Is AI the realization of science fiction
- Is AI the realization of science fiction?
- While it holds potential for future generations, there are also risks involved?
“I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
With this line, the renegade computer HAL 9000 directly contradicted a direct order given to it by Dave Bowman, mission scientist aboard the Discovery One spacecraft bound for Jupiter, in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey." In 1984, James Cameron’s "The Terminator" introduced us all to Skynet, a defense computer network that initiated a global nuclear war to exterminate humanity.
Cinematic portrayals like these have made us all familiar with the risks of artificial intelligence, where computers capable of thinking like humans pose a danger to us all. But that’s simply science fiction, right?
Hey Siri, who's Alexa?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is omnipresent in our daily lives. From the auto correct feature in text messaging to Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, we interact with it frequently. In my office, we use an endoscopy unit equipped with AI technology to help us detect colon polyps. Even when you make a purchase on Amazon and see similar products on social media, AI is at work. Additionally, the facial-recognition technology in your phone is another example of AI in action.
In 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the country that masters AI "will become the ruler of the world." While Putin's reputation as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has suffered, he was not incorrect regarding AI.
The advancement of AI was fairly sluggish until the year 2012 when the concept of a neural network transformed the entire industry. Essentially, a neural network is a mathematical system that discovers statistical patterns in massive amounts of data.
The development of large language models based on neural networks has marked a significant advancement in AI. In 2018, tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI embarked on building vast neural networks that were trained on massive volumes of internet text. These models led to the emergence of generative AI, enabling machines to write prose, poetry, and even hold human-like conversations. It has opened the door for the next step in AI evolution, with the potential to revolutionize various industries.
The AI chatbot, ChatGPT, has garnered attention since its launch in collaboration with Microsoft by developer OpenAI in November 2021 due to its remarkable conversation and writing skills that mimic human language. It can perform various tasks such as generating business pitches, music, and poetry, simulating chat rooms, composing essays, grocery lists, travel ideas, and describing art in detail. Additionally, it can summarize extensive articles akin to computerized SparkNotes. These AI chatbot programs are revolutionizing the field by advancing the capabilities of automated language processing and transforming the way people interact with technology.
Hey Siri and Alexa, what's GPT-4?
Open AI's latest chatbot platform, GPT-4, has made waves after scoring in the 88th percentile on the Law School Admission Test. However, with the advanced capabilities of such a system comes concerns regarding privacy and security. Italy has already banned the use of Open AI's ChatGPT, citing similar concerns.
OpenAI's AI chatbot ChatGPT can be accessed for free on their website, where users can make use of its capabilities to compose a range of written content. As an AI language model, ChatGPT is capable of generating poetry, prose, essays, and even music. To test its capabilities, the author created a few prompts for ChatGPT to respond to, including a poem about Savannah, a haiku about enduring love, and a paragraph about pirates in the style of Ernest Hemingway. Despite being passable rather than spectacular, the output was created almost instantly, demonstrating the efficiency and versatility of AI language models like ChatGPT.