Abhijit Naskar's Blog - Posts Tagged "machine-learning"

One of the most powerful tools of science is coding,
A string of illegible characters can make or break a society.
145,000 lines of code landed Armstrong 'n Aldrin on the moon,
And 2 billion of them are working to satisfy everyday curiosity.
But this awesome force is still used mostly to generate revenue,
Welfare of humanity isn't a priority here, but a mere suggestion.
That's why the coding marvel that set out to connect the world,
Has become a playground for conspiracy, bigotry and division.
Learn from the horrific blunders of society's founding coders,
Make humanity the primary command of every code you write.
A code that doesn't lift the society is nothing but a hideous bug,
Zeros and Ones know no good or bad, unless by you it is defined.
Uncle Ben once said, with great power comes great responsibility.
I say to you today, a humane code facilitates a humane society.

You can code tasks,
But not consciousness.
You can code phony feelings,
But definitely not sentience.
Nobody can bring a machine to life,
No matter how complex you make it.
But once a machine is complex enough,
It might develop awareness by accident.
So let us focus on humanizing AI,
By removing biases from algorithms,
Rather than dehumanizing AI,
By aiming for a future without humans.
Rich kids with rich dreams make good movies.
Be human first and use AI to equalize communities.

Intelligence comes easy, accountability not so much,
Yet intelligence is complex, accountability is simple.
Technology comes easy, transformation not so much,
Yet technology is complicated, transformation is simple.
In olden days there were just nutters of fundamentalism,
Today there are nutters of nationalism and transhumanism.
Some are obsessed with land, others with digital avatars,
While humanity battles age-old crises like starvationism.
When too much logic, coldness and pomposity set in,
Common sense humanity goes out of the window.
Once upon a time religion was the opium of all people,
Today transhumanism and singularity are opium of the shallow.
To replace the sky god with a computer god isn’t advancement.
Real advancement is when nobody suffers from scarcity of sustenance.

Transhumanism is terrorism, for it is the very antithesis of life. Wasting precious resources on a pompous, narcissistic and megalomaniacal dream of extending life through cold, mechanical means, instead of helping to improve genuine human condition, transhumanists act as modern day terrorists who desecrate the very spirit of life and liberty without ever being held accountable. Let me tell you as a brain scientist and a computer engineering dropout – transhumanism is to brain computer interface, what nuclear weapons are to nuclear physics.

I know electronic circuitry like the back of my hand,
Yet it’s the human mind that fascinates me most immensely.
Fascination in electronics lies in new design possibility,
Whereas the mind is the breeding ground of all possibility.
Our engineering is puny compared to that of Mother Nature,
Each day a new mystery unfolds in the vast organic kingdom.
Our puny electronics work based on cold ‘n rigid computation,
Evolution of life in nature is predicated on plastic mutation.
That’s why we must never disregard nature blinded by arrogance,
We may have conquered nature’s mercy but we’re still subordinate.
The moment a lifeform starts to vilify the womb whence it came,
With a single blow creator nature can flatten all our obstinance.
Foster humility and wisdom, before going nuts about technology.
Don’t end up yet another fancy stain upon the honor of humanity.

There is no such thing as ethical hacking,
If it were ethical they wouldn’t be teaching it.
Because like it or not ethics is bad for business,
They teach hacking so they could use it for profit.
With the right sequence of zeros and ones we could,
Equalize all bank accounts of planet earth tomorrow.
Forget about what glass house gargoyles do with tech,
How will you the human use tech to eliminate sorrow?
In a world full of greedy edisons, be a humble Tesla,
Time remembers no oligarch kindly no matter the status.
Only innovators who get engraved in people’s heart,
Are the ones who innovate with a humane purpose.
Innovate to bridge the gap, not exploit and cater to disparities.
In a world run by algorithms of greed write a code that helps ‘n heals.

ChatGPT is not a threat,
Any more than drugs are.
Ultimately it’s just another test,
That helps strengthen character.
It is a helpful distraction that,
Reduces the competition exponentially.
As more boneheads use ChatGPT to cheat,
Worth of excellence will skyrocket globally.
Drugs used in moderation are medicine,
Drugs abused stifle health and sanity.
Likewise, algorithm used wisely is a boon,
Algorithm abused cripples life and society.
You can cheat in a few projects and exams using AI.
But there is no algorithm to help you cheat in life.

In medicine, we have a condition called oxygen toxicity, which means, even oxygen can do harm if inhaled excessively. Imagine that – we usually associate oxygen with life, yet that very oxygen can literally kill you if your lungs are overexposed to it. The same is going to happen with our brain from unrestrained use of AI. With the rise of AI, machines may or may not become sentient, but one thing is for certain – human mind will soon turn into vegetable.

We became an intelligent species by solving problems, and now that we are entering a technological era where we no longer need to solve problems on our own, leaving the key physiological functions of running the body, eventually the brain itself will become a vestigial organ, like the appendix. As we no longer need to think and act on our own, the cortex will begin to shrink, quite like unused muscle, and eventually, once again after millions of years, the primeval lizard brain, i.e. the limbic brain will gain full control of the new human animal. The rise of AI will be the end of “I”.

But there is also another side to the picture. It’s that, we cannot achieve much more, as a species, than what we already have, without the application of AI. So, the question is not whether AI is good for us – the real question is, are we mature enough to use AI for good.

So how do we use AI without destroying ourselves?

Here’s how.

Use AI to enhance capacity, not to avoid difficulty.
Use AI to accomplish tasks that are otherwise impossible.
Prioritize AI to solve real-life problems, not to make life more comfortable.

Architecture is a reflection of the human spirit, poetry is a reflection of the human spirit, painting is a reflection of the human spirit. And difficult though it is to admit, modern generative AI can now do all of that on its own. So the question is, do you want to live in a world where when you look around, the human spirit is nowhere to be found – not in poetry, not in paintings, not in buildings, nowhere! If not, then never trade in your originality for some two-bit convenience of AI.

BRAIN means Benevolent Reformer
Applying Information Nobly.
DATA means Determined Action
of Transformative Awareness.

Information Technology is primitive IT,
Civilized IT means Informed Transformation.
Heuristic and holistic can never go together,
Shortcuts only obstruct the rise of realization.

Electronics means electron artistry.
Chemistry is an art of bonding.
Mathematics is the art of numbers,
Evolution is the art of correcting.

Society without science dumps the world in stoneage,
Science devoid of society shoves the mind into iceage.

Just like Artificial Intelligence as a whole, on the matter of Generative AI, the world is divided into two camps - one side is the ardent advocate, the other is the outspoken opposition. As for me, I am neither.

I don't have a problem with AI generated content, I have a problem when it's rooted in fraud and deception. In fact, AI generated content could open up new horizons of human creativity - but only if practiced with conscience. For example, we could set up a whole new genre of AI generated material in every field of human endeavor. We could have AI generated movies, alongside human movies - we could have AI generated music, alongside human music - we could have AI generated poetry and literature, alongside human poetry and literature - and so on. The possibilities are endless - and all above board. This way we make AI a positive part of human existence, rather than facilitating the obliteration of everything human about human life.

This of course brings up a rather existential question - how do we distinguish between AI generated content and human created material? Well, you can't - any more than you can tell the photoshop alterations on billboard models or good CGI effects in sci-fi movies. Therefore, that responsibility must be carried by experts, just like medical problems are handled by healthcare practitioners. Here I have two particular expertise in mind - one precautionary, the other counteractive.

Let's talk about the counteractive measure first - this duty falls upon the shoulders of journalists. Every viral content must be source-checked by responsible journalists, and declared publicly as fake, i.e. AI generated, unless recognized otherwise. Littlest of fake content can do great damage to society - therefore - journalists, stand guard!

Now comes the precautionary part. Precaution against AI generated content must be borne by the makers of AI, i.e. the developers. No AI model must produce any material without some form of digital signature embedded in them, that effectively makes the distinction between AI generated content and human material mainstream. If developers fail to stand accountable out of their own free will, they must be held accountable legally.

On this point, to the nations of the world I say, you can't expect backward governments like our United States to take the first step - where guns get priority over children - therefore, my brave and civilized nations of the world - you gotta set the precedent on holding tech giants accountable - without depending on morally bankrupt democratic imperialists. And remember, the idea is not to ban innovation, but to adapt it with human welfare.

All said and done, the final responsibility falls upon just one person, and one person alone - the everyday ordinary consumer. Your mind has no reason to not believe the things you find on the internet, unless you make it a habit to actively question everything - or at least, not accept anything at face value. Remember this. Just because it's viral, doesn't make it true. Just because it's popular, doesn't make it right.