For now, the United States
of America leads the world in developing Artificial Intelligence (AI). Communist China is our chief competitor, but
they are still in a close second place.
Other nations that are pursuing AI include: the United Kingdom (UK),
Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Israel, Sweden, Australia, India, South Korea,
and the United Arab Emirates. One source identifies over 30 countries that
are researching and developing AI.
If we may be forgiven a foray
into Ancient History, when I was born television (TV) was not yet commercially
available to the average consumer. TV
began to be a common household item when I was about five or six years old.
Almost everyone had a radio
in their home, and most people had one in their car. The radios operated using cathode ray
tubes. I got my first transistor radio
for Christmas when I was about 12 years old.
Mom thought it was a big deal, but I was disappointed. It was a little larger than a pack of cigarettes. My opinion changed, however, when I found it could
be used to listen to rock and roll after bedtime by sneaking it under the covers. Then the battery went dead. Mom was recently widowed, and she didn’t have
the money to buy new batteries. Bummer. I mowed lawns and shoveled snow for spending
money instead.
About the time that I
graduated from High School, banks began to try to computerize. They mailed everyone punch cards for us to
use to provide their computer with information for managing our accounts. They did not do a good job of explaining the
importance of the cards or how to use them correctly. The result was that a lot of people messed up
their accounts, and these initial moves toward computerization became widely
regarded as a failure. I remember that I
thought computerization was a mistake that would fail across the board.
Computers first began to
appear in the places where I worked in the 1980’s. I was a County Director of Social Services in
a remote, rural Colorado mountain county. Our Secretary/Receptionist had an
IBM typewriter that allowed her to proof her work before printing it. I asked the County Commissioners for the
money to buy a couple of small desktop computers for the Bookkeeper and my
use. They said they didn’t have the money
to waste on expensive gadgets. Then the
state computerized the Public Assistance programs, and they bought and
installed the needed computers for us. We
had trouble getting them to work, however, because the rural telephone lines
could not carry enough data.
I didn’t get a desktop
computer in our home until the late 1990’s.
My wife talked me into it because the word processor would help me
generate the reports needed to earn my Master’s Degree. I still can’t touch type.
The point is that change
is a constant. It will happen whether we
like it or not. I am grateful for the
Internet because it enables me to research and publish this Blog. It is a way that I can talk with people
around the world about Jesus Christ and current events.
Like the Internet, AI is a
tool. A hammer is a tool that can be
used to build nice things or to vandalize someone’s automobile. Like the hammer, AI can be used for good
purposes or for evil.
Recently, there has been a
lot of controversy over the research, development and implementation of
AI. It will be beneficial over a broad
spectrum of society from medical care to space travel. Like any other tool, however, it has the potential
to do great harm.
Unfortunately, the public
discourse is becoming fearful. Opponents
say the there is a risk that AI might even wipe out the human race. Visions of Skylab from the Terminator
movies populate the opponents’ imaginations.
On the other hand, the advocates point out that the greater risk lies in
allowing the Communist Chinese to get the upper hand, and that if they do, they will use AI
to dominate us and the rest of the free world.
The major tech companies
are advocating for more government regulation.
Conservatives point out that involving the government does not have an
impressive track record of success.
The US is in the midst of
an election year, and the issue is unfortunately becoming another partisan
political debate. Conservatives are
generally for AI, and Liberals are against it.
Both sides are engaging in hyperbole, exaggerating their talking points
for emphasis. It never ends.
President Donald Trump is
correct on this one. AI is happening already, and it is inevitable. Our national security depends on the US maintaining
its position as the global leader in AI.
If we do not, the Communist Chinese will do it for us … to our great
loss.
The Liberals are correct
that the use of caution is mandatory. It is ironic that even the big tech companies are asking for government
regulation.
Lamp in a Corner is generally opposed to big government. We would point out that government
involvement often results in retarding or stopping progress, and that
government involvement opens the door for government abuse. (Big Brother is
watching you.) The preferable solution would
be for the developers to set up a system of joint, cooperative self-regulation
with Congressional oversight.
The Holy Bible predicts a seven-year
period of time when God will pour out His wrath on an unbelieving world. During this time, the Antichrist will set up
an image of himself in a new temple in Jerusalem, and he will require everyone to
worship him on pain of death. To enforce
this constraint, he will make people accept a mark in their hand or forehead,
and nobody will be able to engage in commerce without it. This will require a mechanism for enforcement,
and we speculate that advanced computer systems might be one way that he will
accomplish that. (see Revelation, chapters 6-16) We are not advocating the advancement of
computer technology to help the Antichrist.
We simply pointing out that it is going to happen regardless of what we
do.
We urge our fellow
citizens to vote for candidates in November who favor AI, but with appropriate
safeguards built into it to prevent garbage in – garbage out, abuse by
unscrupulous users, and the thing placing the human race at risk.
Our opponents will use AI
to enhance their military capabilities, and we must stay ahead of them. It may be dangerous to do so, but it is more
dangerous not to.
