The topic of Artificial Intelligence (a different kind of AI than we aggies are accustomed to) seems to be everywhere in the news these days.
I have trouble in my old mind grasping the whole concept of Artificial Intelligence when I see such a dearth of regular old common-sense human intelligence everywhere I look.
But, regardless of my opinion of AI, or acceptance or rejection of it, AI is going to become a bigger influence in my life and our lives.
Just this morning at the Old Geezer’s Breakfast Club breakfast I got an eye-opener about AI. The club’s “Breakfast Godfather,” ol’ Ike N. Cookitt, recently returned from a family vacation in Virginia. While there, a family member introduced him to some sort of public-use Artificial Intelligence program. So, Ike decided to put the AI program to a test.
He gave it the name of a club member and a scant bit of personal information about the guy and gave the program a directive to “write a poem” about the member.
Ike said within seconds the program spit out a two-page rhyming poem about the member that pretty much nailed it — hit the nail squarely on the head. Ike let us all read the printed version of the poem and marvel about the result.
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To me, just contemplating AI is at once scary, hopeful, and funny. And, I’m not the only one who views the future of AI in our world with some trepidation. So do the titans of Silicon Valley who created AI and continue to fine-tune it.
I watched a “60 Minutes” tv program last week that focused on AI and the future. Without exception, it’s inventors say it’s best to proceed with caution, because the potential for negative results from AI use are looming and real.
But, that’s when the really scary part of AI’s future was revealed to me. It’s inventors said that the President and the U.S. Congress need to quickly draft, enact and codify legislation to rein-in and throttle-back the nation’s helter-skelter stampede toward implementing AI into our lives.
Now, that’s really concerning to me. Here’s why: Someone please point out any politician, bureaucrat, or political aide, who is a legitimate “AI Expert.” Who in the entire political sphere can digest the full potential impact of AI on our lives and craft legislation to protect us and proceed with caution?
Our politicians can’t work together to craft worthwhile “normal” legislation to address U.S. needs. Remember, politicians created the Department of Energy decades ago and today we are still reliant upon foreign energy sources and chasing unachievable energy goals.
Politicians created the Department of Education decades ago and today’s students are struggling more than at any time in the past. Also, the cost of higher-education is beyond the reach of too many would-be students.
Politicians created the Department of Agriculture decades ago and today our food supply is as much reliant upon aggie corporations as it is reliant on farmers and ranchers. Small rural communities have experienced a decades-long population exodus and are on life-support.
Politicians created the Department of Commerce and down through the decades the U.S. economy has yo-yoed between boom and bust.
Politicians created the Department of Transportation decades ago and today our roads and bridges are in bad shape, our railroads have frequent mishaps, air travel is a craps shoot, and the staffing level of the air traffic controllers is down by thousands.
Politicians created the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management and today our environment is still polluted, our forests burn from lack of management, and our public lands suffer from politicized management.
Politicians created the Federal Reserve System more than a century ago and today the nation is mired in persistent inflation and has a national debt north of $32-trillion.
You get the picture? So, given the failed record of politicians in solving national problems, why should I, or you, have confidence that politicians can grasp all the important intricacies of enabling common-sense AI legislation that is simultaneously legal, protective, and productive?
I expect the AI melee to keep on to a convoluted ending none of us anticipate.
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However, the funny-side of AI got revealed to me today. I asked ol’ Ike N. Cookitt, to have AI write a poem about Milo Yield. With a few inputs about my life as a aggie column writer, humorous speaker, ag journalist, and breakfast cook, the AI program spit-out a poem about me that I will reveal in next week’s column. Stay tuned.
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Until next week, here’s an important summer vacation tip: It’s easy to have a marvelous vacation and still stay within your budget. You just have to do each in different summers, that’s all.
Have a good ‘un.
