Conversations with Dead Historical Figures?
Images by Jackie Ramirez, Ludovic Toinel, Casey Horner
This week I focus on artificial intelligence as it seems to keep finding its way into my favorite podcasts. Not that I have any expertise in the technical aspects, but instead hope we recognize the need for ethics to be part of the conversation.
AI Conversations with the Dead
Although I remain highly skeptical of the efficacy of speaking to dead historical figures through artificial intelligence, author and longevity researcher Sergey Young went on to the Rich Roll podcast and talked about AI projects currently in the works.
One such project he knows is AI technology to help us talk with, and more importantly, ask for advice from dead historical figures. Hypothetically, there may be a day we can ask Albert Einstein or Marie Curie for advice on current issues.
My skepticism, however, is we’re never able to recreate their creativity and thus only get a version that’s biased towards the individual(s) who create the AI version.
Predicting the Dark Side of the Internet
Sticking to the technology space, but this time with a warning about AI, I present Philip Agre. A former researcher and humanities professor who became known for his critiques and warnings of technology and mass data collection.
In the early 1900s, Agre noticed that those in the technology and AI space ignored and avoided outside criticisms. Amazingly, in 1994 he wrote a paper warning about mass data collection by tech companies and that society would largely accept it. Yes, he predicted that in 1994.
Agre no longer seems to have an online presence, and his advice of making ethics and humanities part of the AI field is becoming more and more relevant as companies like Google fight against it.
Tiny Forests in the City
To wrap up with a quick uplifting story, “tiny forests” have begun popping up in big cities throughout Europe. To be clear, these are not small parks, they are a miniature forest. They have a minimal impact on climate change, which is fine as the primary goal is to connect kids and people with nature.
