AI.
Last year I shared signs to look out for when it comes to spotting if something has been generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence). That is now out of date.
Matt Shumer, who works in the AI space, recently wrote an essay “Something big is happening.” Some experts disagree with some of his thoughts, but he had important messages that we should all hear.
Janine Krippner
The essay has two sides: a serious warning, and excitement about the possibilities that AI brings. As with any powerful tool, it depends on how we, as humanity, use it. It depends on our ethics, the questions we are exploring, and how we value and protect others. Part of the warning is about AI replacing jobs. Will we form protections to prevent job loss? There are a lot of big questions.
I remember when the iPhone first came out. I didn’t see why I would ever need a minicomputer in my pocket. A waste of money, right? That is now laughable – it has become something that is difficult to live without.
AI is this next big leap. It is here whether we like it or not, and it is rapidly evolving with what it can accomplish. There are all the possibilities in improving aspects of life that will impact us, like medical treatments and cures. In science, AI can be used to work through enormous amounts of data and find new solutions. There are remarkable and very exciting possibilities.
Person holding a smartphone displaying chatGPT. Sanket Mishra, pexels.com
There is the darker side. For years I have voiced my concerns about misinformation, and it is getting harder to spot. Using AI, people can now create realistic videos and create virtual people that are worryingly realistic. You can even create music. Starting with a few ideas, AI can return a song. Singers and all.
It is increasingly important for us to have healthy scepticism and discernment, especially on social media. Unfortunately, there are people out there who will use this to try to trick us into giving them money and personal information. Fake websites exist where you can purchase something that doesn’t exist.
After regular internet security training, I never click on advertising links, and I always verify a new website by looking up reviews. If someone sends a message with a link I wasn’t expecting, I double-check that it is legitimate. There are quick and easy things we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
Even if AI is something that scares or irritates you, I recommend learning about it. The speed at which it is improving is so rapid that if you used it a few months ago and decided it wasn’t very good, that is now out of date. Free versions are not the same as the more powerful paid for versions.
There is much hope and optimism to be had, as long as we pair it with asking questions, educating ourselves, double checking what we see online, and taking a few seconds to think about how accurate something may be.
An artist’s illustration of artificial intelligence (AI). This image depicts how AI could adapt to an infinite amount of uses. It was created by Nidia Dias as part of the Visualising AI program. Pexels.com
