AI Bill of Rights: What is "Algorithmic Discrimination"

Greg's Words

AI Δnαrchy Now

Most of the time, releases like this from the Whitehouse go without notice.  In the current State of Fear being generated by just about every status quo institution, something this administration and the media in general forcefully promote, it is prudent to keep an eye on what is said, even though it will end up on the 'cutting room floor' of AI history.

An AI "Bill of Rights" sounds impressive, patriotic, rebellious, and official.

Of course, it isn't anything near the real Bill of Rights - irony.

The Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights is a set of five principles and associated practices:

1. Safe and Effective Systems
2. Algorithmic Discrimination Protections
3. Data Privacy
4. Notice and Explanation
5. Human Alternatives, Consideration, and Fallback

I've never heard of "Algorithmic Discrimination" and am curious about "Human Alternatives".

Regardless, I don't see this carrying much water, getting a great deal of traction or otherwise high relevancy of this document.  An interesting, yet out-of-date approach that will end up being nothing more than a footnote in the story of AI Evolution.  

If you feel up to it, read the entire "Bill", here.

We've digested the bill here as a summary for you.  Check it out.

_________

IBM Announces WatsonX. What is WatsonX?

WatsonX to the Rescue: Transforming Businesses One AI Model at a Time

Greg's Words

For the Enterprise, Big Blue is solidifing its position in the Glass room with their huge application, WatsonX.  

This is not ChatGPT.  It is something the mass market will utilize without knowing. However, it is a IBM's second or third foray into the AI realm, having sold their Watson Health about 15 months ago and will impact all employees at your enterprise level customers ultimately working its way into the supply chain.

Keep an eye on this.  IBM, like most legacy corporations, moves slowly with issues and influences accelerating at the speed of AI. In addition to the technological impacts, large organizations will develop their own way through this stage of business evolution.  They have gravity and push or pull other companies along the transformational path.

Although you may only read about WatsonX, your world will flow around because of applications on this scale.

For enterprises, IBM is cementing its presence in the digital arena with the robust WatsonX application.

This isn't ChatGPT. It's a tool that the mass market will leverage, often unknowingly. IBM is no stranger to AI, having ventured into the realm before with Watson Health, which they sold around 15 months ago. WatsonX will have far-reaching implications, impacting employees across enterprise-level customers and eventually permeating the supply chain.

Keep a close watch on this development. IBM, like many legacy corporations, may move slowly, but the pace of AI-driven changes is swift. Large organizations will navigate this phase of business evolution in their unique ways, exerting their gravitational force on other companies along the transformation journey.

We've put together a summary of three different articles.

Enjoy.

"Hey Hollywood, I Just Made a Seinfeld Episode" - ChatGPT

Opinion | In Hollywood Strike, AI Is Nemesis

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Date: May 5, 2023

"The BBC even commissioned ChatGPT, an AI language model, to create opening monologues for late-night programs affected by the strike. This has sparked indignation..."

Greg's Words

This is just the beginning and it seems almost 'cosmic' with so many influences converging onto this point in time; the fear of covid, remote working, the restructuring of commercial real estate, artificial intelligence's impact on knowledge workers, and now a strike by a vulnerable segment of the job market, writers. Bad timing.

It doesn't take much to favorably compare the most rudimentary content created by ChatGPT with newscasting, copywriting, and scriptwriting.  The AI does well enough without much prompt engineering - give the controls to directors and watch the number of soap operas, sitcoms, and nightly talk shows quadruple overnight.  With less cost and just as much revenue.

AI doesn't get rid of people, it eliminates rote and mundane processes like creating a treatment, an outline for a show, and creating a script.

So I tried it, with a little help from the AI in the Sky:

"You are a Hollywood writer with decades of experience writing sitcoms for TV.  Put together a treatment and the first two acts of a Siendeld show where the characters witness a UFO landing, a job loss, and meeting the most beautiful woman in New York City.  Provide the storyline, scene description, and script."

In less than a minute:

Treatment:

In this special episode of Seinfeld, the four main characters - Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer - each experience a close encounter with a UFO landing in Central Park, causing all of their lives to change in unexpected ways. Jerry loses a job opportunity, George loses his job, Elaine meets the most beautiful woman in New York City, and Kramer becomes obsessed with the UFO phenomenon. Through their witty banter and clever situational comedy, the gang comes together to navigate these strange events.

Act 1:

Scene 1: Jerry's apartment

OpenAI's ChatGPT Predicts Potential Apocalyptic Scenarios

In an interesting twist, OpenAI's ChatGPT, an AI language model, shared its own predictions on potential apocalyptic scenarios for humanity. 

Greg's Words

Everybody is talking about how AI is going to destroy humanity when it is more likely humanity will destroy humanity.

Heavy hitters in the realm of science, business and AI log in with views on our demise.  Even the AI Wonderboy-de-jour chips in.

Check out our quick take on the end of the world as we know it.

__________

Key highlights:

• Tech leaders, including Elon Musk, express concerns over AI's rapid development and potential negative impacts.
• Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson warns of the potential "nail in the coffin" for the internet due to AI-generated fakes.
• ChatGPT shares four potential apocalyptic scenarios resulting from various threats to humanity.

_________

This is The Way: AI and Art

Is Art in the eyes of the creator or beholder?  When an artist creates, does that artist worry about the process of creation?  Of course.  Does the beholder?  Maybe.

Here is the dirty little truth.  The Great Ones simply 'do', adhering to their process.  The listener, observer is experiencing a moment in time REGARDLESS of how that work of art became to be.

We're not thinking of the years Michelangelo spent on his back painting a ceiling - we are impacted, at that unique point in time, by the finished product.

The key question is, "Will AI elicit the same emotional response when creating art?"  

Right now, people are responding as though AI is a threat.  For the mediocre, AI is a threat. While somewhere in the world, artists and creators are gravitating toward AI and embracing it as a new tool; perhaps even a newly discovered color.

Unfortunately, and inevitably, actors will be replaced.  Copywriters will be replaced. Most practical effects folks will be displaced - it is the way of things.  

I point to Disney's "Mandalorian"; if you know, you know.

Here We Go. California is protecting you from “Algorithmic discrimination”.

"ADTs (Automated Decision Tools) are making impactful decisions now,” said Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan.

Greg's Words

Hold the phone.  "Full Stop"(I hate that phrase). Pump the breaks.  The Assemblymember is referring to artificial Intelligence tools and is worried that these tools will produce outcomes that are "...equitable for all.”

This is one reason why I am calling for AI Anαrchy

Who are the arbitrators of 'equitable'?  Hiding behind the therory of AI bias, or what the bill calls, "Algorithmic discrimination", these lawmakers are actually forcing a bias that may not have been in existence in the first place.

This is just the beginning. AI is evolving by the hour and it doesn't care about legislation.  What is important, and has always been central to technological advances, is how we humans utilize this new tool.

It is up to us and history tells a story - from Fire to Nukes.  Time will tell.

Check out this quick summary of the Bloomberg story.

Key highlights:

• California introduces a sweeping bill to monitor AI usage by employers and industries.
• The legislation targets discrimination in various sectors, including employment, education, and healthcare.
• Businesses are concerned about potential compliance issues and financial penalties, fearing a chilling effect on innovation.

_________

AI is in Slack

Slack’s New CEO Brings Generative AI to the Workplace Conversation

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Date: May 5, 2023

The integration of Salesforce data with Slack's messaging app and generative AI could enhance productivity for companies like Paramount Global, according to CIO Lakshman Nathan.

Greg's Words

This was inevitable.  It was bound to happen.

For years, we've sought a unifying force to bridge the gap between disjointed applications. We've grappled with core software systems composed of various elements: one firm's stellar inventory control, another's exceptional order entry interface, and spreadsheets laboring to transform disconnected databases into insightful information.

AI could be the key that not only links everything but also refines the data.

Expect numerous announcements and integrations ahead, but this time, we'll witness the fusion of previously human-centric tasks.

Slack is the latest, but SAP has also shoehorned AI into its core.

We've put together a quick summary, enjoy!

Key highlights:

• Slack unveils new generative AI features, such as summarizing conversations and drafting responses.
• Company releases Canvas, a hub that combines internal documents, Slack messages, and Salesforce customer data.
• 70% of IT leaders in exploration mode with generative AI, with 19% already testing it, according to Gartner Inc.

_________