Artificial Intelligence vs. Authentic Stupidity

LISTEN: (5 minutes, 54 seconds)

 

WE HUMANS, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US of the American persuasion, have developed a remarkable propensity for freaking out. 

We freak out over a watered down beer’s marketing blunders with a modern day Corporal Klinger. Then, we jump to worst-case assumptions over the latest topic of media hyper-hype, artificial intelligence. End-of-world threats come from every direction and in every form, from the absurd to the eerily plausible. It almost seems as if none of us are happy unless none of us are happy. 

That second example, artificial intelligence (AI) has suddenly gained widespread attention and has set freak-out senses on edge everywhere, most notably in all corners of mainstream and social media. 

It is an appropriate subject here, because we have, ourselves, begun dabbling in the dark arts of AI. 

More on that in a bit. 

Progress in the development of this technology is advancing at an exponential pace, now that engineers are using AI to design AI.

We remember sitting in a presentation at a publishing technology conference while shopping for our first MacIntosh computers (8K ram and two floppy disk drives… $4,200!) and hearing our first real world discussion about Artificial Intelligence. This was in 1986, just two years after The Terminator came out, with its plot suggesting that teaching machines to think might not be a good idea. It was interesting to learn that research in AI, by scientists and not science fiction writers, was actually moving forward, and that someday computers would be capable of managing a wide range of tasks in every industry, and everyday life.

Four decades later, “thinking” machines have become a reality. Now that AI is here, so is a lot of hyperbolic hand wringing over potential threats… from the plausible cultural and economic disruptions, to the borderline absurd: Matrix-like takeovers, or war against time-traveling robots with Austrian accents.  

But most of the progress that gives such platforms as ChatGPT the ability to emulate human-like conversation, writing, and problem solving is not based on replicating human brain function, but on using the brute-force of computing power to examine countless variations and outcomes to produce the impressive results that are being heralded by researchers.  AI might run convincing programs, but it’s still just a big, number-crunching virtual machine.

Existential threat? Doubtful, at least as long as the software acts more like Rain Man than a T-800 model Terminator.

The more immediate concern—as is often the case with breakthrough technology—is how humans can, and will, use the technology with dishonest and evil intentions. “Deep Fakes” have already become commonplace online, and the ability to identify falsified images, audio, and video eludes the toughest scrutiny, including that of law enforcement. The quality of these fakes will only get better and will increase faster than the same technology can be used to police it.

Artificial Intelligence is like any other tool. A hammer in the hands of a skilled craftsman can be used to build works of great carpentry. A hammer in the hands of a psychopath, or an incompetent moron, can create mayhem. Despite the bad potential that AI brings with it, the odds are better than even that it will produce more good, and make more of a positive difference in our lives than the harm this tool—in the wrong hands—might inflict. This relative comfort helped encourage us to take our first tentative steps into the AI workshop.

The way Fish & Game is exploring this new technology is by using it to produce audio versions of our print articles. It wouldn’t be practical to attempt recording live voice overs for all the content in each issue. But with AI driven software, we found a way to quickly turn our written words into spoken audio. The result may not be perfect… but it’s perfect enough.

See for yourself. Just scan the QR Code below with your phone and give this article a listen.

The possibilities this opens are tremendous. Now, for the first time, you can listen to virtually an entire issue while driving, or while you’re on your boat or in your deer blind. Audiobooks and podcasts are growing faster than just about any other form of media. That alone serves as the motivation to move into the mobile/audio arena with our content. The available technology makes it possible.  

Again, it’s not perfect, but it is perfectly acceptable, for now. And the technology is only going to get better—and probably quite soon.  

This initial foray into AI generated voices will hopefully branch out into other ways we can use this technology to improve what we do to help you enjoy the outdoors… Imagine what brute-force computing could do with the endless variations and potential outcomes that face anglers before every trip, every tackle choice, every cast.

So, give our little step into the world of AI a shot. Listen and find out if it sounds like it might not be a great alternative or at least another option for you to consume our content. 

Hopefully, Artificial Intelligence is a smart move for Fish & Game, and for the world. There’s a lot of Authentic Stupid out there. Using technology to shine light on ignorance seems like a good way to stifle our inherent Freak-Out reflexes.

 

E-mail Roy at rneves@fishgame.com and Ardia at aneves@fishgame.com

 

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