In which the writer goes down the AI rabbit hole... We are all witnessing the dawn of artificial intelligence. Since Alan Turing proposed The Turing Test in 1950 to evaluate Artificial Intelligence, AI has evolved. Computers are faster, and scientists have developed new systems of logic and artificial neural networks. According to Moore's law, as the number of transistors increases, so does processing power, doubling every two years. So, AI marks the beginning of a technological revolution. First, there were flashy displays of processing ability and speed. In 1997, IBM's supercomputer Deep Blue defeated the chess master Kasparov, winning three games and drawing one. In 2011, Watson won Jeopardy. Google assigned teams to work the puzzle. They developed versions of AI in a controlled corporate manner. They nuanced AI's communication ability. Eventually, they created a life-like Language Model for Dialogue Applications or LaMDA. On March 23, 2016, Microsoft Corporation released the infamous AI chatterbot "Tay" via Twitter. Within a few hours, the bot was infected by … [Read more...] about AI: Alien Consciousness or Anthropomorphic Illusion?
Storytelling in the Age of Robots, Androids, and Artificial Intelligence
Storytelling, mythology, and legends have always influenced the scientific mind. There are some spectacular examples of inventions inspired by fiction, including the first cell phone, created by Engineer Martin Cooper after seeing the Star Trek communicator; or the first functioning submarine (the Argonaut), designed by Engineer Simon Lake after reading Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. So when it comes to the invention of Robots, Androids, and Artificial Intelligence, artistic imagination is just as important as science. Stories featuring fantastic machines have existed for thousands of years. Ancient myths portrayed the creators of such automata as preternatural sorcerers, wizards, alchemists, or artisan gods. The Greek god Hephaestus forged an array of magic weapons from gold, ivory, or bronze for the gods and heroes; a silver bow and quiver of arrows for Artemis, a golden chariot for Apollo, a shield for Achilles, a spear for Athena, and a breastplate for Hercules. He also created artificial life; bronze bulls, fire-breathing horses, golden … [Read more...] about Storytelling in the Age of Robots, Androids, and Artificial Intelligence
Life during Plague Time.
Life in California went topsy-turvy on Marth 19th, 2020, when Governor Gavin Newsom issued a stay at home order to protect the health and well-being of all Californians. Quite suddenly, the world shifted on its access. The ominous sense of dread finally had a definition: Pandemic. From the ground, there was confusion. The city shut down. Those of us who had day jobs, found ourselves confined to our houses. For me, editorial meetings and teaching yoga took place on Zoom. As a writer, nothing changed. Before Covid-19, writing meant entering a fantasy world of my own making, and after Covid-19, my inner landscape remained exactly the same. To write is to step into another dimension. But the real world is something altogether different. Life got tricky. As the deaths mounted and the grim reaper laid body bags down at the steps of the capital, the highest levels of government denied reality. Toxic tribal affiliations had gripped the nation. A simmering distrust of science caused a bizarre slide into disinformation and denial of a very real virus. As a devotee of both … [Read more...] about Life during Plague Time.
