Artificial Intelligence: What Will It Really Change?
Why the consequences of AI may be both more and less than today’s hype suggests
Today it seems as if we can’t turn around without being hit over the head by another story about the coming AI apocalypse. This isn’t surprising: the mass media relies on creating an endless stream of sensationalistic content in order to grab for a few monetizable moments the fickle short-attention-span eyeballs of the general public. Ever since the first broadsheets were produced, editors have understood this golden rule of journalism.
Everyone’s competing for the same limited supply of credulous eyeballs and so “news” is a carefully-constructed artifact designed to lure and beguile, not to inform accurately regarding the real state of the world. There are of course journalistic staples: celebrity scandals, major sporting events, national elections, and (in the USA) mass shootings. These things can be relied on to boost the value of ad slots for a day or two. Sadly, as aerospace engineers have become so good at designing in safety features, passenger aircraft crashes are so infrequent that they can’t be relied upon. Likewise, while the recent massively over-hyped coronapanic was marvelous for revenue generation it’s no longer a viable way to ensure generous quarterly bonuses for the executive…
