"One person thinks government programs serve vital purposes and is willing to accept the inefficiencies of bureaucracy. Another thinks the costs of the inefficiencies outweigh the benefits of the services provided."
And others think that government is taking their tax money and giving it to undeserving people.
The free version of AI that we peasants have access to is constantly inventing stuff when I ask it a question that it can't answer--rather than admitting that it can't find the answer. And when I can show that its answer is wrong, it invents more stuff, also demonstrably wrong.
“The first characteristic of wisdom, in humans or machines, is appreciation of its own limits.” This is the root of our societal issues, having been exponentially magnified in the age of social media.
PS - my recent article about AI and history, also here on Substack is more practical and less philosophical that this one but, I think you will appreciate the concerns it illuminates.
Great essay, J.W. One thing though, AI isn’t going to ‘solve’ anything. People will. AI is like having a filing cabinet now with some automation. Mine are steel. They ‘solve’ nothing either.
This is one of the best, if not the best “A User’s Guide to History” that I have read over the years. Having read no less than 5 posts today by “AI” pundits speculating on this over that in trying to get my mind around where we are with this inductive reasoning beast, I am comforted in realizing the broader landscape upon which I should be focused. Rather than allowing the emotional pull of “I don’t want to miss the train before it leaves the station,” I may want to catch the next, or even the one that comes after that. Thank you. I shall sleep better tonight.
Whoever develops the first AW model owns you royalties.
"One person thinks government programs serve vital purposes and is willing to accept the inefficiencies of bureaucracy. Another thinks the costs of the inefficiencies outweigh the benefits of the services provided."
And others think that government is taking their tax money and giving it to undeserving people.
The free version of AI that we peasants have access to is constantly inventing stuff when I ask it a question that it can't answer--rather than admitting that it can't find the answer. And when I can show that its answer is wrong, it invents more stuff, also demonstrably wrong.
What happens when the machine Plato decides that its namesake was right all along and mankind is best served under a dictator like itself?
“The first characteristic of wisdom, in humans or machines, is appreciation of its own limits.” This is the root of our societal issues, having been exponentially magnified in the age of social media.
PS - my recent article about AI and history, also here on Substack is more practical and less philosophical that this one but, I think you will appreciate the concerns it illuminates.
How is this real? Are you really suggesting we outsource the judgment of real human beings to a robot? I'm gobsmacked. I hope you stick to history.
Great essay, J.W. One thing though, AI isn’t going to ‘solve’ anything. People will. AI is like having a filing cabinet now with some automation. Mine are steel. They ‘solve’ nothing either.
AI isn’t even AI.
This is one of the best, if not the best “A User’s Guide to History” that I have read over the years. Having read no less than 5 posts today by “AI” pundits speculating on this over that in trying to get my mind around where we are with this inductive reasoning beast, I am comforted in realizing the broader landscape upon which I should be focused. Rather than allowing the emotional pull of “I don’t want to miss the train before it leaves the station,” I may want to catch the next, or even the one that comes after that. Thank you. I shall sleep better tonight.