Florida Workers' Comp: First

Back in 1980, The Empire Strikes Back (LucasFilm 1980) premiered. It was the movie that turned the splash of Star Wars (20th Century 1977) into a franchise. In it, the protagonist evolves, training to be a Jedi. In one engagement with his mentor, he notes "I'm not afraid." His mentor, Yoda, replies "You will be." I am reminded of that when I think about artificial intelligence (AI).

In fairness, that film is perhaps as dated a reference as Mick Jagger (who most young people today think is a foil from a Ke$ha song). Tom Holland (Spider-Man) illustrated that in Captain America: Civil War (Marvel 2016) with "Hey guys, you ever see that really old movie, Empire Strikes Back?" Ouch. Apologies if you are old enough to remember Empire without an Internet search.

But, returning to Yoda, the question is whether you should be scared of AI. Is confidence like Luke's appropriate in our current posture, or should we be more reticent? In fairness, my reactions have vacillated over the last decade as I became aware of AI and its implications. I have spent significant time reading, listening, writing, lecturing, and prognosticating. See a list of related blog posts at the end of this post.

At a time of cataclysmic change, I find myself still struggling to comprehend and predict where this ride ends. In my many conversations about it, I am comfortable that I am in the majority.

Before you decide your feelings about AI, you need to do some homework about what it is. There is too much shorthanding going on, with indiscriminate use of the "AI" label. It is fair to say that much will be labeled "AI" over the coming months and years. There is a desire in the marketplace for that assurance of recency and relevance.

When selecting your next toaster, there is some chance that you will be drawn by the package's reference to AI. That labeling may be the next "as seen on TV" or "new and improved," pushed upon us in such volume that it achieves innocuity or cliche. We all love that "new and improved" and it has likely sold more mediocrity over the years than Helen of Troy launched ships.

But what is AI? Before going there, let's be clear. It is not a panacea, a quintessence, a plague, or a panic. That said, in any particular event, situation, instance or need it might be any of these. However, it is none of these by its existence. It is not any of these by inherence. If and when it is any of these it will be because of its application in that instance, event, application, or moment.

AI can be evaluative or generative. That is, it can be an organizer and compiler or it can create content. That is a distinction worth thinking through. So, what is the capacity of the AI you are discussing, and does that meet with your expectations and anticipations regarding the performance you desire?

If it is evaluative, it provides humans with output and leaves the interpretation or expression or application of that output to the human. If it is generative, it is producing output, interpretation, or analysis on its own. When humans repeat or reiterate that output without using their own intellect, sense, and skepticism will fall victim to the failings of AI. See,

AI can be "narrow," "Strong," or "superintelligent." Its function can be "reactive," "limited," "theory," or even "self-aware." Well, those adjectives are all appropriate, but the use of present "can" is an overstatement. The fact is that "superintelligent" and "self-aware" are adjectives that may someday be appropriate outside the realm of Hollywood and the world of soothsayers like Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, and their brethren.

So, in the science fiction that may become our tomorrow, it is possible that self-aware, superintelligent computers will surround us. There may come a time in which they learn to interfere in our lives in a multitude of ways. Our fear in that time may be justified and understandable.

Nonetheless, fears about the other end of the spectrum, the "evaluative" and "narrow" may be misguided or at least premature. At least so far, only the lazy, ignorant, or misguided have suffered at the hands of evaluative AI. They have engaged this tool, relied upon its results without question, and have suffered the consequences. See AI Incognito (December 2023).

Years ago, Henry David Thoreau noted:

“It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?”

I am suggesting that in our current moment, in your decision about whether you fear, dread, welcome, or endorse AI, “It is not enough to be AI; so are the toasters. What is the toaster's AI about?”

Prior posts on AI and Robotics

Will the Postal Service be our Model for Reform? (August 2014)

Attorneys Obsolete (December 2014)

How Will Attorneys (or any of us Adapt? (April 2015)

Salim Ismail and a Life-Changing Seminar (May 2015)

The Running Man from Pensacola, Florida (July 2015)

Will Revolution be Violent (October 2015)

Ross, AI, and the new Paradigm Coming, (March 2016)

Chatbot Wins (June 2016);

Robotics and Innovation Back in the News (September 2016)

Universal Income - A Reality Coming? (November 2016)

Artificial Intelligence in Our World (January 2017)