Author's archive
Field Work 0
Does this remind you of anyone in the news?
Phoning It In 0
The phone rang. The caller ID showed a number from a city on the other side of the country, a city where I know no one, a city I haven’t set foot in in four decades.
As I sometimes do, I picked up the phone and said nothing. (When I do that, the computer on the other end will often disconnect after 11 seconds.)
After a few seconds, a woman’s voice said, “Hello. I’m Polly, I’m an AI assistant . . . .”
That’s when I hung up.
So, a recording on a computer is now an “AI Assistant.”
Give me a break.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
A mixed bag. Most definitely.
Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders look at how AI may affect politics. Here’s a tiny bit of his most excellent article:
At the national level, AI tools are more likely to make the already powerful even more powerful. Human + AI generally beats AI only: The more human talent you have, the more you can effectively make use of AI assistance. The richest campaigns will not put AIs in charge, but they will race to exploit AI where it can give them an advantage.
But while the promise of AI assistance will drive adoption, the risks are considerable. When computers get involved in any process, that process changes.
Twits Own Twitter X Offenders
0
At Above the Law, Joe Patrice savages somewhat less than taken with Elon Musk’s notion that Twitter’s AI zombie Grok should evaluate court cases.
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
Dick Polman is fed up, or perhaps, more accurately, tired out. In his article bidding farewell to the political column he has written (and I have followed) for two decades he notes, almost in passing, the damage done by the disinformation superhighway:
I commend his entire piece to your attention.
Q. It’s the “Else” 0
David Hyde has question relating to someone in the news:
Follow the link for context.
“The Party of Personal Responsibility” 0
Despite what some pundits appear to (want us to) believe, Democrats are not to blame for what Republicans choose to do.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Thom hears some rhymes.
_______________
*Mark Twain.
Fee for Servile 0
Paul Krugman gazes into his crystal ball, and what he sees is not pretty. A snippet:
It describes an economy in which business success depends less on good management than on having the right connections — often purchased by doing political or financial favors for those in power. In Viktor Orban’s Hungary, for example, Transparency International estimates that more than a quarter of the economy is controlled by businesses with close ties to the ruling party.
Now it’s very likely that crony capitalism is coming to America.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Another “responsible gun owner” demonstrates that said phrase is an oxymoron.
So many guns. So much stupid.
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
Sara Gorman and Jack M. Gorman look at how “social” media helps spread dis- and misinformation about mental health and offer some suggestions for combating the flood of FUD. A snippet:
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
The dialog: The pencil sharpener.
The closed caption: It depends on sharper gold.
The stupid: Not artificial.