I have seen the precursors to AI, and I hate them. So I admit to already being prejudiced.
    As an old man born in the 50’s are you surprised? I’ll bet you aren’t.
    Remember “Clippy?” One of the things that led to my wife hating when I start yelling at the computer. One of my usual war cries, “Go away!!!” Another, “I never asked you to do that!” This religious ritual is often followed by many unholy phrases. I would claim demons will rise out of the computer, but I fear it will be demons. Should I try the Lord’s Prayer instead?
    As I type into Word I get all kinds of suggested rephrasing’s that have nothing to do with my intent. Copilot wants to crash my carefully crafted verbal plane into a rockface mountain of nonsensical suggestions. I write a Facebook post mentioning a friend, let’s say “Rebecca,” and right after typing “Rebecca,” “Rebecca’s Neuter Your Husband Service” pops up just as I hit enter. Unintended… post! Horrified, quick as an old foo can quick, I enter edit mode hoping that my wife hasn’t already read it and down the driveway will come the snip, snip service. Or my next door neighbor, Rebecca, doesn’t get an idea.
    Poor Joe. Watchout!
    You must know by now, Joe, that making jokes like that provide me… SHEAR… delight, right?
    Wait… did I just hear a scream next door?
    OK, I did make up “Rebecca’s Neuter Your Husband Service” in jest, but I’ve seen worse suggestions when computers/AI try to decide for me.
    Like that &%$#! Clippy, AI keeps trying to rewrite what I know I need to write. It SUCKS as an editor in a field I’m sure has its share of suck.
    We see, and experience it, all around us. My car wants to play a you can’t catch me game of select a song I like while I have to drive. Likes to steer for me, brake for me, regulate speed beyond where I set the cruise… LOCK MY DOORS. I actually have had the car lock itself while my FOB is in it. Luckily I had a few windows open for the collie and was able to reach in. It’s not supposed to do that.
    What’s next, roll up the windows for us so if it screws up our pets will die? Redirect exhaust into the cabin to save the environment? Shut down the engine at a very inconvenient time?
    I hate to type it: I think I know what’s next, or already being done. People bitch about intrusive government, yet when in power many of them are all in favor of intrusive government when it serves their agenda.
    And these things, I suspect, are already being used by those with the worst intentions to get us to hurt our own country, delete what freedoms we still have, give them more power, back what we never should back. I’m sure campaigns have already used them. As as it gets better and better, eventually, how do we discern the difference? As it gets better and better I imagine fake “facts” will be impossible to separate from actual facts. AI-like programs will inform the government when individuals are not being 1984/Fahrenheit 451 obedient… the list of possible abuses are endless.
    Yet…
    I would love to illustrate books I have written and have control over that, then self publish. Use AI to create orchestras, oboes, rhythm… whatever I need to make my music better. Facebook posts of my songs on Youtube have been spiced up quite well by AI. Out of that effort I got a timeline pic of a monster hanging over a town near where we live. I know amazing things can be done with digital editing. I have been doing it with sound for 30 years. But I don’t want it to edit for me.
    To be fair I didn’t do the monster pic. My nephew. Michael, did. I’m quite tech clumsy in many cases. Give me analog multitrack recording and digital editing I can create wonders. I don’t want anything deciding FOR me. And I imagine, even if my nightmare scenario doesn’t happen, soon we will all be saying, “THAT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN.” Like when I write and Copilot keeps demanding I turn my prose, my songs my plays into gibberish. Use contractions I know for a fact are wrong.
    Like any new tech there are wonders and nightmares possible. I can’t imagine regulations not being necessary. Yet we have an strong anti-reg culture these days. I have a feeling if we’re going treat this in a libertarian manner by the time we come to our senses it will be too late. Opening us up to a 1984 Fahrenheit 451-like state.
    The future? Who knows for sure. But enter it we must… with some trepidation and hopefully, instead, more joy.

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    “Inspection” is a column that has been written by Ken Carman for over 50 years. Inspection is dedicated to looking at odd angles, under all the rocks and into the unseen cracks and crevasses that constitute the issues and philosophical constructs of our day: places few think, or even dare, to venture.
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