A couple of weeks ago, while hanging out with my younger brother and his fiancé, I brought up my recent interest in AI technology. To my surprise, my brother expressed distrust in it, saying that he felt uncomfortable with the idea of machines making decisions for us. This got me thinking about how much misunderstanding there is around this technology and how it's already integrated into many aspects of our lives without us even realizing it.
For instance, when we use search engines like Google, we're benefiting from the power of machine learning algorithms that can accurately predict what we're searching for based on our previous queries and behavior. Popular chatbots and voice assistants like Siri and Alexa use natural language processing (NLP) to understand and respond to our requests in a human-like way. And when we use speech recognition tools, such as Google's speech-to-text feature, we're using technology that has been trained using deep learning algorithms like OpenAI's GPT models to accurately transcribe our words.
But it's not just voice and text-based applications that are benefiting from machine learning. We're also seeing significant advancements in image and video processing technology. For example, text-to-image and text-to-video models like DALL-E, developed by OpenAI, can generate realistic images and videos based on written descriptions. And data visualization tools like Tableau use machine learning algorithms to help us make sense of complex data sets by identifying patterns and trends that we might otherwise miss.
Even recommendation systems and data sorting and filtering tools, like those used by Amazon and Netflix, use artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide users with personalized suggestions based on our preferences and behavior.
Of course, with any new technology, there are valid concerns around its usage. These concerns include important issues such as ethics, privacy, security, and bias. But I feel like most people neglect that by educating ourselves about how these systems work and advocating for ethical standards and practices, we can de-stigmatize AI and ensure that we're using these tools and technology in a responsible and beneficial way.
Every time I talk about the ethics of AI I am reminded the translation of this quote from Roland Barthes in his essay, "The Death of the Author":
“The reader is the space on which all the quotations that make up a writing are inscribed without any of them being lost; a text's unity lies not in its origin but in its destination. Yet this destination cannot any longer be personal: the reader is without history, biography, psychology; he is simply that someone who holds together in a single field all the traces by which the written text is constituted…Classic criticism has never paid any attention to the reader; for it, the writer is the only person in literature…we know that to give writing its future, it is necessary to overthrow the myth: the birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the Author."
So the next time you use Google to search for something, or ask Alexa to turn off the lights, remember that you're already benefiting from the power of artificial intelligence or machine learning. And who knows, maybe one day we'll be able to use text-to-video models to generate masterpiece cinematography or even use speech-to-text models to transcribe our thoughts in real-time. The possibilities are endless, and with responsible use, advancements in AI have the potential to transform our lives for the better.
Comment and share whether you agree or disagree, I'd love to know what you think!