Embracing the Future: Navigating the World of AI with Informed Skepticism and Proactive Engagement
AI was a large part of my degree in philosophy. It's something I’ve thought about and written about, earnestly, for a decade. If you're new to AI, here's a few tips as you begin to accept and embrace your future.
I Use AI Daily
AI is a tremendously power a tool that allows me to do things that I have never been able to do before. Many things that I'm simply not talented enough to do on my own – primarily art, image, and video generation. It also saves me significant time on mundane or repetitive tasks.
For decades, I have been a one man band – and now, with AI, I'm beginning to feel like an orchestra.
However, I do all of this with great skepticism and under a vigilant understanding of AI's dangers and consequences. I use a very deliberate and cognoscente approach with any of AI's outputs.
The Hype Is Real
Hear me now: the future will be created by those developing AI. Likewise, our collective future, will be based upon those people’s values and morals.
Regardless of any rumors you've heard or any movies you've seen, as of today (February 28, 2024) AI isn't thinking for itself. It is, wholly and entirely, a reflection of the data it is given. Further, it will then bend and warps it outputs based upon the desires of its creators.
Simple as that.
If you have an AI football model filled with decades of John Madden analysis – but it was developed by the Lions – it will never win a Super Bowl.
Likewise, extrapolate that same logic to an AI model fluenent in any system of government, but its developers are of a particular political leaning – its outputs will favor one side and oppress the other.
If You're Concerned About The Consequences
If you’re concerned about the consequences of a future based upon that level of subjectivity, or don’t feel that your world view is represented within AI developing circles, now — more than ever — is your opportunity to:
-
Understand that AI is here to stay. There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle, regulation, or governmental control that will save you from it. Accept and adapt.
-
Learn about AI beyond tweets and hearsay.
-
Support tech companies and developers who share your values.
-
Stop using tech companies and platforms who do not share values — yes, it’s possible.
-
Begin using AI — understand how it works, become proficient at articulating your prompts and achieving desired outcomes.
-
Converse with AI in the manner in which you want the future to become. AI learns from human interactions—treat it poorly and over time you’ll get poor results. Positive reinforcement. Correct it when it’s wrong, being subjective, or omitting facts.
Information, Weaponized
It’s a large, complicated, and now becoming a highly politicized topic. That’s because information has always been a flashpoint of power, and, ultimately, control.
Today, AI is simply a curation of information. It constructs sentences, images, videos, engineering, history — every single output — based upon the information available to it and through the lens of the people who built it.
Not every person’s agenda is to give you factual and pertinent information.
Go in with eyes wide open.
