Kagan: Is AI and Chatbot real threat or big non-story like Y2K was? – RCR Wireless News
The AI event in Washington, DC yesterday should be your radar for what it said and what it did not say. Listening to the current raging debate, Artificial Intelligence is big, important and is also a huge and growing threat. Chatbot technology like ChatGPT and Bard seems to be full of potentially good and bad effects on society. There have been so many warning stories about how AI Chatbot technology will take over the world like in the Hollywood movies we’ve all watched.
So, is AI and Chatbot technology a real threat? Let’s pull the camera back and get a longer-term, historical perspective on the question, is AI a real threat?
You remember the threat from Y2K. The fear was Y2K was going to tear us apart at the seams on New Year’s Eve in the year 2000. I remember being a guest on a special WSB AM radio news program with Scott Slade at midnight awaiting the collapse.
Y2K was a real threat that we took control of before it was too late
The fear was that everything was going to simply stop working. We were going to be thrown back into the dark ages as everything suddenly ground to a halt. There was a real fear that gripped the United States and in fact the entire world. It was fueled by the media.
What happened? Well, nothing happened. Everything was fine.
That raised the next question. Did that mean there was really no threat, or did we solve the problem ourselves?
You see, while we were all busy debating the coming disaster, smart people put their minds together, updated systems and spent years correcting bad code and preparing.
So, we may have prevented the catastrophe ourselves. We may never really know the truth.
Segway was another gigantic PR non-event
Is that the same risk we face once again with AI? Perhaps.
Want another example of runaway expectations? Do you remember the Segway scooters?
Segway was founded by inventor Dean Kamen in 1999 and was going to be the biggest thing since sliced bread. That was the hype anyway. The PR campaign was brilliant. Over the top. Everyone was talking about it.
So, what happened with the Segway?
While it was not a dud, it did not really impact the world or change anything. Life went on. There are a few Segway’s here and there, but nothing really changed.
That was over-the-top, runaway public relations.
Snowmageddon another example of runaway weather hype
Weather events are another great example. The media hypes these fears to the point where it sounds like our world is coming to an end. Just think about every weather event whether they be hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms or snowstorms.
The threat level has not changed, but we talk about them like they are the end of the world. These are real media ratings generators.
Today, the threat level has not increased, but the warnings of catastrophe accompany every blizzard we see.
The media calls it Snowmageddon. But it’s really just another typical snowstorm.
I remember in 1969, roughly 55 years ago, Albany New York was buried under several feet of snow. My grandparents had to deliver groceries to us up at the main street and I had to walk our snow sled up to the corner through three feet of snow to pick them up.
My father nearly broke his back trying to shovel out the car that got stuck 100 yards from our front door in a mountain of snow as he was trying to get to work.
As bad as that storm was, the earth keeps spinning and everything is just fine, thank you very much.
AI, Chatbot, Generative AI and many other new technologies
I am not saying we should ignore the AI threat. However, we also should not try to block the good it could potentially bring to the world.
If there is a real threat, we should develop ways to solve the potential problems before they become reality, like we did with Y2K.
What this means is we must both move rapidly to make sure we control problem areas, while we continue to develop a safe version of AI to benefit the world.
AI ChatGPT growth is slowing
ChatGPT has been exploding with growth since its launch last November. That’s right, it is not even one year old yet.
However, in the past three months, worldwide mobile and desktop visits to their website have decreased. Down 3% in August, following a 10% drop from July and June. The time visitors spend on the web site has also been dropping since March.
What does that mean? Many in the media say interest may be waning.
We must properly manage risk of AI Chatbot like ChatGPT and Bard
I think it may be nothing more than the natural progression. New or first-time users are fewer as the population gets used to this new technology.
I think as AI matures in our minds, we are just moving on to the next chapter in AI and Chatbot development.
The truth is AI is not going away.
It can help us manage and grow everything in our world. It will help us manage wireless, private wireless and wire line communications, using the Internet and data networks to connect all of us with everything in the world.
However, we must also be on alert and properly manage the threat is poses as well.
That’s what the AI event in Washington DC said yesterday.
Wireless and wire line networks are nervous system for AI
Wireless and wire line networking connections and data networks are the nervous system of our future.
That’s why growth in this area will continue moving forward and it will benefit our industry.
That is good news for companies large and small in this space like Qualcomm, Huawei, Cisco, Betacom, Celona, Juniper Networks, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, CenturyLink and many others as well.
The current AI growth track we are on today is strong and healthy and should continue moving forward.
Qualcomm, Huawei, Betacom, Juniper Networks, Cisco, Celona and more
Those of us in the communications industry have a front row seat to the changes that will both impact and transform our world, our lives and the way we do everything going forward.
AI has the potential to impact our world and change our lives. It is loaded with so much good, but we must also be aware of the bad it could bring.
Let’s just make sure we do everything to make sure we remain in control while society benefits from this amazing new technology.
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