Opinion: Artificial Intelligence, Part III

Contrary to generally accepted practice, let’s start with the bottom line. AI is developing at breakneck speed and there is practically zero regulation.

In the beginning…

In 2018, Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua Bengio, and Yann LeCun were presented the Turing Award for their groundbreaking work in computer science. The three data-processing geniuses are known as the “Godfathers of Artificial Intelligence.” At the time, perhaps no one outside an exclusive conclave of scientists ever imagined that a mere five years later, computers would be able to write a book in the style of Ernest Hemingway or paint a masterpiece in the style of Van Gogh. But they can, and they do. By comparison, term papers, theses, and dissertations for college are a snap.

A modern computer can perform billions of operations per second, and AI makes use of this facility, allowing computers access to millions of unlabeled databases. Some people may not be concerned about the possibility of AI programs like ChatGPT chatbot putting wordsmiths and artists out of work today. But, at the rate that AI is accelerating, it may threaten the livelihood of lawyers and physicians in the very near tomorrow.