Ask Interesting (AI)

AI has a strong presence in the media. What’s all this AI hype, hope, hoopla, hyperbola, hazards, and hypotheticals about? That’s an excellent question, and it’s the premise for this book. The chapter talks about AI in the news media and in the entertainment industry. So much of most people’s perceptions of AI is driven by Hollywood, and most of that is wrong or misleading. For years, AI has been a presence in our lives but largely invisible. However, since the public unveiling of ChatGPT in November 2022, AI has emerged as a major force for innovation and public-facing products. The dawn of AI was a conference at Dartmouth University in 1956. It was at that time that the field was named Artificial Intelligence. Although many argue that the name of this field is inappropriate, it’s here to stay. The notion that AI creates the illusion of intelligence is introduced. Modern-day AI researchers are magicians; it’s the result that counts, not how you achieve it. Arthur C. Clarke, a futurist author ( 2001: A Space Odyssey ), summed it up nicely: “Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”