Using artificial intelligence to make our world a better place – Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Can machines think?
That’s what Alan Turing asked in his 1950 article, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence.” Turing, a once-in-a-lifetime British mathematician, was referred to by many as the “father of computing.” His idea of a “Universal Turing Machine” served as the precursor of modern computing.
But Turing did not give the world just computers. He also created a powerful tool to end a devastating global conflict.
During the second World War, Germany’s U-boats unleashed terror in the Atlantic as well as the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The U-boats had to be stopped. The Nazis had to be stopped. But they couldn’t be stopped. There was no good intelligence on how the Nazis coordinated attacks. Lack of good intelligence was not because of a shortage of spies and military communication decoders. It was because the Nazis encrypted their radio communications. Every day.
The encryption of outgoing messages and decryption of incoming messages were performed by a machine called Enigma. To understand the Nazis’ communications required cracking the Enigma code, a herculean task for the human brain.
Turing and fellow code-breakers at Bletchley Park developed a machine that helped crack the Enigma code. The ability to decipher Nazis’ messages helped increase the success of the allied naval forces. And the evil of the Nazis was defeated.
But Turing also gave the world more. His question of whether machines can think catalyzed the quest to develop artificial intelligence, or AI for short. Over the years, advances in computing power gave rise to AI chatbots, which use complex mathematics to scan large sets of electronic data in response to prompts provided by the user. This gives AI chatbots like ChatGPT the capability of generating dialogue in natural language.
But Turing was not just a genius.
He was also gay, and because he was gay, he was subjected to hate.
In spite of contributing to ending WW II, Turing was convicted of indecency and made to undergo chemical castration to curb his homosexuality. Turing died by suicide at age 41, so he wouldn’t have to deal with the hate.
Anti-gay hate is still alive and strong today.
The first time I prompted ChatGPT for answers to why humans hate, I cried. I did not cry because ChatGPT could be used by students to cheat in exams. I did not cry because ChatGPT might replace me as a writer. I cried because ChatGPT responded like the ally I needed. I asked ChatGPT about hate and I did not receive a threat. I asked ChatGPT about the future and I received hope.
I asked: “What would a hate-free United States look like?”
ChatGPT responded:
“Amen,” I said silently. ChatGPT seemed to have a better “understanding” of the ravages of racism and hate than most humans.
I wish Turing were here to see what his brilliant mind has helped create. I wish Turing were here to realize that his ideas seeded the creation of a powerful tool to shine a light on injustice. His genius is still here.
And AI is more. When you search the internet for information about sports, restaurants, your health, you are interacting with AI. When you call a bank and get an automated response about your account, that’s also AI.
Yet the question today still remains whether machines can think. Experts in the field of AI say we are a long way from machines being able to think. They say when that happens, AI would become general artificial intelligence (AGI) and be able to realize its consciousness. Perhaps when AI becomes AGI, machines shall think like humans. Perhaps better.
Some are concerned.
What if AGI turns rogue and marshals killer machines to annihilate humankind like in the movie “Terminator”? What about AI being co-opted to become a stealth generator of political disinformation? The U.S. Congress is seeking ways to prevent the use of AI to compromise U.S. national security and democracy.
Even though AGI might be beyond human reach, I still hope that AI will be used to do good for our world. Like fighting marginalization of people because of their race, gender, class, religion, sexuality or nationality. This is why AI chatbots like ChatGPT must not be seen just as a threat. They are also an opportunity.
Can machines feel? That’s the question for the next generation of geniuses working on AI tools such as ChatGPT. Could it be possible AI would guide humans to rise to a higher state of consciousness, to see more clearly our interconnectedness and interdependence, and to overcome hate?
Creating humane AI is humanity’s ultimate quest.
Can AI learn, like humans, to develop from a sperm and an egg, to be a child, to grow and develop, to gain wisdom, to be humble, to care, to love, to learn self-restraint when feeling anger and hate? Computer scientists and engineers must never forget that “it takes a village to raise a child.”
We will reap what we sow in AI. To help AI learn how to do good for our world, we must seed goodness into the data we use to train AI systems.
I hope we will choose to reap love instead of hate.
by Walter Suza, Iowa Capital Dispatch
October 17, 2023
by Walter Suza, Iowa Capital Dispatch
October 17, 2023
Can machines think?
That’s what Alan Turing asked in his 1950 article, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence.” Turing, a once-in-a-lifetime British mathematician, was referred to by many as the “father of computing.” His idea of a “Universal Turing Machine” served as the precursor of modern computing.
But Turing did not give the world just computers. He also created a powerful tool to end a devastating global conflict.
During the second World War, Germany’s U-boats unleashed terror in the Atlantic as well as the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The U-boats had to be stopped. The Nazis had to be stopped. But they couldn’t be stopped. There was no good intelligence on how the Nazis coordinated attacks. Lack of good intelligence was not because of a shortage of spies and military communication decoders. It was because the Nazis encrypted their radio communications. Every day.
The encryption of outgoing messages and decryption of incoming messages were performed by a machine called Enigma. To understand the Nazis’ communications required cracking the Enigma code, a herculean task for the human brain.
Turing and fellow code-breakers at Bletchley Park developed a machine that helped crack the Enigma code. The ability to decipher Nazis’ messages helped increase the success of the allied naval forces. And the evil of the Nazis was defeated.
But Turing also gave the world more. His question of whether machines can think catalyzed the quest to develop artificial intelligence, or AI for short. Over the years, advances in computing power gave rise to AI chatbots, which use complex mathematics to scan large sets of electronic data in response to prompts provided by the user. This gives AI chatbots like ChatGPT the capability of generating dialogue in natural language.
But Turing was not just a genius.
He was also gay, and because he was gay, he was subjected to hate.
In spite of contributing to ending WW II, Turing was convicted of indecency and made to undergo chemical castration to curb his homosexuality. Turing died by suicide at age 41, so he wouldn’t have to deal with the hate.
Anti-gay hate is still alive and strong today.
The first time I prompted ChatGPT for answers to why humans hate, I cried. I did not cry because ChatGPT could be used by students to cheat in exams. I did not cry because ChatGPT might replace me as a writer. I cried because ChatGPT responded like the ally I needed. I asked ChatGPT about hate and I did not receive a threat. I asked ChatGPT about the future and I received hope.
I asked: “What would a hate-free United States look like?”
ChatGPT responded:
“Amen,” I said silently. ChatGPT seemed to have a better “understanding” of the ravages of racism and hate than most humans.
I wish Turing were here to see what his brilliant mind has helped create. I wish Turing were here to realize that his ideas seeded the creation of a powerful tool to shine a light on injustice. His genius is still here.
And AI is more. When you search the internet for information about sports, restaurants, your health, you are interacting with AI. When you call a bank and get an automated response about your account, that’s also AI.
Yet the question today still remains whether machines can think. Experts in the field of AI say we are a long way from machines being able to think. They say when that happens, AI would become general artificial intelligence (AGI) and be able to realize its consciousness. Perhaps when AI becomes AGI, machines shall think like humans. Perhaps better.
Some are concerned.
What if AGI turns rogue and marshals killer machines to annihilate humankind like in the movie “Terminator”? What about AI being co-opted to become a stealth generator of political disinformation? The U.S. Congress is seeking ways to prevent the use of AI to compromise U.S. national security and democracy.
Even though AGI might be beyond human reach, I still hope that AI will be used to do good for our world. Like fighting marginalization of people because of their race, gender, class, religion, sexuality or nationality. This is why AI chatbots like ChatGPT must not be seen just as a threat. They are also an opportunity.
Can machines feel? That’s the question for the next generation of geniuses working on AI tools such as ChatGPT. Could it be possible AI would guide humans to rise to a higher state of consciousness, to see more clearly our interconnectedness and interdependence, and to overcome hate?
Creating humane AI is humanity’s ultimate quest.
Can AI learn, like humans, to develop from a sperm and an egg, to be a child, to grow and develop, to gain wisdom, to be humble, to care, to love, to learn self-restraint when feeling anger and hate? Computer scientists and engineers must never forget that “it takes a village to raise a child.”
We will reap what we sow in AI. To help AI learn how to do good for our world, we must seed goodness into the data we use to train AI systems.
I hope we will choose to reap love instead of hate.
Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.
Walter Suza of Ames, Iowa, writes frequently on the intersections of spirituality, anti-racism and social justice. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site.
