Ai, Ai, OOOhhh...

​I’m currently reading a book that foretells our brave new world in the age of Artificial Intelligence. It’s somewhat daunting to think about AI affecting everything we do, and... OK, I’ll say it: it’s even a bit scary.
 
Did you know that in 2017, Google’s AlphaZero program defeated the Stockfish 8 program at chess? Without ever losing? In over 100 games? You may be aware that Stockfish 8 was the world’s leading  computer chess program with centuries of chess moves in its database: it literally calculated 70 million chess positions every second! AlphaZero, on the other hand, used only the latest machine-learning AI principles and learned how to play chess and defeat Starfish 8 in just four hours!! Without the help of humans at all! That’s impressive. But to me anyway, that’s scary.
 
AI is indeed forecast to deal with every part of our existence. Well, what about truly human endeavors, like producing great art, you say? As the experts say, when you accept that art is defined by human emotions, what will happen when algorithms can understand and manipulate human emotions better than, say, Shakespeare, Frida Kahlo or Beyonce?
 
It’s predicted that by 2050, the idea of a job for life - or even a profession for life - will be outmoded. How will we negotiate mass unemployment brought about by AI? As for a  shift in authority from humans to algorithms: what then?
 
On the good side (I think!?), AI will slow the aging process and extend human lifelines.
 
But the long weekend looms, and the sun is shining, so I think I’ll pack this in for now, take my pups for a walk, and try to enjoy our simple, pandemic-inspired world as is. Happy May Two-Four Weekend!

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