Re MIT Tech Review: AI's PR Problem

["Dave Farber" <dave () farber net>]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Gregory Aharonian <greg.aharonian () gmail com>
Date: Sun, Mar 12, 2017 at 10:44 PM
Subject: Re: [IP] MIT Tech Review: AI's PR Problem
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>


Dave,

The semantic problem is simple.  "Artificial Intelligence" really is
"Automated Intelligence".  While there many fine definitions of "automated"
and "automation" in a variety of social and business contexts, based on
science and engineering, there is no generally accepted scientific or
engineering definition, in any context, of "intelligence".

So if someone tells you they have an AI system, solution or software, then
ask them what their definition of "intelligence" is.  If they don't have
one, what they have isn't AI.

What most of these systems are are "Automated Behavior", that is, find a
form of human behavior and automate it anyway possible, without or without
a theory. Machine vision, flipping hamburgers, driving trucks, diagnosing
skin cancer - all very interesting, complicated behaviors.  Find enough
data, find some algorithms, throw them against the (cloud) wall, and hope
one combination sticks enough to make some money (sadly, more money by
destroying more jobs). But "intelligence"?  The appearance of, yes.  The
actuality, no.

The patent world is plagued by this semantic problem as well.  Routinely,
judges are invalidating software patents by saying they are nothing more
than a series of "mental steps", even though neuroscientists are quite
clear that there is nothing in the human mind that one can label "mental
steps".  Why?  "Mental steps" is equivalent to "Intelligence steps", which
returns us to the lack of definition of "intelligence".  Judges are thus
acting unethically by using an undefined word to kill private patent
rights.  Where is the intelligence here?  Is it intelligent to act
unethically?  Or is it intelligent to act unethically to get rid of a
patent lawsuit that you don't want to think about.

These are all good terms to abuse for marketing and judicial purposes, but
they lack definition and they lack any basis in neuroscience.

That doesn't mean that purported "AI" systems are not a huge social threat,
because the tools to automated human behaviors are becoming more and more
powerful.  And the people behind these tools have little to no social
ethic.  The combination is not good, because it is becoming easier to
destroy huge numbers of jobs much quicker than society can adjust.

Which doesn't seem an intelligent thing to do.

Greg Aharonian
Internet Patent News Service















On Sun, Mar 12, 2017 at 4:36 PM, DAVID FARBER <dfarber () me com> wrote:

That's what happens when you use the term AI Bad idea. djf


Begin forwarded message:

*From:* Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
*Date:* March 12, 2017 at 5:21:56 PM EDT
*To:* nnsquad () nnsquad org
*Subject:* *[ NNSquad ] MIT Tech Review: AI's PR Problem*


MIT Tech Review: AI's PR Problem

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603761/ais-pr-problem/

     Artificial intelligence, it seems, has a PR problem.  While
   it's true that today's machines can credibly perform many
   tasks (playing chess, driving cars) that were once reserved
   for humans, that doesn't mean that the machines are growing
   more intelligent and ambitious. It just means they're doing
   what we built them to do.  The robots may be coming, but they
   are not coming for us--because there is no "they."  Machines
   are not people, and there's no persuasive evidence that they
   are on a path toward sentience.

- - -

--Lauren--
Your Google Experiences -

Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now>
<https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/19988453-bcb8aa4d> | Modify
<https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;>
Your Subscription | Unsubscribe Now
<https://www.listbox.com/unsubscribe/?&&post_id=20170312173646:FC06B44C-076B-11E7-A4FF-BB1BC7AB8BD0>
<http://www.listbox.com>



-------------------------------------------
Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now
RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/18849915-ae8fa580
Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=18849915&id_secret=18849915-aa268125
Unsubscribe Now: 
https://www.listbox.com/unsubscribe/?member_id=18849915&id_secret=18849915-32545cb4&post_id=20170312233612:308A2226-079E-11E7-BE09-D0BAD01788F5
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com