Our president, the dumbest in our history, used his infamous black Sharpie to sign an order to change the term Artificial intelligence to Super intelligence. Perhaps he thinks the Super Intelligence moniker applies to him. It does not! George Bernard Shaw said “He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career.” Need I say more?
I’ll use the term Artificial Intelligence (AI) because I want to reserve the right to define myself as THE Super Intelligence. Please don’t tell me I’m wrong, mistaken, or misinformed and never, never call me the “s” word, stupid. I aspire to be a know-it-all. Meanwhile, my huge repertoire of putdowns is topped by referring to someone else as “stupid.”
I want to feel safe and secure. I believe the more I know the safer and more secure I will feel, but sometimes the more information I have the more afraid or overwhelmed I am. Dr. Google can send me into a fear rabbit-hole,and it can be hard for me to make decisions when I think I haven’t got ALL of the information. Older women can be taken advantage of or patronized by those who see us as less intelligent or less informed . I can hear what is not being said “This old lady has no clue and can’t understand.” I owe it to myself to not be that kind of old lady. If I don’t know who Siri is I’m in big trouble. I don’t have to know all the current slang young people are using, but I better know how to use a smart phone, a computer and all the apps and portals I need, as well as any other tech that I need to function in my world. I believe that I can learn “ new-fangled” things, as my Mother used to say. At the very least, I make it a priority to have a network of professionals I trust to help me navigate thru life. And yes I use AI!
There is a Persian proverb that says, “Doubt is the key to knowledge ?”. Does AI have doubts or questions? Does it imagine? Humans doubt and question and imagine, and we feed data to AI. Humans can also be stupid, do evil things, and make mistakes. There are painful consequences for these behaviors that we hope will set limitations on this dark side of humanity, but what about AI? If knowledge really is power, does AI have more power than we humans? The predictions and warnings about AI going rogue seem credible. I can absorb a great deal of information, but I can’t pretend I have no biases. I can stop learning when I am sure I have the correct answer. “I am wrong.” or “I made a mistake.” do not easily roll off my tongue, but as I’ve gotten older I realize true knowledge is only possible when I admit what I don’t know. I can’t “flub” my way through if I want to live a satisfied life. Of course, I’m not completely against bullshit because it is useful at times. Can AI bullshit? I kinda hope not!
I never underestimate the depth and power of stupidity, especially in myself. It never ceases to amaze how stupid other people may be. I think a sense of humor is an antidote to stupidity. Some stupid shit/food for thought:
I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid.” – Terry Bradshaw
I actually don’t like thinking. I think people think I like to think a lot. And I don’t. I don’t like to think.” – Kanye West
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in a large group.
George Carlin
I guess I’m gonna fade into Bolivian.” – Mike Tyson
In summary: Everything happens for a reason, but sometimes the reason is you’re stupid and make bad decisions. Unknown
I won’t count on AI to save me from myself.
