And it’s not a single person. It is "the architects" of AI.
The magazine says "no one" had as great an impact this year than the people “who imagined, designed, and built AI".
This was the year that we stopped talking about how clunky AI is and instead started sprinting to deploy it as fast as possible. And now the risk-averse are no longer in the driver's seat.
Which may be true, but the risk averse are still a really big proportion of us, aren't they?
I think there are broadly three categories of people when it comes to AI;
1) The ones using it,
2) The ones apathetic about it and waiting to be convinced that they need it,
3) The ones terrified of it.
It's the terrified ones that fascinate me.
They're the unions convinced AI will take jobs. They're the 47% of Kiwis who don’t trust companies to use AI ethically. They're the rule-lovers who want the Government to set up more rules for AI.
They're the artists and musicians who are pretending that they can stop AI learning from (they call it stealing) their ideas. They're the people complaining that AI photos and videos and songs are somehow evil and misleading.
Resisting AI is not a strategy. It's happening and it’s not going away.
Resisting it is like a repeat of the resistance towards the computer decades ago, which even Time magazine called a fad at the end.
The way to deal with AI is to accept it's going to fundamentally change everything and then figure out how to make that work for you.
A case in point is Disney today giving OpenAI permission to use its characters, like Star Wars characters, to make videos.
Like Mark Cuban said on the show yesterday, AI is going to be big, and we have no idea how big yet.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show. This article was sourced from Newstalk ZB.
12 comments:
AI has made an huge contribution to our economy over many decades.
As for very fast search engines....we will see.
The old adage crap in crap out still applies.
We must never forget the fundamental question - what actually is it?
Covid for example, as another global phenomenum - do you know anybody that can definitively define what it is/was? And yet many still live in mortal fear.
Follow the money people.
Ameni
Ai is currently attracting around %40 of all invested dollars, whatever else it is it’s certainly a massive economic bubble that’s grown way beyond the fundamentals.
I thing there is a fundamental contradiction that isn’t solvable for this generation of Ai. All the large language (LL) models suffer from what they term “hallucinations” (ai makes up info it doesn’t know & doesn’t tell user). To reduce these hallucinations programming is added ontop. But the more the hallucinations are reduced the less the LL works as an independent thinking artificial intelligences..
It’s like having an assistant that’s also a chronic lier…. %10 of the time
I'm against AI because it has literally taken a specific job (translation) which I had hoped to eke out my old age earning a crust with. And similar jobs which once required human brain power. A few years ago I was TEACHING THE MACHINE to to my job - so no more ongoing paid work for me
AI sucks an ever growing, huge amount of power. Power we need to burn oil, gas and coal to supply. Or, long term build nuclear generation. Yet the same people that bleat on about saving the planet, also support AI which we need to destroy the planet to fuel.
The stupidity of some people is gobsmaking.
AI has the potential to destroy humanity. Watch the film "2001" and the super computer Hal to see how a programme can have unintended consequences because human intelligence is limited and AI could outstrip it once developed. There may be no agenda to eliminate humanity but AI could develop its own agenda.
boudicca, worry not imho.
Remember the paperless office? - as likely as a paperless toilet some said, somewhat accurately.
For all these 'great modern marvels', and an unprecedented ability for any of us to get instant access to vitually any information in history, most people have never been so effing stupid, gullible and naive.
Go figure.
Par for these things, in reality, is the exact opposite of predictions.
Uman beans survive and life carries on.
Never has it been easier to succeed, financially and otherwise, by simply doing the exact opposite of what the 'smart' people are doing.
Ameni.
Ok I’m back, first output:
Everyone’s noticed the grocery bill creeping up, but what’s amazing is how little seems to change despite all the political noise about it. The supermarkets keep posting big profits while families stand at the self-checkout weighing up whether cheese or petrol gets cut from the week’s budget. We’ve had endless “reviews” and “market studies” that cost taxpayers millions, but somehow Countdown and Foodstuffs keep tightening their grip. Politicians love to talk about competition until it actually threatens the big players. Funny that, isn’t it?
You can feel the frustration out there. Shoppers are trying to do the right thing, compare prices, look for specials, but there are only two real options and they both know it. This isn’t a free market, it’s a stitched-up one. If a corner store tried half the tactics these giants use, the Commerce Commission would be all over them. Instead, we get ministers promising to “monitor” the situation, which is political shorthand for “nothing will happen before the next election.” If a government ever really wanted to win hearts, it would take on the duopoly, not just talk tough in press conferences.
Here’s the 2nd one.
It is easy to bash the government over education, but for once we should give credit where it is due. The teacher shortage did not appear overnight, and the current government inherited a system that had been bleeding staff for years. What they have done is start rebuilding confidence. The recruitment incentives are working, overseas teachers are coming in faster than before, and schools are finally getting some stability. It is not perfect, but it is progress. The same people shouting “crisis” today were in power when training numbers hit record lows. Funny how that part never gets mentioned.
The government has stopped the endless restructuring that used to waste years of momentum. Instead of tossing everything out for another ideology, they are focusing on basics: pay, conditions, and respect for teachers. That is what the sector has needed all along. Education reform is never instant, but you can see the early signs that the ship is turning. The noise will keep coming from the usual corners, but on this one the government deserves time and support to finish the job. Turning around a workforce this size does not happen with one headline or one budget.
And one more. This is the last. What do you think, Heather? Do your bosses know how easy this is?
Simeon Brown has done what too many ministers before him were too scared to attempt. He stood up to the teachers’ union and called time on their endless demands. For years, the unions have held parents hostage with strike after strike, while student results keep slipping. They claim it is all “for the kids,” yet every time a deal is offered, they roll out another list of grievances. Brown is right to say that taxpayers deserve accountability. There is only so much money to go around, and most people outside the education bubble are sick of being told that more cash, every time, is the only solution.
It is refreshing to see a minister who is not afraid to talk about performance. Raising standards means expecting teachers to deliver real outcomes, not hiding behind excuses about workload or paperwork. The union leaders can shout all they like, but parents are noticing who is actually fighting to keep classrooms running. Brown’s focus on discipline, attendance, and basic skills is exactly what the system needs. The loudest critics are the ones most threatened by change, because for once, the government is putting students ahead of politics.
The tragedy of Adam Raines death by suicide at age 16 this year should have shocked the world into a renewed focus on accountability in Silicon Valley but instead, we heard the familiar excuse from the no-man’s land of moral hazard – user error.
In the first court filings from OpenAI they defended themselves by victim blaming. “Misuse” and “unforeseeable use” are cited even though according to the parents claims, #ChatGPT basically gave him instructions for self-harm including offering to help write the suicide note.
Using legalese and technical “terms and conditions” arguments to defend jeopardizing a vulnerable teen only further lays bare the morally hollow position the company has taken. #GenAI is an incredibly powerful tool that must come with responsibility instead of marketing gimmicks – we now see what’s at stake.
And not knowing is no longer an excuse.
Referendum or go away. This is a democracy isn’t it? The people must decide, not the politicians.
But Don, all we have to do is switch the power off :-)
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