Paul answers “For those who have read this, did you...”

IvanOpinion asked this question about Machines like Me:

For those who have read this, did you think there was much point in creating the alternative 1982?

Paul Using a fictitious scenario for 1982 avoids the need to answer the question when this kind of technology might be available in reality. You could argu…moreUsing a fictitious scenario for 1982 avoids the need to answer the question when this kind of technology might be available in reality. You could argue that rather than being a distraction, using a fictitious scenario avoids distraction by avoiding this question.

Artificial intelligence beating Go champions may give the impression that it is far advanced, but on the scale of things as set in the book, that's a misconception. AI can do very interesting things, and its impact is not to be underestimated, but that doesn't mean that we are anywhere near general artificial intelligence. I work in the field, and I feel that for today's technology, "artificial intelligence" is misleading. It's not that it's not "intelligence", but people get the wrong idea. I prefer to call it "machine learning".(less)

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IvanOpinion Interesting idea. So you are saying that if McEwan had set this in, say, 2042, it would have led to distracting debate over whether this technology co ...more
Aug 22, 2019 08:24AM · flag

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Machines like Me

by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author)

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