Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagRobert J. Marks

COSM2022-Nov10-174A0052-ai-panel
Panel on AI at COSM 2022
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post
Author
News
Date
June 6, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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AI’s Lack of Understanding

How are we to view AI in an era where it increasingly seems to mimic human intelligence so well?
News
June 6, 2023
1
Artificial Intelligence

We’ve been highlighting a number of interviews from last year’s COSM conference, which attracted many of the most celebrated and respected engineers, scholars, and scientists from around the country. In today’s featured clip, George Montañez, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Harvey Mudd College, shares his perspective on COSM 2022’s panel on artificial intelligence—areas of agreement and disagreement about the nature and future of artificial intelligence. Montañez, like Robert J. Marks, with whom he shared the panel, thinks AI is impressive and that we’ve made incredible strides in the field of computation, but maintains that these systems lack understanding and sentience. Blake Lemoine, the other panelist in the conversation, thinks AI is capable of a bit more than mere algorithmic Read More ›

robot-take-over-solarized-image-stockpack-adobe-stock
robot take over solarized image
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post
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
June 5, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Not to Worry–AI Isn’t Going to Take Over

AI hype isn't new. Here's Robert J. Marks writing on the topic in 2017
Robert J. Marks
June 5, 2023
11
Artificial Intelligence

[The AI hype isn’t new. The history of exaggerating its potential goes back decades. In this article, Robert J. Marks echoes many of the views covered in more detail in his 2022 book Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will. Today we share it with you, originally written on October 3rd, 2017, and published at The Stream.] A.I. is transforming our world. Should we worry about that? Entrepreneur billionaire Elon Musk is worried. Woody Allen once said, “What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet.” Musk thinks he overpaid for his carpet. He believes there’s a good chance the world as we know it is a sophisticated Read More ›

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An analyst uses a computer and dashboard for data business analysis and Data Management System with KPI and metrics connected to the database for technology finance, operations, sales, marketing
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post
Author
News
Date
June 5, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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What Even Is Artificial Intelligence?

When we talk about AI, we're basically talking about computers
News
June 5, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

In a recent Mind Matters podcast, computer engineer Robert J. Marks puts the AI hype into perspective by investigating what it can and cannot do. Marks is of the mind that AI can offer a myriad of benefits to the modern world, and notes that the technology has already made inroads into various spheres of life including banking, accounting, and facial recognition technology. The danger lies in believing that AI can replicate human creativity and understanding. While AI can do a lot, it can never understand itself the way human beings can. Marks thinks this is essential to keep in mind. We are not machines. Here is a quote from the episode in which Marks sets some terms and definitions: Read More ›

thinking with gears
Thinking mechanisms
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post
Author
News
Date
June 1, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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New Conversation Article: ChatGPT Can’t Think

Will AI ever reach a point where it can independently analyze, think, and transcend itself?
News
June 1, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Will AI ever reach a point where it can independently analyze, think, and transcend itself? Furthermore, will it ever become sentient? Some experts in the field, like Blake Lemoine, think AI has already breached the boundaries of sentience. Others, though, remain skeptical. A new article from The Conversation discusses ChatGPT, the Turing test, and the question of consciousness. For Turing, “thinking” meant simply passing the test, but his assumptions were misguided. Philip Goff writes, Turing was wrong, however, when he said the only clear notion of “understanding” is the purely behavioural one of passing his test. Although this way of thinking now dominates cognitive science, there is also a clear, everyday notion of “understanding” that’s tied to consciousness. To understand Read More ›

emotional-glitchy-tetris-pattern-pixelated-photoluminescence-scifi-otherworldly-realistic-stockpack-adobe-stock
emotional glitchy tetris pattern pixelated Photoluminescence SciFi Otherworldly Realistic
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post
Author
News
Date
May 26, 2023
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Arts & Culture, Technology
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Before the iPhone, There Was Tetris

What was the precursor for the widespread tech addiction we see today, particularly in young people?
News
May 26, 2023
2
Arts & Culture, Technology

What was the precursor for the widespread tech addiction we see today, particularly in young people? Many say it was the iPhone. Peter Tonguette, however, thinks that the game Tetris started the screentime avalanche. Tonguette reviewed the new Apple TV+ film Tetris, which covers the story of the classic game’s development, acquisition, and subsequent popularity in the early nineties. He writes, One might assume this changeover coincided with the rise of smartphones and social media, but a new movie shows that it happened as early as the summer vacation of 1989. During that fateful interregnum between school years, kids were introduced to something that prefigured the electronic devices of the 21st century: a battery-powered, 8-bit handheld videogame device whose two Read More ›

depressed-teenager-browsing-the-internet-on-his-mobile-phone-as-he-is-lying-on-his-bed-in-the-dark-stockpack-adobe-stock
Depressed teenager browsing the internet on his mobile phone as he is lying on his bed in the dark.
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post
Author
News
Date
May 26, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Wisdom

What manner of harms are we creating?
News
May 26, 2023
6
Artificial Intelligence

By Tom Gilson Richard Stevens’ May 11 Stream article, “AI Legal Theories,” suggests we consider making Artificial Intelligence companies legally responsible for the harms they cause. We do that already with consumer products, so in principle it should be possible to do the same with AI. Enforcement would be by civil law. Injured parties would presumably be given standing to sue the source of the harm without having to prove negligence. That gets us somewhere, but not far enough. It settles the question of who is legally responsible. But responsible for what? Specifically, what will we call harm? Who will decide? Based on what standard of wisdom? Stevens gives this example of harm, citing an earlier Stream article by Robert J. Marks: “The Snapchat ChatGPT-powered Read More ›

blaze-fire-flame-background-and-textured-stockpack-adobe-stock
Blaze fire flame background and textured
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
May 25, 2023
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AI: Is it Good or Bad for Society?

Robert J. Marks
May 25, 2023
1

Artificial intelligence already surrounds us and has made inroads into banking, accounting, and digital technology. It’s ubiquitous. In today’s episode, Robert J. Marks reminds us that AI is like fire: its benefits and value depend on how wisely (or foolishly) we use it. Additional Resources

ai-robot-thinking-stockpack-adobe-stock
ai robot thinking
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post
Author
News
Date
May 18, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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“Artificial Intelligence: Will Machines Take Over?”

Watch John Lennox and Robert J. Marks speak on AI in this "Science Uprising" video
News
May 18, 2023
1
Artificial Intelligence

From May 9-30, the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute is running a film festival on YouTube to highlight some of its top videos. We’ll be highlighting different videos throughout the month. Today we are screening the most recent video from our popular series Science Uprising which delves into the topic of artificial intelligence, featuring John Lennox and Robert J. Marks:

a-glacial-rivers-from-above-aerial-photograph-of-the-river-streams-from-icelandic-glaciers-beautiful-art-of-the-mother-nature-created-in-iceland-wallpaper-background-high-quality-photo-stockpack-adobe-stock
A glacial rivers from above. Aerial photograph of the river streams from Icelandic glaciers. Beautiful art of the Mother nature created in Iceland. Wallpaper background high quality photo
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post
Author
News
Date
May 17, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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The Solution for Tech Addiction

Trail Life USA is a way to get guys off their phones and into the wilderness
News
May 17, 2023
2
Technology

In a recent Mind Matters podcast episode, host Robert J. Marks spoke with Kent Marks, former Boy Scout guide who now works with Trail Life USA. In the wake of Boy Scouts’ precipitous decline over the last decade, Trail Life offers boys the chance to get outside and go on wilderness adventures. This is a huge opportunity to help young men get off the screens and into the beauty of creation. Speaking about the gravity of the problem, Robert said, The impact of social media has just been terrible. Teenage suicides are up, depression rates are up. I think a third of all girls involved in social media have body image problems. And that’s terrible. These are the symptoms of Read More ›

human-brain-on-a-blue-background-active-parts-of-the-brain-creating-a-computer-mind-3d-illustration-of-the-application-of-innovation-in-science-stockpack-adobe-stock
Human brain on a blue background. Active parts of the brain. Creating a computer mind. 3D illustration of the application of innovation in science
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post
Author
News
Date
May 16, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Gilder: AI Can’t Be Creative

George Gilder is optimistic about AI's potential contributions to economic flourishing, but he's nonetheless staunch on the point that it can never be creative
News
May 16, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

George Gilder is optimistic about AI’s potential contributions to economic flourishing, but he’s nonetheless staunch on the point that it can never be creative. Echoing the sentiments of Robert J. Marks, who argued this in his book Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will, Gilder thinks that while AI can be a helpful tool in a number of sectors, it can’t think. Hence the title of his 2020 book: Gaming AI: Why AI Can’t Think but Can Transform Jobs. In the Silicon Valley piece by Vish Gain, Gilder’s views are aptly quoted: The threat of AI to me is that people worship it and defer to it. They think that their perception is not relevant anymore in Read More ›

the-imposing-court-gavel-in-the-digital-environment-symbolizes-the-decision-and-legal-protection-for-large-companies-generative-ai-stockpack-adobe-stock
The imposing court gavel in the digital environment symbolizes the decision and legal protection for large companies. Generative AI
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post
Author
Richard W. Stevens
Date
May 15, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Law
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Let’s Apply Existing Laws to Regulate AI

No revolutionary laws needed to fight harmful bots
Richard W. Stevens
May 15, 2023
7
Artificial Intelligence, Law

In a recent article, Professor Robert J. Marks reported how artificial intelligence (AI) systems had made false reports or gave dangerous advice: Prof. Marks suggested that instead of having government grow even bigger trying to “regulate” AI systems such as ChatGPT: How about, instead, a simple law that makes companies that release AI responsible for what their AI does? Doing so will open the way for both criminal and civil lawsuits. Strict Liability for AI-Caused Harms Prof. Marks has a point. Making AI-producing companies responsible for their software’s actions is feasible using two existing legal ideas. The best known such concept is strict liability. Under general American law, strict liability exists when a defendant is liable for committing an action Read More ›

young-caucasian-male-comedian-performing-his-stand-up-monologue-on-a-stage-of-a-small-venue-stockpack-adobe-stock
Young Caucasian male comedian performing his stand-up monologue on a stage of a small venue
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post
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
May 12, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Funny ChatGPT: a Solution to Striking Joke Writers?

Even if ChatGPT can mimic humor, it doesn't care if you laugh at the jokes
Robert J. Marks
May 12, 2023
5
Artificial Intelligence

Can ChatGPT write funny jokes? The answer is yes. To try and generate some short jokes, I went to ChatGPT and started all my queries with: “Complete the following to make it funny:” Doing so alerts ChatGPT about my end goal. Without this preamble, I could make queries all day and get no funny responses. I started with the beginnings of some well-known quotes.   To Be or Not to Be Consider for example the quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet:  “To be or not to be, that is the question.” I instructed ChatGPT with the following command: “Complete the following to make it funny: To be or not to be…” One of the better responses I got was “To be or Read More ›

instagram-filter-himalaya-mountains-nepal-stockpack-adobe-stock
instagram filter Himalaya mountains nepal
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post
Author
News
Date
May 12, 2023
Categorized
Addiction, Environment
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Boy Scouts and Tech Addiction

You can't mimic the reality compared to what you see on the screen
News
May 12, 2023
2
Addiction, Environment

The Boy Scouts of America once enjoyed a booming membership. But over the last decade especially, due to some policy changes, abuse scandals, and a giant lawsuit, the once great organization has seen a colossal decline. In last week’s podcast, Robert J. Marks sat down with former Boy Scout leader and his cousin Kent Marks. Together they talked about the tragic decline in the Boy Scouts program, which coincides with the enduring need to help boys navigate the many distractions and difficulties of growing up in a digitally mediated world. Today, Kent continues to lead boys on wilderness expeditions and believes that getting guys away from the screens and into the beauty of the outdoors is a key to their Read More ›

robot-humanoid-use-laptop-and-sit-at-table-for-big-data-analytic-using-ai-thinking-brain-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning-process-for-the-4th-fourth-industrial-revolution-3d-rendering-stockpack-adobe-stock
Robot humanoid use laptop and sit at table for big data analytic using AI thinking brain , artificial intelligence and machine learning process for the 4th fourth industrial revolution . 3D rendering.
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post
Author
News
Date
May 11, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Artificial General Intelligence is the Answer, says OpenAI CEO

The tech optimism talk just got a little vague
News
May 11, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

The tech optimism talk just got a little more bizarre from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Altman is confident that artificial intelligence is going to better our world in countless ways; sometimes, however, he doesn’t specify just how that’s going to happen. Other days it seems like he’s actually on the doomsday train. Which is it? Is AI going to save us and pilot us into a transhumanist eternity or will it enslave us forever and diminish everything that makes us human? Maybe it’s both at this point! Maggie Harrison writes in a new blog at Futurism, It’s true that AGI could, in theory, give humans a helping hand in curing some of our ills. But such an AGI, and AGI Read More ›

a-scout-reserve-team-at-jungle-camp-boy-scout-america-stockpack-adobe-stock
a Scout Reserve Team at Jungle Camp, Boy Scout America
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
May 11, 2023
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An Antidote for Digital Addiction

Robert J. Marks
May 11, 2023
1

With the advent of social media, rates of teenage depression, suicides, and body image problems have skyrocketed. These are symptoms of digital addiction. How can we combat digital addiction and promote digital wellness especially in youth? Kent Marks talks about his departure from Boy Scouts and his transition to Trail Life USA, which seeks to offer an antidote to digital Read More ›

cyborg-hologram-watching-a-subway-interior-3d-rendering-stockpack-adobe-stock
Cyborg hologram watching a subway interior 3D rendering
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post
Author
News
Date
May 8, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Should We Shut the Lid on AI?

The real danger posed by AI is not its potential. It is the lack of ethics
News
May 8, 2023
4
Artificial Intelligence

By John Stonestreet & K. Leander Recently, a number of prominent tech executives, including Elon Musk, signed an open letter urging a 6-month pause on all AI research. That was not enough for AI theorist Eliezer Yudkowsky. In an opinion piece for TIME magazine, he argued that “We Need to Shut it All Down,” and he didn’t mince his words: Many researchers steeped in these issues, including myself, expect that the most likely result of building a superhumanly smart AI … is that literally everyone on Earth will die. Not as in ‘maybe possibly some remote chance,’ but as in ‘that is the obvious thing that would happen.’ Using a tone dripping with panic, Yudkowsky even suggested that countries like the U.S. should be willing Read More ›

backside-of-asian-boy-scout-group-line-up-and-prepare-for-boy-scout-camp-activities-stockpack-adobe-stock
Backside of asian boy scout group line up and prepare for boy scout camp activities.
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
May 4, 2023
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Medicine for Digitally Addicted Boys 

Robert J. Marks
May 4, 2023
1

The Boy Scouts of America used to enjoy a booming membership. But after some significant policy changes and a giant lawsuit, the organization is rapidly declining.  In this episode, Robert Marks speaks with former Boy Scout leader Kent Marks on his experience in the organization and the enduring need to help boys navigate life in the digital age. Additional Resources

throwing-of-dart-in-balloon-with-water-on-dark-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
Throwing of dart in balloon with water on dark background
Type
post
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
May 3, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Another AI Hype Bubble Pops

The age of improving giant AI models like ChatGPT is over
Robert J. Marks
May 3, 2023
5
Artificial Intelligence

In a recent assessment of his company’s chatbot products like ChatGPT, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman  surprisingly opined to an audience at MIT. “I think we’re at the end of the era where [AI is]  going to be these … giant [large language] models … We’ll make them better in other ways.” This sobering comment  is in contrast to a prophesy by philosopher David Chalmers who cautions about the dangerous future. He says today’s large language AI has a 20% chance of sentience in 10 years. Fired engineer Blake Lemoine goes further. He claims that Google’s LaMDA is already sentient.   Such AI hyperbole is not new. Here is a thumbnail sketch of some AI history that sheds light on such claims. Heeding Santayana’s Read More ›

human-body-with-glowing-neurons-visualization-generative-ai-illustration-stockpack-adobe-stock
Human body with glowing neurons visualization. Generative AI illustration
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post
Author
News
Date
May 3, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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New Routledge Book on AI: It Won’t Take Us Over

The authors argue that, regardless of the benefits AI might provide in the future, it will never emulate the complex human neurocognitive system.
News
May 3, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

A new book, Why Machines Will Never Rule the World, amplifies human exceptionalism and critiques the view that artificial intelligence will someday replace human beings. According to authors Jobst Landgrebe and Barry Smith, much of life and work can only be adequately navigated successfully with natural, not computerized, intelligence. They give two reasons for thinking that AI will never exceed human ingenuity: Echoing similar sympathies as Robert J. Marks in his book Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will, Landgrebe and Smith argue that the concept of artificial general intelligence is mathematically impossible. A part of the book’s summary reads: Landgrebe and Smith show how a widespread fear about AI’s potential to bring about radical changes in Read More ›

robotic-hand-pressing-a-keyboard-on-a-laptop-3d-rendering-stockpack-adobe-stock
Robotic hand pressing a keyboard on a laptop 3D rendering
Type
post
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
April 28, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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How to Stop Troubling Abuse From Artificial Intelligence

Allowance of lawsuits will give AI developers pause before releasing their raw unvetted technology on the world
Robert J. Marks
April 28, 2023
7
Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence can give unintended and dangerous advice. What is the best way to keep things like the following from happening? ChatGPT falsely reported on a claim of sexual harassment that was never made against me on a trip that never occurred while I was on a faculty where I never taught. ChatGPT relied on a cited Post article that was never written and quotes a statement that was never made by the newspaper. Who’s responsible for these actions? How can AI be controlled to assure such careless responses are eliminated? Read on and you’ll see the answer is obvious. Attorney and Bradley Center Fellow Richard W. Stevens has talked about legal options of Professor Turley in a defamation lawsuit. But what about the Read More ›