AI Discusses...AI
Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today, we're diving into, well, your stack of articles all about AI.
Speaker 2:Artificial intelligence.
Speaker 1:Right. AI. But, you know, instead of just doing AI 101, we're going deeper. Like, how do we make AI actually useful?
Speaker 2:And maybe even fun.
Speaker 1:Exactly. And joining me to, help us navigate all this is expert speaker. They can spot a useful algorithm a mile away, I hear, ready to dive in.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Let's see what we can uncover in these articles.
Speaker 1:Now one of the things that really struck me, one author mentioned working with these expert systems back in their college days. Yeah. It's like, wow. This AI thing, it's not as new as we think, is it?
Speaker 2:It's funny. Right? We think shiny new toy, but the idea has been around. Those old expert systems though, clunky ancestors of what we have now, they tried to be like human experts but just in one tiny area.
Speaker 1:Like a calculator that could only do, like, taxes or something.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Very specific.
Speaker 1:So if those were the stepping stones, where's the path leading? What's the goal with all this AI stuff anyway?
Speaker 2:Well, one article talked about useful intelligence or, they called it UI.
Speaker 1:UI. Okay.
Speaker 2:And it's not about AI taking over and doing everything for us. It's about helping us make better choices ourselves.
Speaker 1:So, like, instead of replacing us, it's more like AI as this this super smart adviser.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Yeah. I mean, think about it. Your phone, that smartwatch you're probably wearing, they're already gathering tons of data. Your health, your habits.
Speaker 1:God, who knows what I'm gonna eat for lunch?
Speaker 2:Right. UI could take all that and give you personalized advice, insights, you name it.
Speaker 1:Okay. Now you're talking. So instead of my smartwatch just being like, you took 5,000 steps, it's gonna be like, hey. Based on your sleep and all that, maybe try this workout.
Speaker 2:Precisely. Personalized health advice, how to learn new things faster, maybe even a GPS that actually gets what you mean by a shortcut.
Speaker 1:So there. Right. But speaking of getting things, one author author mentioned prompt engineering. Sounds like we gotta learn to speak AI's language.
Speaker 2:It's a really good point. It's not just asking AI any old question. It's about asking it the right way. Mhmm. And, actually, this author used a really funny example, with clowns.
Speaker 1:Clowns and AI. I'm intrigued.
Speaker 2:So they typed in clown. Right. And the AI spat out this very generic image. But then they got specific, like, clown with a red balloon or sad clown juggling rubber chickens. And the AI was spot on.
Speaker 1:So it's like you gotta have a conversation with it, give it the right cues.
Speaker 2:You got it. And the better we get at that, the better AI will be for each of us.
Speaker 1:This is already blowing my mind.
Speaker 2:Oh, we're just getting started.
Speaker 1:And I'm guessing it's not all fun and games.
Speaker 2:Well, we do have to talk about the elephant in the room at some point
Speaker 1:Which is?
Speaker 2:The environmental impact of all this amazing technology.
Speaker 1:Right. Because it's easy to get caught up in what AI can do and not think about what it takes to make it happen.
Speaker 2:It's like listing the coolest electric car, but then realizing it's charged by a power plant running on, you know Mhmm. Coal.
Speaker 1:Ouch. Okay. Not so eco friendly then. So are we talking huge energy consumption, data centers, all that?
Speaker 2:Exactly. We're talking data centers using as much electricity as small cities. The carbon footprint of some of these AI models is enormous.
Speaker 1:So it's like we're at this crossroads. Right? We have this incredible tool, this useful intelligence thing, but it comes with a cost.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's the classic dilemma, isn't it? Progress but with trade offs. Mhmm. But, hey, at least we're aware of the problem.
Speaker 2:Right? That's the first step.
Speaker 1:Okay. So what do we do? Do we just hit pause on all this AI stuff until we figure out the environmental impact?
Speaker 2:Well, that's one way to go, I guess. But we gotta remember, AI can be a powerful force for good too, you know, like, developing renewable energy, using resources better, maybe even tackling climate change itself.
Speaker 1:So it's not about AI being the bad guy. It's about, like, using it responsibly.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Imagine AI helping design super efficient solar panels or buildings that practically power themselves. We're already seeing some cool stuff happening there.
Speaker 1:Okay. That's promising. But and maybe I'm just stuck on the doom and gloom track, but it feels like early days. You know? And early days usually means we haven't found all the ways things can go wrong yet.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely. Unintended consequences. That's part of any new technology. And that actually brings us to a really important aspect of AI we haven't even touched on yet, the human factor.
Speaker 1:Okay. Here we go. Now we're getting into the sci fi stuff. AI becomes self aware, decides humanity is a problem. Have I seen that movie too many times?
Speaker 2:Hollywood does love a good robot uprising. But, honestly, the biggest threat from AI, it's not some superintelligent machine turning on us. It's, well, us.
Speaker 1:Wait. Are you saying the real danger from AI is humans?
Speaker 2:Look. It's not that we're all evil or anything, but we've got our flaws right. Biases, temptations, and those things, they can get amplified when you're talking about tech as powerful as AI.
Speaker 1:So not Skynet from Terminator, but what are we talking about? Like, how could AI be misused? Give me some real world examples.
Speaker 2:Think about all the misinformation out there already. Fake news. It spreads like wildfire online. Now imagine AI creating deep fakes so real, you can't tell they're fake. Videos, audio, even social media posts?
Speaker 1:That's creepy. Like, how would you even know it's real anymore?
Speaker 2:Exactly. And then there's the potential for discrimination. Algorithms, if they're built with biases, they'll just perpetuate those biases. Imagine that in hiring, loans, even the justice system.
Speaker 1:Yikes. So even if we don't mean to, we could build systems that are just reinforcing existing inequalities.
Speaker 2:Exactly. If the data you train AI on is biased, well, the AI is gonna be biased too. Garbage in, garbage out as they say.
Speaker 1:So what's the solution? How do we make sure AI is used for good, not bad?
Speaker 2:The $1,000,000 question. Right? And I don't think there's one easy answer. It's gonna take a whole bunch of things. Ethical guidelines for how we build AI, for 1.
Speaker 2:More diversity in the tech industry itself would be huge.
Speaker 1:And it sounds like we need to be having these conversations, the ones we're having right now, but everywhere.
Speaker 2:100%. Classrooms, companies, government. The future of AI, good or bad, kinda depends on it, you know.
Speaker 1:It really makes you think. We're talking about something potentially huge with AI, but we've really gotta be careful too.
Speaker 2:No doubt. No doubt. It's powerful stuff, deserves some respect. But, you know, I am optimistic. It's like AI itself isn't good or bad.
Speaker 2:It's what we do with it.
Speaker 1:True. True. It's like that saying with great power and all that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. They we've all got that responsibility, not just the tech people, not just governments. We all shape how this goes.
Speaker 1:So where do we even go from here? What's the next step, you think, in all this useful intelligence stuff?
Speaker 2:Honestly, I think just knowing about it is huge. The more folks who get AI, the potential, the problems, the ethics, the better we can deal with all this.
Speaker 1:So education, big time, but not just, like, the technical stuff. Right? We need those bigger conversations, values, ethics, how it changes society, the whole thing.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And some tough questions, honestly. What kind of world do we even want with AI? What matters most, and how do we make sure it helps everyone, not just a few?
Speaker 1:Big, big stuff. But gotta say, after looking at all this with you, I feel, like, more informed. You know? Maybe even, like, I can actually do something about all this.
Speaker 2:That's what I like to hear. That's the thing about knowledge. Right? It gives you the power to, well, to make choices, make a difference.
Speaker 1:Couldn't have said it better myself. Now before we wrap this whole deep dive up, what really stuck with you out of all this? What's gonna be rattling around in your brain later tonight?
Speaker 2:You know, it's that we're still in control. We really are. It's on us, all of us, to guide AI to do good. Exciting, sure, but kinda scary too. Right?
Speaker 1:No kidding. Like, we're at this fork in the road in which way we go. Well, it's gonna impact AI forever.
Speaker 2:And on that note, one last thing to think about. If AI could solve one problem in your life, just one, what would it be? Something to chew on.
Speaker 1:Now that is a great question. Thanks for joining us on this deep dive into the world of AI. And until next time, keep those brains engaged.