. The premise is the same as the horror movie, Child’s Play, from 1988: a child gets a doll. Doll turns psychotic and kills people. It’s pretty straightforward. However, Megan differs by adding a technological twist, calling back to the creepy Furbies, which came out in 1998. Really, those awful toys should’ve had a horror movie of their own. There are many a tale of the mechanical monsters waking up under the bed in the dead of night six months after the poor child Read More ›

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Checklist Writing Notice Remember Planning Concept,home office desk background,hand holding pen and writing note on wood table.

Lawsuit Champions Human Creativity Over AI Mimicry

Copyright laws can protect against sophisticated plagiarism.
ChatGPT is specifically taught to read authors’ works so that a human can request ChatGPT to mimic the original authors’ content and style. Read More ›
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Doubtful young man thinking

Why Are We Obsessed With How Smart AI Is?

The people with the most specific knowledge should be assessing applications for AI and their risks.
The biggest lesson from giving university exams to ChatGPT is that students should be tested in other ways. Read More ›
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closeup of old handwriting; vintage paper background

Authors Guild Sues OpenAI For Unlawful Copying of Creative Works

Did ChatGPT make physical copies of copyrighted books and articles?
It appears the Authors Guild has adequately alleged OpenAI, et al., made and used unlawful copies of copyright-protected written works. Read More ›
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Group of students using laptops and other devices in classroom.

The Kids Aren’t Taking Notes

Colleges have become too dependent on digital methods of learning and communication.
Visit a typical classroom in the United States and you’re bound to see just about every student “taking notes” behind a computer screen as the professor lectures at the helm. Read More ›