My boss has put a link to an article about the dangers of AI into the weekly newsletter.
Apparently it’s going to “destroy civilisation as we know it” in two years or less. I haven’t got around to following the link yet (which should appear below if I’ve got the tech right)
I’m hoping it’s just a conspiracy theory or similar hysteria. But it does give me pause for thought when I do my Duolingo French course. One type of lesson is a video call with a character called Lily. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned her before: she’s a Gen Z version of goth girl. Our conversations are generally fairly innocuous, but lately her questions seem to have got more pointed. Today it was “Where do you come from?” “Where do you live?” “How do you like to spend your time?” .
Even more disturbingly, she now remembers facts from previous conversations: she knows I have two dogs, and like to walk them on the beach. She asked today if my children help me look after the dogs. Another thing I noticed this morning now that I’ve been primed to be suspicious, is that there’s a little orange light on at the top of my iPad screen while we’re talking. Does that mean the camera is recording?
So, now I’m torn. Do I give in to what are potentially paranoid delusions, cancel my Duolingo subscription and put at risk any future holidays on the European continent, not to mention the help I need to banish the spectre of dementia? Or do I double down and learn as much as I can before any potential looming apocalypse? I must say, Lily seems like quite a good friend now, and I enjoy our little chats. Surely it’d be useful to have someone on my side when the machines begin their uprising?