Monday, January 16, 2023

"Artificial Intelligence" is the new Ship Of Fools

BMW introducing AI that talks to you.  Comrade Misfit is horrified (language alert):

A German car that talks to you? "Nein, nein, nein! Ve are not moving until you fasten your seatbelt" 'Ach du lieber, you spilled your coffee ON MY CLEAN FLOOR! WIPE IT UP, NOW!!"

Snerk.  This will take the current spoken GPS turn-by-turn directions to a new level: "REPEAT ZEE INSTRUCTIONS!!!"

Also, we're told that AI can make a better playlist, and that the bot is "your AI friend".  Nazzo fast:

"AI can now build you a better playlist"

No it can't.

And I don't have an AI friend.

(via)



3 comments:

Jonathan H said...

Lots of people don't know the difference between a learning algorithm and AI - we are NOWHERE near AI in even it's crudest form.
Like with other popular subjects such as the intentionally misnamed "drones", "Renewable" Energy, and self driving cars, it is presented as much more capable and advanced than it really is - and between cancel culture and the dumbing down of public discourse, this is encouraged while those who actually know what they are talking about are at best ignored and at worst forcefully silenced.

bj32097 said...

+1 to what Jonathan said.

I used to teach Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, a 4-level course, at a local college, using the Russell/Norvig book.

There was always someone (or someones) in each class who absolutely believed that AI was achievable. I asked "but how do you affect the *real* world?" They brought up cars.

I brought up the example of a 9 year-old playing outfield in little league baseball. Watching the bat hit the ball (problem "start"), watching the ball fly (speed, apogee, angle of attack), running backward on a knotty grassy field (uncertain surface, need to take eye off ball to check ground for obstructions, returning to find ball in sky and recalculate speed and angle of attack), raising mitt to the estimated location where ball would land... etc.

Then I said "That's only one example. Shall we discuss shortstop?"

Re. automobile AI: I'm ok with systems that continually monitor engine performance, evaluate sensors to determine whether brakes are working, etc. But I have no faith in auto-drive vehicles.

Steve Sky said...

In addition, the article talks about eInk screens that will allow the car to change its' colors. With current cars, a stone will just chip the paint. What happens when a stone hits the eInk screen, and how much money & time will it take to repair it.