AI is just creepy

Wikipedia defines Artificial intelligence (AI) as the intelligence exhibited by machines or software. (link) Much has been made of artificial intelligence and where it is or isn’t headed and a lot of people are scared. Educated people are frequently telling me that one day the machines will take over and we will become their slaves. So now one of my favorite questions to ask people who bring up the subject is:

What is the limit of artificial intelligence?

In other words, how “intelligent” can a computer be? Are we talking about a robot that can vaccuum, a chess grandmaster or something beyond ourselves? Something out of this world, with superhuman strength, intelligence, reactions and so on?

For what it’s worth, my view is that the limit of AI is an average person. But that is the subject of another post.

Today, however machine learning is used to generate predictions and forecasts like what product you might buy in the future or the optimal route to take to work etc. Even in its most effective form, AI is blatantly obvious. That sneaker advertisement that appears on every webpage you visit even though you already bought those sneakers 2 weeks ago? Or the customer service chat windows that appear saying “oh I noticed you were looking at blah can I help you…” Or even worse, the automated customer service phone calls that you “speak” to. News article suggestions, targeted emails and the lot are all boring, mindless and symbolic of the worst possible human jobs.

At best, the machine sometimes surprises you and you think, how did it know that? But really it is a creepy feeling rather than one of wonderment. And it is not even creepy like a CIA agent following you, it is more like a stray dog you keep noticing licking its genitals every time you pass that corner in the morning. Definitely not something to worry about.

When you think more about it, it is almost disappointing how bad AI really is. I do hundreds of Google searches per day, all my personal emails are in Gmail, I have an Android phone which is also hooked up to Google cloud, Gmail, Google maps, Google+ etc. etc. And yet, I rarely see any useful or relevant advertising, restaurant recomendations or product placements. I’m sure if you gave all that data to a couple 8year olds they could immediately suggest useful things for me.

My point about all of this is that AI is about as intelligent as a piece of metal following a magnet. Sure, much progress is being made and now a computer can beat a human at Chess and Go. But the same human can get up from the game, bike home, whip up dinner and discuss politics with their friends. Sure, you can install a machine that does each of those things optimally, but then all we have are better machines, not artificial intelligence taking over the world.

My grandmother didn’t fear the washing machine and so we shouldn’t fear the computer.