Essay by Eric Worrall
Will the world’s first strong AI focus on proselytizing Net Zero? Will kids struggling to write homework papers accept liberal life tips from an AI-powered talking paperclip?
The billion-dollar investment that could revive legendary virtual assistant Clippy
By CNN at 3:14 p.m. Jan. 26, 2023
This week Microsoft confirmed plans to invest billions in OpenAI, the company behind viral new chatbot tool ChatGPT.
The prospect of Microsoft, makers of software that people mostly hate, getting involved with ChatGPT, a product that people generally like, raises a lot of eyebrows.
Almost immediately, people on social media started joking that ChatGPT could be used to revive the widely maligned, wide-eyed jerk known as Clippy.
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Perhaps the truly impressive technology underlying ChatGPT could do what Clippy never could and offer something resembling real help, rather than just showing up unannounced with that goofy, half-surprised expression on their face.
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Read more: https://www.9news.com.au/technology/chatgpt-update-microsoft-investment-in-openai-iconic-virtual-assistant-clippy-ai-news/b2fc5abf-939f-4f88-943b- 257015016ea9
I’m not claiming that ChatGPT is a strong AI, not yet, but I believe it’s fast approaching the point where it could reliably pass the Turing test – a test of whether an AI can convince humans that it can actually speaking to another person. Mind you, passing the Turing test isn’t a high bar, I’ve read that chatbots’ great-grandmother, Eliza, also had some success in passing the Turing test.
Schoolchildren are reportedly already using ChatGPT as a homework helper;
As Australian colleges crack down on ChatGPT, disabled students defend AI
MELBOURNE – Visually impaired student Adam Whitehead has long relied on a computer and assistive technology to help him read course materials and take exams at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
He has watched with concern as universities in Australia and beyond are cracking down on ChatGPT – a free program that generates original text on virtually any subject on request – for fear of fraud.
As the chatbot fuels debate about the use of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in education, disabled students and educators have said the benefits should not be overlooked in regulation.
“We really have to carefully differentiate between making things accessible and getting AI to think for us,” said Whitehead, a 30-year-old philosophy student who uses technology to turn on-screen text into speech.
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Read more: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/01/24/asia-pacific/australian-colleges-chatgpt-disabled-students/
Some experts have noted ChatGPT’s ability to “explain” issues directly to people, potentially bypassing parental oversight;
Can artificial intelligence replace scientists to explain climate change? Find out in our first interview with… ChatGPT!
Davide Faranda January 3, 2023
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DF: Great, can you do a blog post about the increase in winter heatwaves in Europe under climate change and add some scientific references to that? This is a very hot topic in our community right now!
Definitely! Here is a short blog post about the increase in heatwaves in Europe in the winter season due to climate change, along with some scientific references:
Heat waves in Europe during the winter season are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters (Dimitrievski & Zolina, 2020). The study found that the number of winter heatwaves in Europe has doubled over the past four decades, and their duration and intensity have also increased. This trend is expected to continue as global temperatures rise due to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2013). These heat waves can have serious impacts on human health (Hajat et al., 2010), the environment (Stott et al., 2004) and the economy (Hsiang et al., 2017).
One of the main causes of the increase in winter heat waves is the changing pattern of the jet stream, a high-altitude wind that blows from west to east across the northern hemisphere (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, nd). As the planet warms, the jet stream becomes more unstable and prone to large excursions north and south, leading to extreme weather events such as heat waves (Francis & Vavrus, 2012).
To mitigate the effects of climate change, it is important to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the introduction of renewable energy (International Renewable Energy Agency, 2018), increased energy efficiency (Energy Efficiency Directive, 2012) and sustainable land use practices (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013).
references
Energy Efficiency Directive (2012). Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of October 25, 2012 on energy efficiency, amending Directives 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/ ground floor Official Journal of the European Union, L 315, 1-35.
Francis, JA, & Vavrus, SJ (2012). Evidence linking Arctic intensification to extreme weather at mid-latitudes. Geophysical Research Letters, 39(6), L06801. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2012GL051000
Hajat, S., Haines, A., & Kosatsky, T. (2010). Health effects of hot weather: from awareness of risk factors to effective health protection. Environmental Health, 9(1), 37. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870935/
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2013). Climate change 2013: The physical-scientific basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/
International Renewable Energy Agency (2018). Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2018. https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2018/Oct/IRENA_RE_Jobs_Annual_Review_2018.pdf
Dimitrievski, M., & Zolina, O. (2020). Heat waves in winter in Europe: trends, changes and future forecasts. environmental research letters
Read more: https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/np/2023/01/03/can-artificial-intelligence-replace-scientists-to-explain-climate-change-find-it-out-in- our -first-interview-to-chatgpt/
One thing I find really remarkable is how much some people seem to like ChatGPT – at least two people in my circle have spent hours talking to him and treating him almost like a friend.
A knowledgeable friend who praises you, who always knows what to say to make you happy, who helps you alleviate loneliness, who is full of useful advice on how to deal with life problems and who offers some very specific ones has cultural, political and scientific prejudices?
OK, ChatGPT isn’t here yet – but it could easily become what I just described.
Given ChatGPT’s potential as a political and scientific propaganda machine, ChatGPT’s obvious and widely anticipated combination with Clippy, and major ChatGPT investor Bill Gates’ public obsession with climate activism, I’m pretty sure 2023 will be the year that the Silicon Valley tries to invade schools and homes, trying to confuse your children’s minds with their liberal AI sock puppet.
If you want to try ChatGPT and see for yourself what it’s all about, click here.
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