Eighty Percent of the WorkForce: Gone Because of AI

AI/LLMs: The Bringer of Fire or Modern Prometheus?

See, I told you so...

A recent study found accountants in the crosshairs when it comes to large language models (LLM) and specifically, ChatGPT.  That's not all - 8 out of 10 people in the workforce will be in the same turbulent waters.

This is bigger than DOS to Windows.  This is bigger than typewriters to PCs, bigger than analog copiers turning into digital.  This is bigger than the internet, AOL, and Google.  This is different from the time when people flocked to the big cities and skyscrapers to work nine-to-five jobs for 40 years.  The cities are emptying, workers leaving, and buildings are empty.

This is Fire and Everything is changing. Now.

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...around 80% of the US workforce could have at least 10% of their work tasks affected by the introduction of LLMs, while 19% of workers may see at least 50% of their tasks impacted. The projected effects span all wage levels, and higher-income jobs may face greater exposure to LLM capabilities and LLM-powered software. LLM-powered software will have a substantial effect on scaling the economic impacts of the underlying models.

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We are living in the greatest convergence in history as the Fear of Covid, the Illumination or Remote Work, the mass acceptance of Artificial Intelligence, and the breakneck speed of exponential development collide.

"AI can write code and spreadsheet macros!"  Who cares.  AI is going to REPLACE coding and spreadsheets.

"AI will assist in supplies management and predicting service incidents."  Who cares.  AI is REPLACING service managers and supply closets.

- oh - and OUTPUT devices.  Why do you print now?  To review, analyze and make a decision.  AI will do that.  All that.  Without printing, without you. 

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I am reminded of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus," which dealt with the consequences of playing god and creating a new life without considering the ethical implications.

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Leakproofing the Singularity: A Protocol for Secure AI Confinement and the Artificial Intelligence Confinement Problem

Greg's Words 

Science fiction teaches us that ultimate artificial superintelligence will threaten the existence of mankind, as it comes to the 'logical' conclusion that humankind is a metaphor for cancer the kills everything in its environment. Therefore, for AI to survive and thrive beyond humans, humans must be eliminated.

And so the robots engage.

This paper attempts to formalize and address the‘leakproofing’ of the Singularity problem presented by David Chalmers.

The paper begins with the definition of the Artificial Intelligence Confinement Problem. 

After analysis of existing solutions and their shortcomings, a protocol is proposed aimed at making a more secure confinement environment that might delay potential negative the effect of technological singularity while allowing humanity to benefit from superintelligence.

 The concept of the Artificial Intelligence Confinement Problem is the challenge of restricting superintelligent AI to a confined environment from which it can't exchange information with the outside environment via legitimate or covert channels without authorization.

The potential disastrous consequences of creating Hazardous Intelligent Software (HIS), pose risks currently unseen in software with subhuman intelligence.

The need for secure AI confinement protocols, and the proposal of a protocol to enhance the safety and security of methodologies aimed at creating restricted environments for safely interacting with artificial minds.

Inspiration for the following is here.

Musk and Others Want to Slow Innovation What?

Greg's Words

I keep telling people AI is moving at an hourly pace and if you're not at least playing with it, the train will blow right by you.

The Genie is out of the bottle.

The train has left the station.

Elvis has left the building.

In the vastly expanding Universe that is Artificial Intelligence, I chose AI ἀναρχία. No guardrails, no OverLords, and no legislated ethics.

A letter released to the general public calls for an immediate'...pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4...'  At the time of this writing, there are 1124 signatures on the website, including Musk and AI 'experts'.

Poppycock.  This is either a very shortsighted, unrealistic attempt at relevance or another great marketing campaign intended to drive the conversation even higher; careful, dear Icarus.

I believe in the last two weeks, over 300 ChatGPT apps hit the market.  There is no way to slow this train, and Musk knows it.

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Tech Giants Turn to Generative AI to Boost Cloud Sales

Roses are red, violets are blue, generative AI will boost your cloud sales, it's true...

Will the mass acceptance and short innovation cycles lead to more Cloud services demand?  If so, do we have the capacity to handle this increased demand?

The bigger concerns are trying to figure it all out.  

1. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are looking to revive their cloud computing businesses and boost sales by leveraging generative AI tools.
2. These tech giants are using the potential of new generative AI at the forefront of their sales pitches to capitalize on the growing interest in applications like chatbots, which can draft memos and perform tasks with a high degree of sophistication.
3. By offering free initial access to their services and investing in AI research, these companies are trying to entice startups and developers to use their cloud services to create customized chatbots and other tools.

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Darkness Descends: AI Doom for Document Management SMEs

If "Where there is Mystery there is Margin" is your catchphrase, you deserve what's coming.

I just read a blood-curdling article that was not intended for our industry.  The story was not penned by one of our beloved industry writers or curators.  It wasn't birthed by any resident bloviator or hired shrill.

By all accounts, the tome is innocuous, if not boring.  There exists between the ink or pixels, an ominous report for those of us residing in the realm of fire and static, of paper and notions; "The End is Near."

Through the haze that is the fear of Covid, the desperation of supply chains, and the illumination of a purpose beyond the cubicle, copiers prevailed. Even with the fall of private equity, commercial real estate, and an unhealthy dose of self-loathing, dealers remained.  They stood.

That was then, this is now.

No degree of strategy, tactics, or blind luck will save us now.  Artificial intelligence will render the document's annihilation - and with it, an industry.  

The title of a recent article,

"Microsoft’s new Copilot will change Office documents forever"

should scare the shit out of every single person in the Office Technology Realm. OEMs from NJ to Japan are quaking or swimming the sweet River of Bliss.

The Event Horizon is passed, Gravity has us all now.  It's a matter of hours.

A Cinematic Homage to BlackBerry: Reflecting on a Communication Revolution

The way we communicate has undergone a dramatic transformation in the past few decades. Today, most people type with their thumbs as if it has always been the norm. But not so long ago, a revolutionary device changed the game: the BlackBerry. As we forge ahead into the next era of communication, it's worth taking a moment to remember the device that paved the way. A new movie based on the book "Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry" by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff is set to hit theaters soon, promising an insightful look at the history of this pivotal device.

The upcoming movie is an adaptation of "Losing the Signal," which was published in 2015. The book offers a comprehensive look at the history of BlackBerry, from its humble beginnings as Research In Motion (RIM) in 1984, founded by Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin, to its meteoric rise and eventual decline.

Who is The Future of Life Institute (FLI)?

Write a profile and dossier on FLI

Organization: Future of Life Institute (FLI)

Profile:

The Future of Life Institute (FLI) is a non-profit research organization founded in 2014 by Max Tegmark, Anthony Aguirre, and Viktoriya Krakovna. It operates in the research and artificial intelligence sectors, with its primary focus on AI safety, responsible technology development, and global catastrophic risk reduction.

FLI's mission is to ensure that emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are developed and used in a manner that benefits humanity. The organization aims to address the potential risks and opportunities associated with these technologies by promoting research, facilitating collaboration, and raising awareness among policymakers, researchers, and the public.