Today at our old man’s Friday meeting at McDonalds, Phil Diehn gave an example of the usefulness of artificial intelligence. His new used car motor paused at a stop light, which it was expected to, but wouldn’t start up again when he pushed on the gas, which was unexpected.
He was stuck in traffic. So he pushed his way off the road and described his problem on line on Chat AI. He was immediately given 9 possible reasons why his car wouldn’t start with recommended solutions in a well written and easy to understand essay. 8 of the possible reasons for not starting up again could be ruled out. But the 9th reason was clearly the reason. He followed the instructions and his car started right up again. A bulb lit up above my head. This was artificial intelligence at its most useful.
When I later asked him as an engineer if my Honda CRV would tow the Ecocapsule I was dreaming of buying, he said he had no idea, but if I would pose my question on Chat AI I would get an immediate answer. And sure enough, when I asked Chat AI the question I got a very well written, thorough answer. My Honda CRV had an upper towing limit of 1500 pounds (680) KG. I would damage my Honda CR-V if I tried to tow an Ecocapsule weighting 1350 KG. Chat AI advised me to check my owner’s manual to be sure, which I did. And sure enough Chat AI in quickly searching the Internet had come up instantly with the right answer.
What we agree on at our Old Man’s meeting was that we should use Chat AI but what we now needed was a shit detector that could advise us whether there was some doubt, some conflicting information, when AI searched the Internet so that we would know when to double check the information that Chat AI gives us.
My first response to artificial intelligence and Chat AI is how useful it can be. It can answer question after question because it has access to all the world’s information stored on any computer. It can be misled by false information but it is my responsibility with the help of the hoped for shit detector to spot any false information. I can’t blame Chat AI.
My second response is how well written the answer I got is. It is not authoritarian, it is almost nuanced, it sounds like the answer of a very well educated person with a great deal of experience and good judgment. I realize that this apparent thoughtfulness could mislead me if Chat AI is misled. It sounds so well written and thought out that it sounds as if it must be accurate. A lot of information is combined in a very well written way. No wonder teachers are worried about student essays written by Chat AI. Teachers can almost suspect a student’s paper for being too thoughtful and well written.
But overall this use of artificial intelligence doesn’t seem threatening at all. AI is not taking over, it is just helping me find information. I was wrong to be suspicious.
But it is only after I got home that I remembered a discussion with Todd last night about the huge amount of energy it takes to make artificial intelligence function well. Somewhere there are enormous computers handling trillions of data points that need huge amounts of electrical power to cool and to make all the calculations and searches necessary for artificial intelligence to work. Todd was saying that tech companies in the artificial intelligence race who promised to be carbon free in a few years are now revealing that they are moving in the opposite direction and are producing more and more CO2. We are moving forward with the universal access to information and problem solving, but we are moving backward in the case of global warming.
And I am reminded that it is the progress in technology in my lifetime that powers so many of the things I like—air travel, daily comfort, access to online streaming of everything, ways of connecting with people, ways for people worldwide to be drawn into the global economy—that has inadvertently contributed to global warming and economic dislocation, wealth inequality and threats to people’s identity and constant warfare. A step forward becomes at the same time a step backward and turns the world upside down for all of us.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 