Category: Group B

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In both the novel and “Building the Star Trek Computer”, we can observe the common theme of humanity fearing the capabilities of artificial intelligence. We don’t seem to want the technology to reach its full potential; we want the technology to serve as assistants to humans rather than independently functioning organisms. In Finn’s article, it was mentioned on several occasions how the goal of smart computers are to be “intelligent assistants”. Scientists wanted programs like Siri to merely respond to human queries and not initiate any activity. In fact Apple didn’t present Siri to the public with all of the technology’s capabilities.

This can be similarly seen throughout Neuromancer. In fact there is an entire division of law enforcement devoted to shutting down artificial intelligence that become too intelligent; once the AI starts to act on its on free will the Turring Police come to erase it.

Based on the ideals discussed in Neuromancer and the article, technology should be a mere extension of human capability and needs. Technology is to be secondary to human and never more than that. In fact, one of the main anxieties the novel focuses on is the fear of artificial intelligence becoming to powerful. We have this understanding that technology cannot precede the abilities of the person who programmed it, but we would we do when that day does come? Is the Neuromancer story an accurate prediction to how society will react to artificial intelligence with its own free will?

 

Posted from Course Blogs by Shayla B.

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I walk into the office, empty except for a desk, chair, and a few computers. “Hello,” a woman’s voice greats me from out of nowhere. It is familiar yet mechanic. Slightly startled and mostly impressed, I begin to fiddle with this computer that is aware of every sound, movement, and breath that I take. The voice, linked to the computer system, is an “intelligence assistance,” going above and beyond anything I have ever used or had on my measly iPhone. In a world where new technology is frequent and quickly becomes available in the consumer market, seeing and hearing something with capabilities I did not yet know existed was astonishing, and to be quite honest, a little terrifying.

As I read the article by Ed Finn, my ignorance towards new technologies and innovations was revealed to me full force. How naïve could I be to expect that Siri was the best there was? How brainwashed had I become to believe that Apple was always the top of the technological game? However, the brilliance of Apple and Siri was not the algorithm itself, but the marketing tools used to present it as magic, a unique experience. The commercial below shows a person with seemingly everything (The Rock!) to be able to do a superhuman amount of tasks with the assistance of Siri.

Above and beyond the games of marketing are the dreams of those in tech. The “Star Trek” computer has a larger goal, infinite amounts of data, and is ultimately, “an index to all human knowledge.” Google aims to create a machine that is able to understand and predict private and social life, the need to think seems to become obsolete and therefor, calls the purpose of existence into question. I know I, like many others, crave new technology and slight improvements that will make my life that much easier. With my phone being my most intimate part of my life, at what point will this intimacy take control? Without being aware, I have avoided negative perceptions of technology and focused on the current positive benefits I myself will reap. I still find that as I read Neuromancer, I perceive it to be outlandish and impossible. Elon Musk, prominent business magnate, warns against the soon coming dangers of AI. The desire to improve is one that is almost always positive, but in this regard, must be watched with a cautious and knowledgeable eye.

Posted from Blog by Ashley W.

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Artificial Intelligence

Already in class, in the reading, and also in the book we are reading, “Neuromancer”, we have seen many instances of an AI or Artificial Intelligence. However, in all instances the mood and tone of AI seems to be different. In class we described SIRI and how it was developed by Steve Jobs and many other dedicated scientists. In my group of four we discussed how SIRI in it of itself isn’t threatening or dangerous. In fact, SIRI is meant to help us “humans” to complete everyday life quicker and in an easier manner. The article we had to read also held this opinion. It described how SIRI or CALO was based off and inspired by the Latin calonis, meaning soldier’s servant giving off a different cultural role than the expected personal assistant. Although SIRI was initially designed to be a different way, we see that the cultural roles of humanity and the preferences that are needed truly determine what this particular AI will be used for.

Which leads to the final section we talk about AI in, the “Neuromancer”. In this book we see that the AI is a very dark entity that we really don’t have a way of describing. So far in the book the AI has yet to reveal itself, and as far as we know, it seems to be the bad guy. From my experience, this is the way most Artificial Intelligence sci-fi novels or movie are displayed, for example iRobot or Bladerunner. This evil display of AI causes us viewers to be weary of the future and the possibility of Artificial Intelligence.

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While the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology in general has been widely beneficial for humans, there are a number of safety and privacy concerns that have arisen as technology has become more and more advanced. In chapter two of Finn’s What Algorithms Want, this issue of privacy and safety for individuals using new technology is called into question. As an example, Siri’s main form or learning is through the aggregation and subsequent analysis of patterns of voice query records, and the storage of these queries is “unsurprisingly troubling to privacy advocates” (Finn 62).

Because privacy and safety are hot topics in technology today, I wanted to look more into privacy issues specifically as they relate to digital assistants. Currently, Apple stores Siri requests along with a device ID for 6 months, and then drops the device ID and stores just the request for an additional 18 months (Waddell). While it isn’t entirely surprising that Siri searches are being stored somewhere, as digital assistants “wouldn’t be able to provide … useful results” (Waddell) without communicating with their respective companies and storing past searches to analyze patterns, their storage does sacrifice a fair amount of user privacy.

Google has recently been attempting to develop a digital assistant that listens to all conversations, even ones not directed at the search assistant. This jump is quite large, as the assistants, and therefore the company, will not only store queries directed at the assistant, but all conversations the user has on a given device. Siri, and other tools like it, seem to be just the beginning of personal digital assistants and the power they might have. Privacy, however, needs to be a large factor in deciding how best to leverage this technology in order for it to grow responsibly.

 

Source

Bariya, Niraj. “Shhhh… Listen! Do You Hear The Sound Of New Messaging App Google Allo?” DigiFloor, DigiFloor, 22 Sept. 2016, www.digifloor.com/google-allo-messaging-app-22.

Finn, Ed. “Building the Star Trek Computer.” What Algorithms Want: Imagination in the Age of Computing, MIT Press, 2017, pp. 57–77.

Waddell, Kaveh. “The Privacy Problem with Digital Assistants.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 24 May 2016, www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/05/the-privacy-problem-with-digital-assistants/483950/.

Posted from Digital Studies 101 Blog by Patrick G.