21 thoughts on “The Other A in AI: Abandoned, Artless or Awful?”
David Horsey’s op ed which accompanied the above in the Seattle Times last week:
Americans are now embarked on what is likely to be one of the most demoralizing presidential elections ever, a retrograde campaign that will be largely divorced from any debate about the future perils facing humanity.
If things go as expected – and it is nearly impossible to imagine another scenario – President Joe Biden will face former President Donald Trump in a rerun of the 2020 race for the White House. As a result, there will be lots of talk about age (when the next inauguration rolls around, Biden will be 82 and Trump will be 78). Trump will still be yammering about a stolen election last time around – a totally bogus issue – and Biden will be warning about the death of democracy if Trump is elected – a significant, but likely exaggerated, fear.
There will be plenty of noise about border security, but little intelligent discussion. A lot of competing statistics about the economy will be bandied about, but no one will admit that the president’s influence on economic matters is much less significant than people imagine. Climate change – arguably the most pressing crisis of all – will, at least on one side, be reduced to complaints about gas prices and trash talk about electric cars.
If there is any actual debate about artificial intelligence, it will be a shock. There is no evidence the disturbing challenges inherent in AI have even registered in Trump’s narcissistic mind and the abstractions of the issue are too hard to explain in campaign slogans, so Biden is unlikely to make it part of his pitch.
Thus, the Big Tech billionaires will continue their race to build an ominously powerful artificial consciousness that could pose an existential threat to humanity, unfettered and largely unobserved by our political system.
Democracy can probably survive even the chaos and villainy of a second Trump administration, but it will certainly fall if the robots decide it is time to take control from human beings too shortsighted to save themselves from their own creations.
some reading material for what to expect in coming campaigns in re AI
Recent news that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has used an AI-generated video to criticize Joe Biden shows how likely AI is to transform our upcoming elections. Advances in digital technology provide new and faster tools for political messaging and could have a profound impact on how voters, politicians, and reporters see the candidates and the campaign. We are no longer talking about photoshopping small tweaks to how a person looks or putting someone’s head on another individual’s body, but rather moving to an era where wholesale digital creation and dissemination are going to take place. Through templates that are easy and inexpensive to use, we are going to face a Wild West of campaign claims and counter-claims, with limited ability to distinguish fake from real material and uncertainty regarding how these appeals will affect the election. [continues]
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is new, but change in how campaigns and elections operate is not.
Candidates, campaign staff and election administrators have always adapted to new technologies, be it political ads popping up in the mid-20th century or more recently as anonymous cryptocurrency contributions became an option.
With the recent emergence of multiple AI programs that can produce realistic images, videos and voices in a matter of seconds, both campaigns and state policymakers are adjusting.
People have always attempted to alter or misrepresent media to influence an election. Some states have criminal impersonation laws that were enacted before the advent of the internet, which may apply to AI such as Wisconsin’s §12.05, enacted in 1976.
In 2023 legislation may use different terms such as “deepfake”, “synthetic media” or “deceptive media” when referring to AI. These terms all refer to what people commonly think of as AI but may have different implications depending on what term is used and how statute defines it. Two bills have been enacted this year, both related to the use of AI generated content.
This webpage includes two tables below. The first captures all existing statutes governing the use of AI in elections. The first captures existing statutes that may govern the use of AI in elections. For a broad overview of all legislation relating to AI, please see Legislation Related to Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence 2023 Legislation. [continues]
In the ever-evolving landscape of political campaigns, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a game-changing tool. By harnessing AI’s capabilities, political parties and candidates can analyze vast amounts of data, tailor messages, predict voter behavior, and optimize campaign strategies. As a result, political campaigns are moving towards precision campaigning with messaging targeted at each individual… transforming how politicians connect with voters. So, yes, politicians are trying to talk (or spinning) to you as a distinct person.
AI in Voter Targeting and Campaign Messaging
Political campaigns are leveraging AI for sophisticated voter targeting and personalized messaging. In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the Trump campaign used Cambridge Analytica’s data analysis to target voters with tailored messages. AI algorithms analyzed data from various sources to identify voter preferences and susceptibilities, allowing the campaign to deliver customized messages through social media and other platforms. Similarly, during the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, the Biden campaign used AI to optimize ad placements, targeting voters in crucial swing states with personalized messages. The AI tools analyzed past voting patterns, demographic data, and online behavior to predict voter preferences and tailor messages accordingly.
AI in Social Media and Online Campaigns
AI plays a significant role in managing social media and online campaigns. Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer use AI algorithms to determine the best times to post content for maximum engagement. AI also helps in monitoring social media sentiment, allowing campaigns to gauge public reaction to their policies and adjust strategies accordingly. During Canada’s 2019 federal elections, several political parties employed AI tools to monitor social media trends and sentiment, tailoring their online content and responses to align with public opinion. [continues]
Divyendra Singh Jadoun, an artificial intelligence (AI) expert based Rajasthan in northern India, gets asked to do two kinds of jobs for political campaigns.
“One is to enhance the image of their existing politician that they are endorsing,” he told the ABC, “and the second one is to harm the image of the opponent party.”
Mr Jadoun mostly uses AI tools to translate and dub content, something that’s crucial in a country as linguistically diverse as India.
But recently, he has had to turn down some more controversial requests.“One is the deepfake video where we swap the face of one person over to the other,” he said.
“There were requests that you had to swap the face of the opponent party leader [onto] someone who is a look-alike of him and is doing something like drinking.
“And the second are the audio deepfakes to clone the voice of the person for harming [their] reputation … by spreading misinformation, saying this is a leaked call from the politician.”
A record number of people globally are heading to the polls this year — with elections to be held in about 50 countries including the world’s biggest democracies in India, the United States, and Indonesia.
And with easy-to-use AI tools that give users the ability to create and manipulate realistic looking fake images, video and audio, experts warn the world is likely to see a “tsunami of disinformation”.
[…]
Misinformation rated globe’s top risk
A report prepared for the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this month found that misinformation, super-charged with artificial intelligence, was the top risk facing the globe in 2024.
It came after a year in which political campaigners around the world began to experiment with possible uses of new generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion.
The Republican Party in the US made headlines in April with a video response released after President Joe Biden announced he would run again.
Titled Beat Biden it depicted a dystopian future under a Biden administration and used imagery generated entirely using AI.
Donald Trump’s Republican Party rival Ron DeSantis also released a video that reportedly included fake images of Mr Trump hugging former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci.
[…]
New apps have ‘democratised’ AI
Darrell West, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution’s Centre for Technology Innovation in the United States, said the new applications had “democratised” AI.
“Generative AI brings very powerful AI algorithms down to the level of the ordinary person,” he said.
“It used to be if you wanted to use AI, you had to have a pretty technical background and sophisticated knowledge.
“Now, because AI is prompt-driven, and template driven, anybody can use it.
“So we have democratised the technology, but it’s in the hands of anyone and so we’re likely to see a tsunami of disinformation in the upcoming elections.”
Mr West said AI could also be used during the administrative process of elections and weaponised to target swing voters.
“It’s very easy to use AI to target very small groups of people,” Mr West said.
“In most elections there is a relatively small undecided vote. What it can do is to identify [those] undecided voters, what are the issues or causes that they care about and develop targeted message designed to persuade those individuals.
“People can [also] use AI to tell people to go to the wrong polling place and show up on the wrong day.
“There are some states in the US where they’re using AI to clean up their voting rolls, but it means that some legitimate voters are getting kicked off the ballot and so they’re not being able to vote.”
And it’s not just political campaigns using AI against each other — Mr West warned it could be a powerful tool for foreign actors
In December, Facebook owner Meta was forced to removed thousands of accounts based in China pretending to be Americans and posting about inflammatory issues like abortion.
[continues]
I don’t think this is a demoralizing campaign. Saving Democracy will be invigorating.
Nearly two years into Russia’s war in Ukraine, Time correspondent Simon Shuster says Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “almost unrecognizable” from the happy-go-lucky, optimistic comedian Shuster first met in 2019.
“There’s just a toughness and a certain darkness about him now that really didn’t exist before,” Shuster says of the former sitcom star. “He’s still extremely committed to this war, to winning this war. … And he’s very single minded, almost obsessive, in pursuing that goal.”
Shuster, who has a Russian father and a Ukrainian mother, has been reporting on the region for 17 years and spent months embedded with Zelenskyy’s team in Kyiv as the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded in February 2022. His new book is The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky.
[…]
From the very beginning, Shuster says Zelenskyy drew on his background as an entertainer to help communicate the Ukrainian plight to a broader audience — even as he worried that the world’s attention would eventually fade.
“Often his military tactical decisions were guided by a desire to have these demonstrative victories, something that could really grab the world’s attention, whether it’s bombing the bridge that connects Russia to Crimea, or various battles … that maybe were not strategically the most important, but they were dramatic,” Shuster says.
Shuster says, looking ahead, that Zelenskyy and his team are open to negotiating for peace with Russia, but they are also developing ways to sustain the war — even if Western support declines.
“President Zelenskyy and his team have a clear vision of where this goes next,” Shuster says. “They … are actively developing ways to sustain the fight, not to be pushed into a capitulation or a negotiation that they don’t want to participate in, and to continue fighting on their own resources, their own weapons.”
[continues]
more from above from shuster
On what lesson Zelenskyy drew from Trump’s first impeachment
I talked to a number of the people whose messages wound up projected onto the big screens in the hearing rooms during the impeachment inquiry in Congress. Imagine what that feels like. You’re a state official in Ukraine. You’re having confidential, classified conversations with your counterparts in the United States. You’re assuming that those conversations, text messages, emails are going to remain private. And then you turn on CNN and you see your messages projected onto the screen for the world to see. That was very humiliating. It was very demeaning. In many cases, the U.S. authorities did not consult with the Ukrainians before publishing those communications. So that was quite annoying. One close adviser to Zelenskyy called it a cold shower. That was one of the milder phrases used to describe that experience.
In the middle of the impeachment hearings, I sat down with President Zelenskyy in his office, for one of our interviews that is described in the book, and it was maybe one of the lowest points that I’d seen him. He was at the time preparing also simultaneously for his first sit down negotiations with Vladimir Putin. The goals of those negotiations were to end the separatist conflict in the East and prevent the kind of invasion that we later saw play out across Ukraine. So he had a lot to juggle while he was focused on trying to negotiate with Putin and settle their relations and bring peace, all the American media, and all the international media wanted to talk about was Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden and all this stuff. So it was a massive distraction. One quote that stands out from that interview was he said, “I don’t trust anyone at all.” And essentially the lesson to him was: Alliances are flimsy. Everyone just has their national interests, their personal interests. And he felt a deep disillusionment in his belief that he could rely on certain allies, Europeans, Americans. He said everybody just has their interests, and I don’t trust anyone at all.
…featuring themes of workers’ rights, adapting to a changing world, and gay characters (way before gay characters were cool) trying to participate in an exclusionary society
a good read, free online (make the font as big as you like! 👍)
My sense is the campaign will be less demoralizing than dispiriting as we hear lies repeated and amplified and watch as formerly trusted loved ones set aside their moral compass to validate dishonesty. We’ll have to work hard to stay focused, keep our energy, and be each others’ cheerleaders in the face of adversity.
today’s meme…
I would like to take another view of the human silicon life. I tend to think that somewhere after 2010, maybe close to 2018 the shift to a computer human world occurred. Computers became dominant during the 2020 shutdown. The world functioned, sort of, with many of the humans isolated at home and on the computer.
The servers did not crash, in fact it was found that there was plenty of reserve in the servers. Servers are the basics of how the world interacts on the intertubes. Addressing and data is on servers. The speed never faltered. Zoom and Teams and other live audio/visual events took place with few minor issues, wear all you clothes when doing an online meeting.
There are no more “yellow pages” of the size and magnitude of when telephones were on copper wires. Now if you want to find a local plumber you need to know how to talk to a database. Example: Maryland Olney plumber sink. Basically it is finding the local yellow page book, turn to plumber pages and look up who does what specialty.
We have several ways of communicating, and tremendously faster, than fifty years ago. Back then the telegram had mostly closed so there was telephone and letter to the postal system. Now we have those two and electronic, email, voice message, text message, and a few more. We can show our lives, either publicly or privately, on social media, to our family and friends or the entire world.
Almost every part of our life now has a computer involved, or has an electronic device with something in it to provide information to a computer. Your phone charger cable, or other cables or charge devices let your phone know what they are and if they are compatible. It is difficult to escape from this, not impossible, just difficult.
The AI stuff is just more of the same, but now easier to encounter. We, software and hardware, have been building to this for generations. Now, it is possible to handle the huge amounts of data, super fast and super cheap. Chat has been this for years, it is just now that the hardware and software can do it fairly well (except when it goes off track and becomes something nasty.
I am constantly trying to reduce my computer contact, but it does not happen. I now have a “smart” thermostat to control the new HVAC (furnace). Set to my room temperature of 74F it might hit it on the way to 77F or 66F. I cannot get it to run around 74F. In the old days you would physically set the on off points on the furnace, the thermostat set at 74F. Smart lets you do that, but it does its own stupid thing. I am thinking of finding an old one from Ebay to put on there and live happily.
Blue Bronc, we’d be lost here without you. Thanks for setting us at ease, if just for today. You’re brilliant!
“The performers’ union has been following this issue for years, and has previously expressed support for state and federal laws that would make it illegal to distribute “deepfake” pornographic images that replicate someone’s likeness without consent.”
“The union also supports broader legislation, the NO AI FRAUDS Act, that would prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to distribute fake replicas of real people without consent — regardless of whether the use was sexually explicit.”
Just like she was the tipping-point for Ticket Master/Live Nation, which not only monopolizes ticket sales but continues to buy venues, this will get the attention of legislators…although the horse left the barn and is well down the road.
AI = Tower of Babel
We can communicate faster. However, I enjoyed pen pals when I was a kid, writing and waiting for letters. There’s less thought in a text, than a letter. Connection doesn’t seem quite as precious. Infrequent phone calls, waiting for cheaper rates, it was memorable.
Yes, it’s nice to keep up with friends and family at a whim, but the connections seem more superficial. It’s great in an emergency, but it’s really dehumanized the population, as a whole, trolls and bots being the worst of it.
I get the feeling that the wielders of AI find humans a necessary evil, fodder for whatever their financial and/or political goals may be. If AI could just do everything for them, from build a mansion, to fly a jet, to harvest and cook a meal, any other humans would not only be unnecessary, but a bother.
Of course, it can be used for good.
Will the good outweigh the bad, though?
BID, writing letters in penmanship is better for our brain than keyboarding.
“The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania issued a ruling Monday finding that a 1982 state bill barring Medicaid from covering most abortions can be challenged in court, years after the initial legal petition was dismissed.”
“The plaintiffs in the case argued that the 42-year-old legislation violated the Pennsylvania Constitution as well as the state’s Equal Rights Amendment and equal protection provisions. They further argued that other states permit their Medicaid programs to have abortion coverage that goes beyond the few exceptions allowed under the Abortion Control Act.”
“The court also found that discrimination based on sex-based characteristics was a violation of the Equal Rights Amendment, which differed from the lower court’s ruling.”
Imagine if the ERA had passed and been included in the US Constitution.
Craig – That’s the first time I’ve heard her speak when I didn’t feel nauseated.
Biden’s team is killing it with using Republicans own words to support him, and with Dark Brandon picking at tRUMPsky.
David Horsey’s op ed which accompanied the above in the Seattle Times last week:
some reading material for what to expect in coming campaigns in re AI
How AI will transform the 2024 elections | Brookings
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Elections and Campaigns (ncsl.org)
The AI Factor In Political Campaigns: Revolutionizing Modern Politics (forbes.com)
In the ever-evolving landscape of political campaigns, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a game-changing tool. By harnessing AI’s capabilities, political parties and candidates can analyze vast amounts of data, tailor messages, predict voter behavior, and optimize campaign strategies. As a result, political campaigns are moving towards precision campaigning with messaging targeted at each individual… transforming how politicians connect with voters. So, yes, politicians are trying to talk (or spinning) to you as a distinct person.
AI in Voter Targeting and Campaign Messaging
Political campaigns are leveraging AI for sophisticated voter targeting and personalized messaging. In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the Trump campaign used Cambridge Analytica’s data analysis to target voters with tailored messages. AI algorithms analyzed data from various sources to identify voter preferences and susceptibilities, allowing the campaign to deliver customized messages through social media and other platforms. Similarly, during the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, the Biden campaign used AI to optimize ad placements, targeting voters in crucial swing states with personalized messages. The AI tools analyzed past voting patterns, demographic data, and online behavior to predict voter preferences and tailor messages accordingly.
AI in Social Media and Online Campaigns
AI plays a significant role in managing social media and online campaigns. Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer use AI algorithms to determine the best times to post content for maximum engagement. AI also helps in monitoring social media sentiment, allowing campaigns to gauge public reaction to their policies and adjust strategies accordingly. During Canada’s 2019 federal elections, several political parties employed AI tools to monitor social media trends and sentiment, tailoring their online content and responses to align with public opinion. [continues]
From cartoon lions to channelling dead dictators, here’s how artificial intelligence is being used in elections around the world – ABC News
I don’t think this is a demoralizing campaign. Saving Democracy will be invigorating.
another day, another book to read
‘The Showman’ reveals how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has changed : NPR
more from above from shuster
it was a book before it was a movie
“How Green Was My Valley” by Richard Llewellyn
https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.272132/page/n4/mode/1up
…featuring themes of workers’ rights, adapting to a changing world, and gay characters (way before gay characters were cool) trying to participate in an exclusionary society
a good read, free online (make the font as big as you like! 👍)
My sense is the campaign will be less demoralizing than dispiriting as we hear lies repeated and amplified and watch as formerly trusted loved ones set aside their moral compass to validate dishonesty. We’ll have to work hard to stay focused, keep our energy, and be each others’ cheerleaders in the face of adversity.
today’s meme…
I would like to take another view of the human silicon life. I tend to think that somewhere after 2010, maybe close to 2018 the shift to a computer human world occurred. Computers became dominant during the 2020 shutdown. The world functioned, sort of, with many of the humans isolated at home and on the computer.
The servers did not crash, in fact it was found that there was plenty of reserve in the servers. Servers are the basics of how the world interacts on the intertubes. Addressing and data is on servers. The speed never faltered. Zoom and Teams and other live audio/visual events took place with few minor issues, wear all you clothes when doing an online meeting.
There are no more “yellow pages” of the size and magnitude of when telephones were on copper wires. Now if you want to find a local plumber you need to know how to talk to a database. Example: Maryland Olney plumber sink. Basically it is finding the local yellow page book, turn to plumber pages and look up who does what specialty.
We have several ways of communicating, and tremendously faster, than fifty years ago. Back then the telegram had mostly closed so there was telephone and letter to the postal system. Now we have those two and electronic, email, voice message, text message, and a few more. We can show our lives, either publicly or privately, on social media, to our family and friends or the entire world.
Almost every part of our life now has a computer involved, or has an electronic device with something in it to provide information to a computer. Your phone charger cable, or other cables or charge devices let your phone know what they are and if they are compatible. It is difficult to escape from this, not impossible, just difficult.
The AI stuff is just more of the same, but now easier to encounter. We, software and hardware, have been building to this for generations. Now, it is possible to handle the huge amounts of data, super fast and super cheap. Chat has been this for years, it is just now that the hardware and software can do it fairly well (except when it goes off track and becomes something nasty.
I am constantly trying to reduce my computer contact, but it does not happen. I now have a “smart” thermostat to control the new HVAC (furnace). Set to my room temperature of 74F it might hit it on the way to 77F or 66F. I cannot get it to run around 74F. In the old days you would physically set the on off points on the furnace, the thermostat set at 74F. Smart lets you do that, but it does its own stupid thing. I am thinking of finding an old one from Ebay to put on there and live happily.
Blue Bronc, we’d be lost here without you. Thanks for setting us at ease, if just for today. You’re brilliant!
https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/sag-aftra-taylor-swift-ai-deepfake-porn-artificial-intelligence-1235889479/
SAG-AFTRA spoke out Friday against pornographic AI images of Taylor Swift that have been circulating on social media, and reiterated support for legislation to outlaw such images.”
“The performers’ union has been following this issue for years, and has previously expressed support for state and federal laws that would make it illegal to distribute “deepfake” pornographic images that replicate someone’s likeness without consent.”
“The union also supports broader legislation, the NO AI FRAUDS Act, that would prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to distribute fake replicas of real people without consent — regardless of whether the use was sexually explicit.”
Just like she was the tipping-point for Ticket Master/Live Nation, which not only monopolizes ticket sales but continues to buy venues, this will get the attention of legislators…although the horse left the barn and is well down the road.
AI = Tower of Babel
We can communicate faster. However, I enjoyed pen pals when I was a kid, writing and waiting for letters. There’s less thought in a text, than a letter. Connection doesn’t seem quite as precious. Infrequent phone calls, waiting for cheaper rates, it was memorable.
Yes, it’s nice to keep up with friends and family at a whim, but the connections seem more superficial. It’s great in an emergency, but it’s really dehumanized the population, as a whole, trolls and bots being the worst of it.
I get the feeling that the wielders of AI find humans a necessary evil, fodder for whatever their financial and/or political goals may be. If AI could just do everything for them, from build a mansion, to fly a jet, to harvest and cook a meal, any other humans would not only be unnecessary, but a bother.
Of course, it can be used for good.
Will the good outweigh the bad, though?
BID, writing letters in penmanship is better for our brain than keyboarding.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/writing-by-hand-may-increase-brain-connectivity-rcna135880#
Postage prices are a big deterrent to handwritten cards and letters. I don’t let it slow me down but some I know do.
Biden ad: MTG endorses Joe
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR38ctos/
https://thehill.com/homenews/4435390-pennsylvania-supreme-court-medicaid-abortion-coverage/
“The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania issued a ruling Monday finding that a 1982 state bill barring Medicaid from covering most abortions can be challenged in court, years after the initial legal petition was dismissed.”
“The plaintiffs in the case argued that the 42-year-old legislation violated the Pennsylvania Constitution as well as the state’s Equal Rights Amendment and equal protection provisions. They further argued that other states permit their Medicaid programs to have abortion coverage that goes beyond the few exceptions allowed under the Abortion Control Act.”
“The court also found that discrimination based on sex-based characteristics was a violation of the Equal Rights Amendment, which differed from the lower court’s ruling.”
Imagine if the ERA had passed and been included in the US Constitution.
Craig – That’s the first time I’ve heard her speak when I didn’t feel nauseated.
Biden’s team is killing it with using Republicans own words to support him, and with Dark Brandon picking at tRUMPsky.
NEW THREAD