A glimpse of the future

[Clitheroekid]

These videos show what the latest AI apps are capable of, and it's both remarkable and, to me at least, quite frightening - https://twitter.com/GoogleDeepMind

I've realised an uncomfortable truth - not only am I now unable to keep up with technology, but I'm no longer able to delude myself that I can.

It's rather disconcerting. I have the feeling that AI is like a previously dormant volcano that's just about to explode, and that we're all strolling about on its slopes, blissfully unaware of what's about to hit us.

The more I read and watch about it the more I'm convinced that its impact will be far greater than that of the internet and mobile phones combined.

Am I being unduly cynical in feeling a sense of unease when I read their `mission statement'?

We’re a team of scientists, engineers, ethicists and more, committed to solving intelligence, to advance science and benefit humanity.

I'm sure that's pretty much what HAL's designers would have said ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARJ8cAGm6JE

[Hallucigenia]

I'm sure that's pretty much what HAL's designers would have said ...

[UncleEbenezer]

It's rather disconcerting. I have the feeling that AI is like a previously dormant volcano that's just about to explode, and that we're all strolling about on its slopes, blissfully unaware of what's about to hit us.

Speaking as someone who lived several years on the slopes of a long-dormant volcano whose next eruption is likely to be sudden and Vesuvian ...

I'm not going to predict what AI may do. If and when it becomes more intelligent than you or me, the next battle will be over the preconceptions it challenges (one of those might or might not be your fears). We've already seen some of those arguments: for example "the algorithm is biased because of the data it was trained on".

Meanwhile it'll be the consequences of human overpopulation that bring us down in the real world. AI might offer helpful advice, but will the humans in charge accept it?

[scrumpyjack]

Meanwhile it'll be the consequences of human overpopulation that bring us down in the real world. AI might offer helpful advice, but will the humans in charge accept it?

What makes you think it will be humans in charge, if the AI is so clever by then?

[UncleEbenezer]

Meanwhile it'll be the consequences of human overpopulation that bring us down in the real world. AI might offer helpful advice, but will the humans in charge accept it?

What makes you think it will be humans in charge, if the AI is so clever by then?

Why are politicians and not scientists in charge? Clue: it's not their intelligence!

[stevensfo]

These videos show what the latest AI apps are capable of, and it's both remarkable and, to me at least, quite frightening - https://twitter.com/GoogleDeepMind

I've realised an uncomfortable truth - not only am I now unable to keep up with technology, but I'm no longer able to delude myself that I can.

It's rather disconcerting. I have the feeling that AI is like a previously dormant volcano that's just about to explode, and that we're all strolling about on its slopes, blissfully unaware of what's about to hit us.

The more I read and watch about it the more I'm convinced that its impact will be far greater than that of the internet and mobile phones combined.

Am I being unduly cynical in feeling a sense of unease when I read their `mission statement'?

We’re a team of scientists, engineers, ethicists and more, committed to solving intelligence, to advance science and benefit humanity.

I'm sure that's pretty much what HAL's designers would have said ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARJ8cAGm6JE

and benefit humanity.

I love these expressions. Reminds me of 'as a gesture of goodwill' and notices from banks and other organisations about withdrawing services and accounts 'in order to improve our service to you'....blablabla.

Yes, they make me feel uneasy too. With AI and increased processing speed, computers will have a 'fingerprint' of every person with the tiniest of details all cross-referenced. Goodbye Privacy.

Though that's pretty much disappeared anyway.

Steve

[scotview]

An interaction with AI for image enhancement. It made a good job of improving my grainy image of a damsel fly. I thought the original was quite good until AI had a go at it (enlarged). A benign application though.

[doolally]

But can it tell me what my wife is really thinking?
doolally

[Gerry557]

Meanwhile it'll be the consequences of human overpopulation that bring us down in the real world. AI might offer helpful advice, but will the humans in charge accept it?

What makes you think it will be humans in charge, if the AI is so clever by then?

The humans cant be in charge, they are a threat to the planet. Exterminate! Exterminate! (said in best dalek accent)

[MuddyBoots]

But can it tell me what my wife is really thinking?
doolally

Don't worry you can always get an AI girlfriend if it doesn't work out with the wife.

https://www.virtualgf.chat/

[DrFfybes]

But can it tell me what my wife is really thinking?
doolally

Oh yes. And the answer will be "fine".

Because AI's aren't stupid

[Alaric]

The humans cant be in charge, they are a threat to the planet. Exterminate! Exterminate! (said in best dalek accent)

There was a Doctor Who story from around 1965 called the War Machines. It's available on BBC iplayer.

A new computer called WOTAN installed in what was then the Post Office Tower in London was being connected up to all the other computers in the world (There weren't that many in 1965). Between them they decided that mankind must be eliminated and had some machines built to do this These were the *"War Machines" of the title. Terry Nation didn't do the script, so they weren't pepperpots.

[stevensfo]

The humans cant be in charge, they are a threat to the planet. Exterminate! Exterminate! (said in best dalek accent)

There was a Doctor Who story from around 1965 called the War Machines. It's available on BBC iplayer.

A new computer called WOTAN installed in what was then the Post Office Tower in London was being connected up to all the other computers in the world (There weren't that many in 1965). Between them they decided that mankind must be eliminated and had some machines built to do this These were the *"War Machines" of the title. Terry Nation didn't do the script, so they weren't pepperpots.

Was that William Hartnell? I always felt that his great acting balanced the awful special effects. In 2024, we realise how silly the daleks were, but to be honest, they were/will be terrifying.

As a great fan of The Goodies, I remember the kitten destroying the PO tower.

It was only a few years ago, while visiting out eldest in London, that I learned about the name change. It's the British Telecom Tower or something like that.

I always remember the famous restaurant that rotated, but apparently that's been closed.

Steve

PS The best part about visiting London is the realisation that you don't have to live there!

[Howyoudoin]

These videos show what the latest AI apps are capable of, and it's both remarkable and, to me at least, quite frightening - https://twitter.com/GoogleDeepMind

I've realised an uncomfortable truth - not only am I now unable to keep up with technology, but I'm no longer able to delude myself that I can.

It's rather disconcerting. I have the feeling that AI is like a previously dormant volcano that's just about to explode, and that we're all strolling about on its slopes, blissfully unaware of what's about to hit us.

The more I read and watch about it the more I'm convinced that its impact will be far greater than that of the internet and mobile phones combined.

Am I being unduly cynical in feeling a sense of unease when I read their `mission statement'?

We’re a team of scientists, engineers, ethicists and more, committed to solving intelligence, to advance science and benefit humanity.

I'm sure that's pretty much what HAL's designers would have said ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARJ8cAGm6JE

Ugh. When I think we used to laugh in the 80s that our grandparents didn’t know how to use a VCR, these advances in technology are scary for someone who will be 66 when his only son becomes a teenager . . .

HYD

[GrahamPlatt]

These videos show what the latest AI apps are capable of, and it's both remarkable and, to me at least, quite frightening - https://twitter.com/GoogleDeepMind

I've realised an uncomfortable truth - not only am I now unable to keep up with technology, but I'm no longer able to delude myself that I can.

It's rather disconcerting. I have the feeling that AI is like a previously dormant volcano that's just about to explode, and that we're all strolling about on its slopes, blissfully unaware of what's about to hit us.

The more I read and watch about it the more I'm convinced that its impact will be far greater than that of the internet and mobile phones combined.

Am I being unduly cynical in feeling a sense of unease when I read their `mission statement'?

We’re a team of scientists, engineers, ethicists and more, committed to solving intelligence, to advance science and benefit humanity.

I'm sure that's pretty much what HAL's designers would have said ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARJ8cAGm6JE

A large number of people feel that Generative AI is not a force for good*. Probably more are concerned by our loss of privacy.
Some are actually doing something about it. The Web as we know it is not written in stone. Networking technologies and communications software exist that can be leveraged to give users their privacy back. Currently all a bit niche, but I think we will see change in this direction soon.

https://taggart-tech.com/human-web/

Ygdrassil https://yggdrasil-network.github.io/
Nostr https://nostr.com/
Berty https://berty.tech/
Hyperswarm https://github.com/hyperswarm
Gnunet https://www.gnunet.org/en/

Keet https://keet.io/ (based on hyperswarm)
SimpeX https://simplex.chat/blog/20240323-simp ... ation.html
Matrix https://matrix.org/
Cwtch https://cwtch.im/videos/explainer/
Delta Chat https://delta.chat/en/
Threema https://threema.ch/en/secure-messenger

* It can be - is - in some ways, e.g. when used in academic research, but the way it’s being foisted onto us, enabling deepfake and worse, is - to my mind - wrong.

[GrahamPlatt]

And this https://www.theverge.com/24066646/ai-el ... onsumption

[bungeejumper]

Ugh. When I think we used to laugh in the 80s that our grandparents didn’t know how to use a VCR, these advances in technology are scary for someone who will be 66 when his only son becomes a teenager . . .

I am frankly inconsolable. Not so much because I never did learn how to make the frickin' VCR work anyway - but rather because, forty-five years on, I now realise that I'll probably never get the chance.

In the future, we'll all have an Apple chip implanted in our brains that will be continuously updated so to make every new technical gizmo 100% user-intuitive for all of us. (It'll plug next-door to where the Tesla chip already sits.)

But only if the gizmo happens to be an Apple, and only if you've pre-paid your dues to Tim Cook, including the privacy waiver and the blood donations. Eat your hearts out, MS-ers and Ubunters and all the rest of you primitives. It's going to be a long cold learning process......

BJ (who wouldn't know how to work an Apple even if he could afford one.)

[Clitheroekid]

With apologies for continuing my own thread this is a remarkable example of how AI can be used to create video from just a simple prompt - https://openai.com/index/sora/

[ReformedCharacter]

With apologies for continuing my own thread this is a remarkable example of how AI can be used to create video from just a simple prompt - https://openai.com/index/sora/

It's most impressive from, as you say, a single prompt. My younger son works in the games industry, you might think that it's a bit niche but the games industry is worth more than the film and music industries combined. Some of his work is non-realistic by intent and some is supposed to look 'real' and it does. My son is very good at what he does and is well paid for his work. I've seen some of his more realistic work and know how long it takes to produce with 'traditional' tools. At a guess it would take someone several weeks to produce the video in your link 'by hand'. I hope my son - who is now in his mid 20s - can continue to find work in his chosen field but one thing's for certain, he won't be working the same way in 5 years time, let alone in 10.

RC