How could Artificial Intelligence become dangerous?

[California]

point is, AI is here, its not going away, so the smart thing is to try to find a way to use it for your benefit.

Well said. That was the core lesson in my MBA classes: We live in an environment of perpetual change. Keep an eye on what's new and not yet well understood. That can be where fortunes are made, surfing the wave of new concepts, methods, innovations, before they become commonplace.

And adding to the Secretary comments: When I started as a government auditor in 1979 everything was turned in to the office secretaries in longhand, to be typed. I had a light portable typewriter to write my audit drafts and that was seen by others as strange. The mainframe programmers were prohibited from keypunching their own IBM cards, so a day delay to get their cards back from Keypunch was common.

It was a few more years before IBM's Programmer's Workbench was introduced, programmers working at CRT terminals.

Change is inevitable. Seems to me we can either recognize that and take advantage of it - or get run over by the unexpected.

 

[JRH02]

My random thought of the day: "What else can I worry about today that I have no leverage to control except to post to a forum?"

Seriously though, through my life, there have been many things I have pondered and which I have little to control and I can try to change things(?) - those are to change myself. Hopefully before rather than later. This whole AI thing has really grown some legs. And it seems to me much is fear mongering just like everyone complains the media does daily. And of course a lack of understanding of things technical. So what can you do in your decisions, actions and lifestyle NOW that will minimize the impact of AI to you? Best to do your own research and educate yourself and act now rather than later.

If I do anything today it is mainly security. Whether physical, financial or information related there are things one can do NOW.

 

[kenmbz]

The problem with AI is it is hooked into our news-feeds, in Military equipment, Banks, Doctors offices, Utilities and many places where it can do damage or good at a scale previously unknown.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I just bee keep and garden, sometimes work on old cars and motorcycles. My future is pretty secure. Tapping out of employment at 47 was one of the best things I have ever done.

AI interests me from an investment perspective

 

[MossRoad]

Well said. That was the core lesson in my MBA classes: We live in an environment of perpetual change. Keep an eye on what's new and not yet well understood. That can be where fortunes are made, surfing the wave of new concepts, methods, innovations, before they become commonplace.

And adding to the Secretary comments: When I started as a government auditor in 1979 everything was turned in to the office secretaries in longhand, to be typed. I had a light portable typewriter to write my audit drafts and that was seen by others as strange. The mainframe programmers were prohibited from keypunching their own IBM cards, so a day delay to get their cards back from Keypunch was common.

It was a few more years before IBM's Programmer's Workbench was introduced, programmers working at CRT terminals.

Change is inevitable. Seems to me we can either recognize that and take advantage of it - or get run over by the unexpected.

Unfortunately, there's gonna come a time (might already be here) where there won't be enough jobs for even the most adaptable people among us. That's a fact, in my opinion.

I've always been adaptable, and am glad I'll be retiring in about 20 months (or less).

 

[California]

Unfortunately, there's gonna come a time (might already be here) where there won't be enough jobs for even the most adaptable people

I wonder if that is the reason for deporting the immigrants. While leaving their employers untouched.

 

[DarkBlack]

Anyways, point is, AI is here, its not going away, so the smart thing is to try to find a way to use it for your benefit.

Probably equally important if not more so, is to avoid letting it be a detriment to your life

 

[DarkBlack]

I recently had my first experience with unexpected AI in place of a clerk. I phoned a small lawn-sprinkler install/repair service and AI asked some routine questions instead of the conversation with a clerk that I expected. That ended with 'Now I'll transfer you to Lucille'. A real person who had all the information on her screen to intelligently, and quickly, discuss alternatives for what I needed and dispatch the tech, that same day.

When the guy arrived he said this was one of several small businesses he has started. His business plan is build up clientele using mostly AI for a dispatch office then sell the going business and start another. Because his real objective was he could make a lot more money developing and selling small owner-operated businesses that couldn't exist without local labor - like this lawn sprinkler repair service.

I wouldn't be surprised if while Lucille is a real person, she might be in another city serving as dispatcher for many small businesses. There's your 4:1 efficiency. In this case maybe 10:1.

May you live in interesting times. ...

You just reminded me… with larger companies, many presently employ 4 distinct levels of ‘help service’.

1) text/browse common questions / issues. They hope to divert most people here

2) Text chat with a representative ( right now it’s 50/50 real , or AI, flip a coin. Increasingly the odds are, you’re unwittingly chatting with AI

3) You decline text communication and insist on live talking.
You get transferred to a young cute sounding girl from somewhere in Asia.
Maybe you understand her, maybe not. Probably didn’t solve your issue, but she made you feel good talking to a pleasant, young sounding girl

4) You’re really pissed off, or you have a good old fashioned US company (rare), and you get to a person who speaks English, and reminds you of an actual person you might live among.

#3 are the people posed most to lose their jobs to the second half of #2

 

[California]

Real, or overstated?

"The US economy has shed 142,200 jobs over the last 4 months excluding healthcare sector, the highest reading since the 2020 Crisis."

 

[riptides]

Real, or overstated?

"The US economy has shed 142,200 jobs over the last 4 months excluding healthcare sector, the highest reading since the 2020 Crisis."

Understated.