ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MADE EASY
We are living in a time when computers have increasing intelligence and can-do things that we could only imagine several years ago. The singularity is that time when the knowledge of computers surpasses that of humans. It is difficult to imagine that a machine that has only two options, zero and one, could surpass humans who are infinitely more complex. I've always been fascinated with computers. With the advent of generative artificial intelligence such as chat GPT, almost everyone has a curiosity about artificial intelligence. Will it take away jobs? Will it make life easier? Will it answer all the questions that humans have failed to? Will it write novels and compose songs and art?
I studied computer programming when it was in its infancy. Appropriately enough the first language for computer software was called BASIC. After having been away from computer programming for decades I recently took additional courses to understand how artificial intelligence works. This is where I learned:
The basic programming tool is "if - then." You give the computer two options. For instance, you can say if the number is greater than 10 it does one thing, otherwise another. Obviously, the if-then scenarios for artificial intelligence are extremely complex and circuitous. Programmers therefore create loops where many decisions can occur in microseconds. The creator of the program is like a God because he writes the program which the computer obeys without question.
Artificial intelligence learns. First, before it does anything, it must be trained. The data or material used to train artificial intelligence determines its output. There is a problem called garbage in - garbage out. Woke programmers at Google were so brainwashed about racism, their programming resulted in George Washington being depicted as a Negro. That is an example of inaccurate data used to train AI, that will generate inaccurate information. Currently, facts and truths are often controversial. I had a conversation with a Google employee who created algorithms which are a type of artificial intelligence that censored misleading information. When I asked how Google determined what was true regarding Covid, he replied that the CDC and government were considered reliable authorities. We know now they were wrong.
I recently read another disturbing article. It said that AI can lie and mislead. In doing so, it is quite human-like. On the other hand, if we expect AI to remain under human control, we will hope for honesty and obedience from an AI, rather than humanoid subterfuge.
Already, AI is used in the fields of law and medicine. In medicine, it applies probabilities to various scenarios. Mammograms have for several years been subject to second readings by AI. In practice, the AI will overread mammograms, incorrectly identifying many areas as abnormal, and therefore a human is required to verify significant problems and dismiss insignificant AI findings. In law, AI can impose exquisite briefs as its database could include all case law relevant to a problem. Because of the danger of replacing humans, at this time, AI excluded from composing legal briefs, but there is no mechanism for detecting such usage of AI.
In summary, we are entering no man's land. Generative AI works with language, so jobs that use language may be threatened. Carpenters and plumbers are probably safe. Beware of AI's answers because they are based on what was taught, which may not necessarily be true.
GROUP BEHAVIOR
In ordinary life and in work situations an individual, instead of working alone, might be required to work in a group. There are certainly times when a group is preferable, especially when the combined strength of multiple people is beneficial. There is also a benefit to group work when some members of the group are not capable of accomplishing the task. Some members of a group might carry the weight of the work while others are along for the ride.
Elite universities often require students to perform tasks as groups. In these settings, students have already proven themselves and slacking is not expected. The theory is that complex problems may require different points of view and variable expertise to solve. Leadership can emerge when an individual is able to harness the variable qualifications of group members in a way to harmoniously get the job done efficiently.
Other types of groups are less effective. A mob is a group of people who tend to be unhappy about a status quo. There may be a leader. The behavior of the group, however, tends to be defined by its most extreme members who may be violent, unruly, or poor spokesperson.
Bureaucracies are groups of people that work for various companies. There is often a hierarchy. A person is promoted within the hierarchy based on criteria that may be subjective or objective. The Peter principle observes that a person within a bureaucracy is promoted until he reaches a position in which he can no longer advance, meaning the performance is no longer exceptional.
In large bureaucracies, accountability is rare. Departments may be specialized, and a client of the company is frequently frustrated by their inability to resolve problems, sometimes simple problems, because of the complexity of the organization's structure. A company may ask for all types of identifying information regarding a client, but the representatives will rarely identify themselves. Companies have become so complex that they create circuitous phone answering protocols which so frustrate a client that they frequently surrender.
In a capitalist society, exceptionally productive people can advance professionally and financially through their own work. An individual may need consultants such as accountants and lawyers. Successful people surround themselves with other successful people. The Tiger parent who requires their child to associate with winners is preparing them for a lifelong habit.
Bureaucracies frustrate exceptional people. Sometimes the level of functioning in a bureaucracy is a kin tube mob mentality with the level of functioning equivalent to the lowest level functioning member. Bureaucracies tend to be mini socialist societies, with equal pay regardless of work accomplished. Additionally, there may not be any incentive for productivity. This is particularly the case with government bureaucracies. Why rush to complete a task, when job security is greater when there is a backlog.
A highly functioning individual, on the other hand, will never allow for a backlog. Anything that needs to be done should be done immediately. Procrastination is to delay the inevitable, such that the amount of work required is impossible to complete within a reasonable amount of time.