[NOTE: Ads with cutesy robots, named “Jasper,” for AI software that reputedly will write my blog posts ten times faster, are popping up on my Facebook page practically every day.
I’m hardly a techie; but I’m no enemy of technology. It was 39 years ago — George Orwell’s 1984 — when I happily traded in the typewriter on which I wrote three books and 18 years of articles, for a pre-Windows “portable” computer that weighed 25 pounds. And I’m “typing” this on what they tell me is a fifth generation Ipad mini that weighs about 2.5 ounces.
But so far, I’m resisting giving Jasper a “free trial” at mimicking my style and showing how much of my brain has been sucked out and chewed up by the omnipresent data termites that infest all my “devices.”
I’m also not familiar with California Congressman Ted Lieu. But I can sure relate to his candor in saying below that AI in its current unbound, exploding Wild West form freaks him out —- and Lieu is a certified geek.
What he proposes is only a beginning. But we better start catching up with AI, and fast. It’s not that I’m afraid that Jasper and his digital duplicates will snatch my job: I’m retired, and don’t have a work paycheck to lose.
But many others do. And money aside, there’s something unnerving about the idea of software that knows more about the accumulated stuff in my 80-year old brain — and might be able to express it as well or better, not to mention way faster.
That doesn’t feel like “help”; more like another update of The Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, only this time they’ve been gene-spliced with zombies that are mainly going for our brains.
P.S. I wrote all the above myself. Really.]
New York Times — Jan. 23, 2023
I’m a Congressman Who Codes. A.I. Freaks Me Out.
[Excerpts]
Mr. Lieu represents California’s 36th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Imagine a world where autonomous weapons roam the streets, decisions about your life are made by AI systems that perpetuate societal biases and hackers use AI to launch devastating cyberattacks. This dystopian future may sound like science fiction, but the truth is that without proper regulations for the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it could become a reality. The rapid advancements in AI technology have made it clear that the time to act is now to ensure that AI is used in ways that are safe, ethical and beneficial for society. Failure to do so could lead to a future where the risks of AI far outweigh its benefits.
I [Ted Lieu] didn’t write the above paragraph. It was generated in a few seconds by an A.I. program called ChatGPT, which is available on the internet. I simply logged into the program and entered the following prompt: “Write an attention grabbing first paragraph of an Op-Ed on why artificial intelligence should be regulated.” . . .
I was surprised at how ChatGPT effectively drafted a compelling argument that reflected my views on A.I., and so quickly. As one of just three members of Congress with a computer science degree, I am enthralled by A.I. and excited about the incredible ways it will continue to advance society. And as a member of Congress, I am freaked out by A.I., specifically A.I. that is left unchecked and unregulated. . . .
Going from virtually zero regulation of A.I. to an entire federal agency would not pass Congress. This critical and necessary endeavor needs to proceed in steps. That’s why I will be introducing legislation to create a nonpartisan A.I. Commission to provide recommendations on how to structure a federal agency to regulate A.I., what types of A.I. should be regulated and what standards should apply.
We may not need to regulate the A.I. in a smart toaster, but we should regulate it in an autonomous car that can go over 100 miles per hour. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a second draft of its AI Risk Management Framework. In it, NIST outlines the ways in which organizations, industries and society can manage and mitigate the risks of A.I., like addressing algorithmic biases and prioritizing transparency to stakeholders. These are nonbinding suggestions, however, and do not contain compliance mechanisms. That is why we must build on the great work already being done by NIST and create a regulatory infrastructure for A.I. . . .
Congress has been slow to react when it comes to technological issues. But things are changing.
The fourth industrial revolution is here. We can harness and regulate A.I. to create a more utopian society, or risk having an unchecked, unregulated A.I. push us toward a more dystopian future. And yes, I [Rep. Ted Lieu]wrote this paragraph.