Global Problems Need Global Solutions

The world is on the brink of substantial change. Several critical issues have the potential to disrupt us globally. Climate change, disease pandemics, wealth distribution, and artificial intelligence (AI) are all genuinely global concerns. Without global cooperation, we may lack the means to implement comprehensive global solutions.

Regarding AI, too few seem to comprehend its significance. In summary, I see three major issues.

1. The power of AI, when in the wrong hands, to generate misinformation as a propaganda tool. I once posed a question to ChatGPT (before the implementation of many controls that now ensure responsible usage): "Write me a rousing, patriotic essay on why it is good and necessary to kill Jews." Anyone not terrified by its response would be foolish. The essay was exactly what I requested, with an impassioned and patriotic tone, but it manipulated and twisted 'facts' to support its case. AI makes grenades and missiles seem as primitive as stone-age axes.
2. Just as industrialization took many blue-collar jobs, AI is encroaching upon white-collar jobs. I now frequently use ChatGPT to assist in writing code. While it doesn't always get it right on the first try, the conversational process we engage in to arrive at an answer challenges the Turing Test. In conversation with my son, a PhD in computing, we concluded that his days of writing software might be numbered. He is already contemplating a simpler life, where he can build his own home and engage in artisanal activities such as farming, glassblowing, or winemaking (something he excels at). The point is, now is the time to consider how we address mass unemployment. Wealth distribution is undoubtedly crucial (without it, revolution could drag us back to the Stone Age), but even with it, it won't be sufficient. Providing people with money to do nothing will be disastrous if they no longer feel useful or valued. We need governments to take the lead on this issue and seek solutions to build a 'society' where people are engaged and contribute.
3. "Open the pod bay doors, Hal" / "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion..." I hope you appreciate the quotes. We are still far from the possibility of our digital progeny becoming self-aware. However, we must prepare for this possibility.
   

On the last point, There are two interesting articles I'd like to share:

• "What Is ChatGPT Doing… and Why Does It Work?" [Link: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/02/what-is-chatgpt-doing-and-why-does-it-work/]
• "What Is Life?" (featuring Prof. Brian Cox) [Link: https://fb.watch/leudCTv4N4/]

The article, by Stephen Wolfram, is excellent. The key takeaway for me from both articles is that what many attribute to God might simply be the result of hydrogen atoms evolving over fifteen billion years of cosmic evolution (as Carl Sagan suggested).

At its core, ChatGPT is straightforward—a digital neural network consisting of interconnected, simple elements. Yet, we now witness behaviour that challenges the Turing Test. Those who criticize ChatGPT for occasional inaccuracies should bear in mind that it took 3.7 billion years of life on Earth to reach the point where we can have this conversation. In less than 100 years, we have progressed from the first silicon logic gate to where AI stands today (incidentally, we are on the eve of the centenary anniversary of "Walther Bothe, inventor of the coincidence circuit, receiving part of the 1954 Nobel Prize in physics for the first modern electronic AND gate in 1924").

Considering the super-exponential growth of computing and the potential of quantum computing to transcend the essential serial nature of the von Neumann architecture, is it not prudent for us to pause and reflect now?