The rise of the machine

[Sean Hayden]

How hard does it ever need to push down on a box of veggies? —ridiculous

[pErvinalia]

It's gone rogue. Skynet is next.

[L'Emmerdeur]

Stupid, trite, and obviously contrived 'anecdotes' are common on Facebook. Clumsy content depicting some vague moral comeuppance or lame note of humor, meant to be passed around uncritically. It's a steady stream of dross, intended for the more or less gullible to 'enjoy.' Interspersed with that are 'interesting' images, sometimes fairly blatantly fake. AI image manipulation has arrived as a splendid tool for the drips who produce this junk.



'A.I. Came for Our Jobs, Our Art, and Our Souls. Now It’s Coming for Our Birds.'

Last week, a friend tagged me in a post about a weird bird. I’m used to it—as a known bird guy, friends are constantly making me aware when some new study comes out or a rare bird shows up. But this post was different.

From a Facebook page called “Route 370—Newfoundland News & Weather,” the post had what appeared to be a photo of a red-and-white bird perched on a snowy branch. The text read: “A rare Red and White cardinal in it’s festive colors makes an appearance in Canada. It’s unusual look is caused by Gynandromorphy.”

I’ve seen northern cardinals with gynandromorphism (meaning that an individual exhibits characteristics of both sexes), and they don’t have any of the same colors as the Facebook “Santa cardinal” bird. It also had a thin, yellow bill like a chicken instead of the thick, orange bill of our northern cardinal—a trait that gynandromorphism wouldn’t alter. This wasn’t a cardinal, clearly, but what was it?

Reverse image search was no help, but when I looked closer, the answer was obvious. The bird appeared to have three feet, and the end of its tail was somehow covered in snow. This wasn’t a real photo at all—it was a photorealistic fantasy created by A.I. Ugh.

I posted a quick response to my friend, taking care not to make him feel bad for falling for the hoax, but scrolling down through the more than 2,000 comments, I could see he was hardly alone. With more than 10,000 shares and 24,000 likes, this imaginary bird was a viral hit for a group used to more modest numbers for posts like Garfield saying “Happy Monday!” or warnings about moose on the highway.

Bird photos have always been popular on social media. Birds are beautiful, and they’re beautiful in an uncomplicated way that’s attractive to people who aren’t looking for controversy or politics. Bird photography is an egalitarian pursuit, rewarding equally an image of a rare bird from a remote jungle and a nice picture of a backyard bird on a feeder.

...

Generative A.I. has made the process of generating bird content even easier—and even worse. As far as I can tell, the “Santa bird” post originated in late November in another group, Wildlife Planet, that posts nothing but A.I.–generated birds. This group and countless others—most with generic names like Amazing Birds of the World or Beautiful Birds—exist purely to churn fake content onto the screens of an eager and unsuspecting public.

[Sean Hayden]

That's funny, I was just bitchin' and moaning yesterday that virtually nobody in comment sections seems skeptical of obvious fakes.

I guess the solution is to teach skepticism first.

[L'Emmerdeur]

Yeahbut that doesn't help students pass standardized tests.

[Brian Peacock]

And it might lead to students realising the tests are fake as well.

[JimC]

Here's my dirty little secret...

I loved creating, giving and grading physics and specialised maths tests. So there!

[pErvinalia]

SORA. Look it up.

[L'Emmerdeur]

SORA. Look it up.

Yikes. Film school, anyone?

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One for Keith Laumer.

'New Report Warns of the Rise of Killer Robots'

A Public Citizen report released on Thursday outlines the risks of the Pentagon adopting the use of autonomous weapons on the battlefield and how this could occur in the not-too-distant future.

The report focuses on the Pentagon's efforts to utilize artificial intelligence in various ways and the American military contractors that are developing weaponry that utilizes AI, including autonomous weapons.

"The single greatest concern involving AI and the Pentagon is the integration of AI into weapons systems such that they can function autonomously, delivering lethal force without intervention or meaningful human control," the report state. "The most serious worry involving autonomous weapons is that they inherently dehumanize the people targeted and make it easier to tolerate widespread killing, including in violation of international human rights law."

Like that has ever been a real impediment to operations of the American military.

'A.I. Joe: The Dangers of Artificial Intelligence and the Military'

[JimC]

I for one welcome our new killer robot overlords...

[aufbahrung]

at least they don't make mistakes like humans do, their mistakes are entirely different from those hindered by a brain...

[aufbahrung]

...

[JimC]

...those hindered by a brain...

So, you have nothing to worry about...

[pErvinalia]

[Tero]

We are the machine!

Neuralink: Musk's firm says first brain-chip patient plays online chess
Every time we want to move, feel or think, a tiny electrical impulse is generated and sent incredibly quickly from one neuron to another.

Scientists have developed devices which can detect some of those signals - either using a non-invasive cap placed on the head or wires implanted into the brain itself.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68622781