Miss Ruth here! This is an article I wrote for the January 2024 edition of the New Jersey Council of the Blind’s publication, the Chronicle.
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has been in the news a lot lately, and, for most of us with vision loss, it is a godsend. For some, though, AI is confusing, even controversial.
One AI chatbot, ChatGPT, is being hailed as the most consequential innovation in technology of this generation.
In my writing and arts groups, there is a general feeling that AI is helpful, while some feel it is a way of cheating at doing the actual work of writing or creating. That it takes away the spark of inspiration for creators and replaces it with a mechanized product instead of a work of art.
I recently started using the AI version of BeMyEyes, which is called BeMyAI.
I aimed my iPad at this picture in my living room and asked BeMyAI to describe it. Here is its answer:
“The picture is a painting of a lighthouse. There is a small white house or building to the left of the lighthouse. It is set against a blue sky with some clouds. The lighthouse appears to be on a small hill or cliff with some greenery around it. The painting is framed with dark wood and has a white mat border. The wall on which it is hung has a textured wallpaper with a subtle tree design.”
That picture has been hanging on my wall for twenty-five years and I never knew there was a tiny white house next to the lighthouse. I actually went over to it and checked. I’ll be doggone!
For me, AI is a welcome, innovative technology that expands my world in myriad ways. It doesn’t just fill in the blanks for me when I need to know what’s on the ingredient label on a can of soup; it paints a mental picture for me, in vibrant color.
For many others, it’s the precursor to Armageddon. Soon, the machines will become sentient and take over the world, just like in the movie Terminator!
Those who feel AI is a sign of the end times won’t be comforted by the news recently surrounding ChatGPT.
Before I go into the saga that occurred at the company that created ChatGPT, here is a great explanation of what ChatGPT is from TechTarget.com: “ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that uses natural language processing to create humanlike conversational dialogue. The language model can respond to questions and compose various written content, including articles, social media posts, essays, code and emails.”
The tech world recently held its collective breath when Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, was fired abruptly last month and then re-hired shortly thereafter. Some say it highlighted the fact that the government should regulate and run AI:
“The turmoil accentuated the differences between Altman and members of the company’s previous board, who have expressed various views on the safety risks posed by AI as the technology advances. Multiple experts add that this drama highlights how it should be governments — and not big tech companies — that should be calling the shots on AI regulation, particularly for fast-evolving technologies like generative AI.”
One detractor speaking out against ChatGPT is David Krueger, an assistant computer science professor at the University of Cambridge. He said “AI systems don’t need to be self-aware or setting their own goals to pose a threat to humanity. I think there’s a lot of different ways for things to go badly, but I think the one that is historically the most controversial is risk of extinction, specifically by AI systems that get out of control.”
Well now! That guy is kind of a buzzkill. I still like AI, so there! Plus, I’ve seen all the Terminator movies, and none of the cyborgs is named ChatGPT!
All kidding aside, I can understand that the unknown aspect of how AI will address issues of privacy, security and bias can create uncertainty. Also, what if there is a data breach? And, importantly, how will AI affect jobs and the economy? No one can say for sure what the future will hold.
In any case, Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. The world is changing constantly, and our best approach would be to avail ourselves of all the technology we can to improve the quality of our lives. Stay connected but stay vigilant. We can only hope that the arbiters of AI will keep a moral compass in their pockets, along with their revenue reports.
