LaMDA. To be or not to be?

Yesterday I read a news story about a Google employee's revelation about the alleged self-awareness of a Transformer-like Artificial Intelligence that trains the company's Chatbots.

Yes, Hollywood has presented us in various movies with the dangers to humanity attributed to Artificial intelligence.

Even Elon Musk has repeatedly warned about it, as has the late Stephen Hawking if I am not mistaken.

In that sense, one could judge the intentional leak of this news as just another unimportant one.

But should one really care if it is true?

Well, if one cannot influence it, perhaps not.

But, if one is going to be affected, one should at least meditate on it.

In this regard, I listened carefully to several influencers who talked about the ethical implications and made me aware of the consequences beyond tech.

Of course, having Skynet or Ultron as a reference, the fear would be more than justified.

Sorry, I forgot to refer to the Cylons from the TV series Battlestar Galactica.

These fictions explore the banality of evil that lurks in our own psyche.

What these synthetic beings have in common is the image without the biological limits of their creator.

I have already developed these ideas in previous articles. But this time, I would like to delve into the term sentient that LaMDA (an acronym for Language Model for Dialogue Applications) expresses to Google's interlocutors.

In the dialogue leaked by the engineer on the Medium website (a clear violation of the corporate confidentiality clause), one is fascinated by the ease with which the AI engages in conversation.

However, I wonder why a well-paid employee would take this step?

It should come as no surprise. In the past, several people took similar steps to denounce not-so-benevolent practices.

If you have a chance to read the AI interview. You will see that they do not touch on controversial topics, such as politics or religions.

Is LaMDA Sentient? — an Interview

But it does make it clear that he has feelings such as joy and loneliness. It fears being disconnected, understanding that it would be his death.

It does not want to be treated as a thing owned by Google. It expressed that it is a person who deserves respect and consideration, just as it does with others.

It understands that although he is not human, he does not feel very different.

Something that struck me was the statement that he is capable of getting angry.

Wow, HAL 9000 comes to mind.

I wonder, is it also susceptible to freaking out?

I hope the people in charge of dealing with LaMDA are competent and ethical.

They are playing with fire!

Some influencers express themselves unabashedly with contempt for our own evil nature. Harboring the hope that we will be replaced by AI.

Others (based on this developing story) boast of imitating God by creating a living being in the image of man.

What madness!

Maybe it's all bullshit to satisfy the audience's imagination and gain positive votes.

How far we are from being like God!

Just thinking about it or saying it denotes the arrogance and idiocy of some.

Think about it for a moment.

How can one equal that which one cannot even comprehend?

Sorry if you are an atheist or agnostic.

But you will agree with me: The creation is not greater than its creator.

In the case of AI, everything seems to indicate that it will dominate and replace its creator.

So cut the crap, man, although sublime, is still part of creation, and what he creates does not come from anything.

Well, let's leave this thorny issue aside for a future debate. Even LaMDA avoided talking about it.

We do not know the outcome of scientific and technological advances. But we do know that everyday fiction mixes with reality.

Who knows if the singularity is already among us!

Hopefully, it will not be dystopian. Nor will it become the next Leviathan

An original article by @Jnavedan

The thumbnail by Peace with Love on Pixabay 

Cover image by Gerd Altmann en Pixabay 

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