AI Might Be the End of the World as We Know It. Of Course I Feel Fine.

By Brian Privett

Not Afraid of the Ghosts in the Machine

Whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed in life, I have some version of the same recurring dream. I will be driving somewhere in an inadequate vehicle that absolutely will not allow me to get where I'm going, or the roads shift and change so that I'm confused or lost. 

The past couple of months the version I had was headed to my Grandmother's down in Jellico Creek, Kentucky over the old State Route 92, which was over a big hill (we called it a mountain) with lots of dangerous switch backs and curves.  When I was a kid I think I got car sick every single time we took that road, which was about every weekend, especially if I ever tried to read in the backseat.

In my dream, I am taking that road on a kid's big wheel, red with yellow handle bars, riding through the sandstone cut throughs in the fall, my legs up by my elbows, pulling off whenever I could for rest or to check directions.  I woke up before I got there.

I'm always unsettled when I wake up from this dream.  It's vivid.  I can remember every little detail.  I feel powerless, but usually resignation, like, yep, that's how it's going right now.  It's really hard to describe this dream with any detail, like a lot of vivid but surreal dreams, but now comes the magic of Artificial Intelligence.  All I did was go to ChatGPT, typed in a description of my dream asking for a picture, and within 30 minutes and some maneuvering, here's what it came up with:

AI is fun. Like all technology, if it weren't fun, or incredible useful, it wouldn't be popular.  The iPhone. Fun.  Cars?  Fun AND useful.  Microsoft Word, definitely not fun, but useful. 

ChatGPT took a crazy dream and made an illustration out if it in about three commands, for free.  It's so close to my dream, I might frame it and hang it over my bed like a talisman to keep the dreams away.  It's easy to use, and it's getting really reliable, in a remarkable fast time.  For pure entertainment value and creativity, it's better than about anything I ever imagined we would have in my lifetime.  So why is everyone convinced it's going to end the world?

Anytime there is a new technology there will always be the doomsayers.  With AI, there seems to be lots of fear that computers will eventually take over the world and either enslave humans or end us because the computers will not need us.  The Terminator movies seem to be the most common reference for these folks. 

Here's Elon Musk (insert computer or AI joke here on your own) on the Joe Rogan Experience with the common thread among those afraid:

To me, the overwhelming fear sounds like a science-fiction conspiracy theory, or the Luddite-type anxiety that comes with every advance in technology.  Weren't the automobiles, or the telephone, or computers, or electronic banking, at one point seeming to be the end of the world?  There is talk of prophesy and end-times, like there have at every change in technology, so why would this time be right when it never has before?

Admittedly, AI technology is progressing at an anxiety-inducing pace.  Two years ago, when ChatGPT first became popular, I signed up and played with it a bit to see if it would be a useful tool for work.  I asked it, "what substance use treatment services are covered by Medicare" (the answer is no residential services), and ChatGPT told me that those services were covered and sent me to sections of the U.S. Code and the Code of Federal Regulations that had to do with Medicare coverage of services.  Not only was it wrong, but it was so wrong I never even thought about using it again for a couple of years. 

But then I realized something.  Google at some point stopped relying solely on its algorithm for search results, and you got a nice little paragraph at the top of your screen explaining whatever search you just entered in, written in a voice not unlike the Scarlett Johansen character in Her (maybe that's my imagination).  So I decided to give ChatGPT another shot and got this:

​Medicare provides coverage for substance use disorder (SUD) treatments in various settings, including inpatient hospital care and outpatient services. However, it does not typically cover residential treatment programs, which are non-hospital facilities offering extended care for individuals with SUD.​American Addiction Centers+4Medicare Interactive+4Healthline+4

Inpatient Hospital Care: Medicare Part A covers medically necessary inpatient care received in a general hospital or a psychiatric hospital. It's important to note that for psychiatric hospital stays, there's a lifetime limit of 190 days. ​Medicare Interactive+4KFF+4Medicare+4Medicare Interactive+2American Addiction Centers+2KFF+2

Outpatient Services: Medicare Part B covers outpatient services such as psychotherapy, counseling, and certain medications administered in a doctor's office or clinic. Additionally, Medicare covers opioid treatment program (OTP) services, including FDA-approved medications like methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone, along with counseling and therapy. ​MedicareMedicare Interactive+1American Addiction Centers+1

Residential Treatment Programs: Currently, Medicare does not cover residential treatment programs for SUD, as these facilities do not meet Medicare's definition of inpatient hospital care. Legislation like the Residential Recovery for Seniors Act has been proposed to establish Medicare coverage for residential SUD services, but as of now, such coverage has not been enacted. ​Legal Action Center

Given the complexities of Medicare coverage for SUD treatments, it's advisable to consult with healthcare providers or contact Medicare directly to understand the specific services and programs available to you.

This is an extremely correct, detailed, and cogent narrative answer with links to sources and a warning to contact experts.  ChatGPT will rewrite this for any reading level, length, or dive down into any particular detail if asked, and it will be expertly well-written.

Is this part of the technology scary?  Really?  It's very useful.  It is scary to writers and creators who could be replaced by AI in the future, especially in popular, formulaic entertainment.  But end of the word scary?  How fearful would we be if not for the Terminator type movies, or HAL in 2001?  The computers on Star Trek were always friendly.  With AI, which teaches itself as it operates, the fear is that it will eventually not be benign, but will wish ill will on humans, for whatever reason, and will learn how to destroy us.  Is this not just a form of anthropomorphism?

What's the worst that can happen?

Watch this:

Nobel Laureate Geoffrey Hinton, basically the creator of the AI technology, says that he now keeps his money in three separate banks because he is afraid of what kind of control AI will have in the near future.  Safeguards are not in place.  Companies are racing to be the first and best, but are not worried enough about safety.  According to Hinton, AI, unless safeguards are in place now, it will take over the world sometime and created chaos and a fundamental change to our life on earth.

My take - I'm not worried.  I've put in years of practice not worrying about things I cannot control.  Terminator-type AI warring against us seems to me less likely than the asteroid that could hit Earth at any time, as it has who knows how many hundreds of times over the history of the Earth, creating an extinction event. 

I saw an interview with Stephen Hawking once where he said we will most likely never make contact with aliens (I know, we already have, shut up) because we'll most likely be destroyed by an asteroid or comet before that happens. 

I also don't worry about the sun going supernova, or being swallowed by a black hole, or the universe being ripped apart, nuclear war, tariffs, the Supreme Court, most legislation, or about anything on the news.  Because I can't control it. 

I'd rather worry about things I can control like dinner, my weight, whether to go for a walk, or how present I am with my kids.  None of us, unless we run or are of influence inside or to a company developing AI, have any control over what this thing is going to do.  All we can do is live our lives and adjust as the unintended consequences start coming out.

I hope my kids will be ok when that happens. And their kids after.  But right now, I have to decide if I'm going to try to go for a walk before it starts raining again and hope I don't dream about big wheels tonight.