(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Artificial Intelligence: What may be in store for us [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-09 My programming experience are limited to some C++ along with adaptations to Access. But you don’t have to be an AI programmer to examine its many uses and potential misuses. I’m including rudimentary menu driven phone systems in my definition of Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence is broadly described as the development of computer code driven systems able to perform tasks that normally required human intelligence and direction. Including, but not limited to: Has great potential but can we control it? visual perception, speech recognition, photography, analyze shopping and personal habits to boost profits, identifying your behaviors and politics, possibly for illegal purposes, crime solving data analysis, medical research and technology certain types of customer services, problem solving, decision-making and management functions, translation between languages, and any thing that we humans do that requires cognition. Sky’s the Limit Robotic Customer Service is in the Future? From a profit oriented business perspective, the sky appears to be the limit as far as how far AI efforts will evolve. One advanced AI driven customer service system can reduce or eliminate an almost unlimited number of workers and dramatically increase profits after the initial set up, system expenses and maintenance costs are covered. Aided by AI, amazing discoveries in science, robotics, computer software, medicine, photography, construction, manufacturing, science and physics are also possible, which is why military uses are so concerning. Technology and Tyranny Chaplin Poster for Modern Times It’s hard to argue that the AI technology will not have an increasingly negative effect on job market opportunities without improving service quality over real live workers. Computer driven answering and support systems have already taken hold for many business. Profit driven economic systems, mainly capitalist in this day and age, never ask the socially critical question, “Should we go there?” before attempting to employ the technology. They only ask the question “Can we do it more profitably?” before trying. Replacing human labor with machines is nothing new, it’s been around for more than a hundred years. And was an issue in 1936 when Chaplin devoted an entire movie on the subject known as Modern Times. AI charts new territory and begs the question, are some things preferable for humans to do even if a computer or machine can do it? I ask this question because government and business have no desire or policies in place to accomplish full employment, and never have. In a system with privately owned businesses, are we making workers themselves obsolete and on the way to being eliminated all together? Low Tech Artificial Intelligence Indeed most of us have already felt the negative side of AI with computer driven answering and customer service systems. Such as when calling a company and asking for support or you’re navigating a phone system designed to defeat your ability to talk to a live person— whom you sometimes fail to reach with your problem or question even when there is supposed to be such a person. AI Holding Patterns Holding . . . . . . . holding . . . . . . holding. It’s not uncommon to have to waste 10 minutes or more trying to find a phone menu item that matches the assistance you require. Then there’s the online versions of customer service with these little “Help” boxes on the lower right of the screen, many not backed up by a live person, which can often be useless and frustrating. Very under powered AI is employed in some of these answering systems. More alarming is the use of larger automated systems at doctor’s offices. While simple voice menus to direct calls work fine, some larger practice groups are using systems to take, redirect, manage and record patient messages, the result being they often don’t reach their proper destination. With the advent of improved AI, a lot more workers in doctor’s offices will be losing their jobs. Another step toward the literal dehumanization of doctor/patient relations as well as the degradation of health professionals and workers. The Twin Faces of Technology The Twin Faces of Artificial Intelligence The problems and benefits presented by AI are nothing new, despite all the hype. As already mentioned, it like most technologies represents the role and consequences of technology in a Capitalist system geared to produce profits and hold down labor and maintenance costs. AI and other technologies rarely factor in the social impact on what it does beyond business and profits potential. Full employment will always be a pipe dream under market driven capitalism. Which benefits materially from unemployment in two ways: 1 — The more people looking for work, the lower are wages. 2 — The less people employed by a business, the higher the profits. Modern Assembly Lines. Many modern technologies have in fact proved to be precursors to AI. Such as mass production by automated machine manufacturing, which on the positive side has limited or eliminated many tedious or back breaking jobs along with many dangerous and unhealthy ones. Computer technology has also brought amazing devices we take for granted today into our homes. As well as helped to build infrastructure, roads, cell phones, computers, cities, AI assisted cars, airplanes, air conditioners and all the numerous things mass produced in an industrialized society. On the negative side, jobs that humans once performed have also been eliminated by the millions by mega sized privately owned businesses with no responsibility to see that new jobs are created in equal numbers that pay a living wage. Nor does any government agency or policy concern itself with such problems. The Darkest Side of Technology and Industrialization The Earth may have run out of time to reverse the deadly waste, pollution and climate change caused by its energy choice for development engines. Perhaps the darkest side of industrialization, technology and early computers is that they have indisputably put the entire planet at risk. Binging us increasingly deadly weapons of war, including nuclear ones, and undermined the ecology and health of the entire planet. Together, they have produced an 800 pound gorilla now residing on every one’s back in the human race. That being climate change. With most everything in the modern world powered by fossil fuels. All of it brought on by a profits first approach to rapid advancement given the vast reserves and relatively low cost of these fuels compare to the energy they produce. Consequences of Artificial Intelligence Some things we should worry about or hope for are: We find ways to use AI to combat global warming? to combat global warming? There will be many instances of excesses and abuses . . It has helped design/invent dozens of useful products and accessories . . It may eliminate many more jobs than it creates. than it creates. It has already given birth to new types of warfare and conflict . . It is already used in dirty trick politics, advertising pitches and psychological warfare . . It is already used to abet crimes of deception , fraud and false information spreading. , fraud and false information spreading. It will be applied with minimal consideration regarding it’s social impact. regarding it’s social impact. Public and consumer complaints and input will be mostly ignored . . It’s liabilities will be downplayed . . It’s ability to increase profits will drive and control it’s growth. and control it’s growth. One day AI really is able to make machines think? Will it eventually result in a labor force of mostly robots, controlled by AI? Who Controls It’s Use? Pandora’s Box Another question not on the above list that must be addressed is can we exercise social control over such technologies or do they control us? There is ample evidence in world history as well as in America’s that social controls are rarely placed on technologies, meaning that the technology will serve the interests of profit. Socially Positive Examples The brighter side of AI is using them for socially beneficial purposes like complex problem solving, quality of life issues, medical and scientific research and even for cultural and artistic pursuits. For example, I have a hundred year collection of family photos. Many were blurry and degraded. AI did some amazing work on sharpening my photos on a pixel level and can do many other imaging effects. The out of focus problem is resolved apparently by identifying/calculating the degree of blurriness and moving the pixels closer together while maintaining their proportions. Can Robots and Computers be Made to Think? The Krell created ID monster trying to penetrate security defenses in Forbidden Planet. A 64 thousand dollar question already explored in the realm of sci-fi movies and books. Some of us are old enough to remember one of the first movies to go there, Forbidden Planet, which tells of a far advanced civilization known as the Krell that designed a huge computer-like machine which gave its population the power to imagine anything into reality. It quickly destroyed their civilization when the subconscious minds of the Krell population let loose a civil war of long suppressed hostilities on each other. What Freud called the ID. Stills hold up today without all the modern special effects. At some future date, we could make something similar. It would be akin to creating life itself. It’s technically possible. Unlikely perhaps, but nevertheless possible as well as dangerous. AI enhanced photo. Consumer versions mostly work on faces. Opening Pandora’s Box? Virtually all technologies in history become weaponized, from using germs invisible without a microscope to atom and massively powerful hydrogen bombs. One major concern is with certain types of AI that uses data which might be unreliable, erroneous and even deliberately fabricated. Such as might be used by businesses that desire data that helps them sell their products. Or drug and vitamin companies which stand to make billions in profits from compromised data. Bad or biased data might also be used in polls or studies used to determining social funding and government spending. Artificial Intelligence has enormous potential that needs to be tamed so it can serve us, and not us serve it. That I fear, does not seem currently possible. AI ironically has the potential to become a Pandora’s Box of unforeseen consequences as well as a beneficial life saving technology. Or both. 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