More AI thoughts...

AI Technology Critical Thinking

I've been reflecting on the definition and limitations of Artificial Intelligence, and I want to share some thoughts about what we're really dealing with when we talk about modern AI systems.

I have a personal memory of Yorick, an early neural network that could "dream" - it would generate spontaneous images when disconnected from input. This was fascinating because it demonstrated a kind of feedback loop, a system that could create something from nothing, much like genuine intelligence might.

The problem with most current AI systems is that they are primarily sophisticated mimicry tools. They don't demonstrate true intelligence; instead, they excel at imitating patterns from their training data. True AI, I believe, requires a feedback loop and potentially a neural network that can generate novel responses, not just regurgitate variations of what it has seen before.

This brings me to my biggest concern: the risk isn't necessarily the technology itself, but how corporations exploit it. When AI systems lack genuine understanding and merely imitate trained data, they perpetuate existing biases and can be used as tools for manipulation rather than genuine innovation.

Current AI systems often lack true comprehension. They process patterns and produce outputs that seem intelligent, but they're fundamentally different from systems that can truly understand, reason, and create original thoughts. This distinction is crucial because it affects how we should approach AI development and deployment.

I'm not against AI development - far from it. But I think we need to be honest about what we're creating and what we're not. Most of what's marketed as "AI" today is really advanced pattern matching and statistical prediction. That's useful, but it's not intelligence in the way most people understand the term.

My advice? Be smart, because AI really isn't. At least not yet. Don't blindly trust AI systems, understand their limitations, and always maintain critical thinking when interacting with these tools. The real intelligence still needs to come from us.