# Is AI taking over the world?



## James321

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly being used in all areas of our lives. There is AI stocks & shares trading software, it's being increasingly used in healthcare, internet search engines use AI, it can be used to drive cars, it's used in video games to increase their playability (or sometimes to stop you playing them too often!). In the UK at the moment there are Chinese made surveillance cameras with a facial recognition and AI capability that can monitor and record your behaviour as you do your shopping or even while you are at work. Data is being gathered on us all the time and is then analysed and stored by AI.

But are AI computers fully accountable to the laws of the land? The UK's Data Protection Act for example specifies that gathered data on you should be "used fairly, lawfully and transparently", and further that you have the right to know what data the government and other organisations have stored about you, and that you can even asked for data to be erased. But what if the AI database in question is completely anonymous and no-one even knows it exists? If you don't know where it is or what it's called, how can you approach it to ask to see your data?

At the moment the race is on the build fully functioning Quantum Computers. These computers would be so powerful they will have almost god-like abilities. They would be able to decrypt all encrypted traffic online making the internet completely transparent. They could also be used to study people in the minutest detail and even predict their future behaviours and help stop errant behaviour before it even happened. 

Quantum computers could also be used in creating the perfect digital robots. Computer controlled robots are routinely used online and the capability is even available for them to be used in telephone call centres as well. Many of the voices you hear online on social media aren't actually real people at all but robots using fake accounts. Public opinion can easily be manipulated by a chorus of fake voices. 

Companies are increasingly investing in AI technology but as computers become more powerful and influential in our everyday human lives, we have to ask ourselves how morally and legally accountable are computers exactly? For example is it even possible to take a computer to court if they make a bad and damaging decision as you can take a company CEO to court if they get it wrong? The implications are truly frightening.


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## lunarlander

We're not there yet. 

A few years ago, so called Expert Systems promised a lot. And people are fearful that it will take away their jobs. It didn't materialize. 

As of recently, it is considered a high achievement that a robot can go from point A to point B navigating around obstacles. 

And quantum computers have not happened. 

Sure, some AI programs can 'recognize' similar looking faces and pick you out of a crowd. But the smarts are taught by human users who click yes or no when the computer comes up with answers. After a lot of clicks, the computer then 'learns' what it is to be truly similar faces. AI needs something to verify to itself what is the real answer.


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## lunarlander

And AI chat bots can only pick out key words in a sentence and offer a canned reply. Some even rely on grammer; for instance you say 'what lovely flowers these are'. The chat bot can pick out the subject word and offer a reply saying 'so you like "flowers" '. And if the programmers are really smart, they could classify the word "flowers" and make the chat bot reply with 'so do you like tulips or roses ?' If you had said 'I like meat'. then the chatbot could reply with 'so do you like beef or pork ?'

Amazon had a project where the Amazon Echo will try to 'engage' you in a conversation. And different university student teams come out with different bots. The qualifying teams have to produce a bot that can sound human for 10 mins before the user disengages because the bot is too stupid;. I use to trick it in coming up with similar answers revealing a pattern.


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## James321

lunarlander said:


> We're not there yet.
> 
> A few years ago, so called Expert Systems promised a lot. And people are fearful that it will take away their jobs. It didn't materialize.
> 
> As of recently, it is considered a high achievement that a robot can go from point A to point B navigating around obstacles.
> 
> And quantum computers have not happened.
> 
> Sure, some AI programs can 'recognize' similar looking faces and pick you out of a crowd. But the smarts are taught by human users who click yes or no when the computer comes up with answers. After a lot of clicks, the computer then 'learns' what it is to be truly similar faces. AI needs something to verify to itself what is the real answer.


And what sources are you quoting?

AI is used to drive Tesla cars.

AI controlled facial recognition cameras are used in socialist China and the UK. They must be effective or they wouldn't be using them so extensively.

Some claim to have achieved quantum computing already for short periods of time. Oxford University is at the forefront of researching quantum computing: University of Oxford - Quantum Computing


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## James321

lunarlander said:


> And AI chat bots can only pick out key words in a sentence and offer a canned reply. Some even rely on grammer; for instance you say 'what lovely flowers these are'. The chat bot can pick out the subject word and offer a reply saying 'so you like "flowers" '. And if the programmers are really smart, they could classify the word "flowers" and make the chat bot reply with 'so do you like tulips or roses ?' If you had said 'I like meat'. then the chatbot could reply with 'so do you like beef or pork ?'
> 
> Amazon had a project where the Amazon Echo will try to 'engage' you in a conversation. And different university student teams come out with different bots. The qualifying teams have to produce a bot that can sound human for 10 mins before the user disengages because the bot is too stupid;. I use to trick it in coming up with similar answers revealing a pattern.


You're obviously referring to amateur software. 

I believe I've chatted to an AI robot at a telephone call centre and the only thing that gave the game away is that the robot's delivery was completely flawless and 100% perfect. For example they didn't say "um......" or "err......" once which every human operator does. 

It's also a fact that many of the articles you read online are written by AI: Write Quality Articles In Seconds With AI


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## lunarlander

Well, cars are a different problem than walking robots. First, they have maps, and a very simple algorithm can be used to determine the way from point A to point B. Google Maps doesn't use AI. Then self driving cars have traffic rules to follow. So you pick out the red light and stop the car, or realise that the car in front of you is putting on the brakes and stop the car. Not that robotic driving is easy to do, but it is doable, Google is testing self driving cars in sub-section of I forgot which small city. 

The easiest way to detect a chat bot is to change subjects on them. A free form chat would require a humungus database. Chat bots all stay within a narrow subject matter, and try to steer you back on course. Ask a polite and normal question like 'do you have any kids', and then talk about your own kids. See if the they/it can continue the conversation. Try it the next time you call that call center.


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## James321

Here's an interesting article from The Conversation:

AI can now learn to manipulate human behaviour

Who know where this could lead to?


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