I’ve written lots about the good, here is some of the scary.
It’s no mystery that I’m a fan of Artificial Intelligence. I have used it for my writing, for my music, to create art, to help create and manage the websites I work on, and the technology of it thrills me. I’ve even played Dungeons and Dragons with Dr. Alan Thompson and OpenAI powered, nice bot, Leta. I’m open to it all.
I’ve posted loads here on kel.zone about A.I. but very seldom do I give doom and gloom content. And although this is negative stuff about A.I. I’m still very much on board. To me it’s a done deal and best to just get on with it. I mean, our politicians can’t even work together on the smallest things so how do we imagine they’ll put in any controls or regulations with regard to artificial development? Please.
So, here are a couple of headlines that came across my feed this week. Let’s start with Porn.
WIRED writer Matt Burgess says Deepfake Porn is Out of Control. (alt link here).
I’m so old I don’t think I’d care if someone created a deep faked of me having sex … no one wants to see me. But I’m not so old that I don’t remember what it’s like to be a teenager or very young woman who takes everything about her looks and social image extremely seriously. I can see where a woman who is, for example, a Twitch streamer would be driven desperately depressed if a deep fake of her goes viral under nearly any condition, sex or no sex, naked or dressed in a horrid outfit, it would all be bad. I don’t like people taking pictures of me in any capacity, ever, never have.
So the out-of-control statistics are not to be ignored:
“At least 244,625 videos have been uploaded to the top 35 websites set up either exclusively or partially to host deepfake porn videos in the past seven years, according to the researcher, who requested anonymity to avoid being targeted online.”
Does this mean porn stars are going to be put out of business? I’m not being cheeky. That’s a serious question.
I don’t know how to fix this problem. Do you? Again, perhaps just having enough confidence and not giving a care if someone does that would be the best approach but that almost certainly isn’t going to happen.
Now, deepfaking someone to steal their identity is something that does scare me. I could end up homeless with no money and no recourse. That is terrifying. But what can I do about that?
Next.
The Atlantic writer, Charlie Warzel, wrote: AI IS ABOUT TO PHOTOSHOP YOUR MEMORIES. (alt link here)
Uh, that’s not exactly right, though. Is it? What he’s talking about is YOU editing your photos. AI didn’t just all on its own hack your photos. You will need to choose to do it. At least for now.
This is all about the new Google Pixel 8 phone and the “Magic Editor”.
WIRED had a good one about it too by Julian Chokkattu, THE NEW AI PHOTO TRICKS ON THE PIXEL 8 ARE BLOWING MY MIND. (alt link here).
Warzel writes, “In the ad, a happy father is playing with his son on the beach while Mom is documenting it all on her brand-new Google Pixel 8 phone. Dad lifts the boy and gently tosses him a foot or so into the air. Mom, quick with the shutter, captures her giggling son at the apex of his flight. In the next frame, Mom clicks a button on her phone labeled “Magic Editor,” which allows her to isolate the boy on her screen and effortlessly drag him higher into the air and farther from Dad’s outstretched arms. With another tap, she adds contrast to the washed-out sky in the background, making the clouds pop. The boy is now soaring against an iridescent sky. A good shot has become a great one.“
Chokkattu writes, “Now AI photo tools such as Magic Editor suggest that our camera rolls will evolve subtly, and perhaps we will too. Most concerns about AI irrevocably altering our world are hyper-focused on the future, but what if AI’s lasting impact is on the way we understand the past?“
I think it probably will and can do that but how great is our memory anyway? Google says they can help your photos come more in line with your memories… now that is terrifying.
Ultimately wouldn’t it be my choice whether or not to replace a dull photo with an enhanced one? Do you think the Kardashians keep all their fat photos? It’s all great food for thought but here’s one thing I haven’t seen.
All this is not new. If you have the right camera, the expensive Photoshop software (or maybe the free GIMP sw), and the knowledge of how to manipulate the photos and the time to do it – all of this is already available. The difference is that now the power to alter photos is available to the masses… that can afford the phone.
The real problem is the current way our society works which looks, to some, like we’re having a total collapse. And when your culture is in collapse tools like these can bring about huge harm. The ways that A.I. can harm is limited only by your imagination.
So, circling back, is the problem the tool or the human? (Oh wait, that sounds hauntingly familiar… oh… right, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people”)
hmmmmmmmm…. 🙁
Updated 11/6/2023
Rather thank create a new post I’m just going to update this one.
If you follow Sam Harris you may be interested in his view on the nefarious aspect of A.I. , I found a short version (7 minutes), which is below. But if you want to see the long interview (1hr 50), the link is here. Interviewer is Steven Bartlett. The long version is worth the watch (or listen), imho.