Artificial Intelligence (AI)

[Tripps]

If it all goes wrong will the company sue the other company or the software firm?

I just (half) heard briefly on the news that in the event of an accident involving an 'autonomous car' no blame would be attached to the 'driver', but they would go after the software company. Not sure what the full implications of that are. Maybe I'll ask ChatGPT?

We heard during Covid 19 that the drug companies that made the 'vaccine' would be indemnified against legal action . That's a puzzle as Astrazenica are currently in court defending an action against the consequences of the use of their product.

I was going to say best be a lawyer, but they will now be replaced by AI - or so we are told - perhaps best we all just stay at home, and let the computers fight it out between themselves.

PS Tried Chat GPT but they are too busy to deal with me at the moment.

PS Later that same evening. I get connected. As is becoming normal, plenty to think about - most of which had not occurred to me. The News item now looks simplistic, to say the least. I guess this must be resolved before such vehicles are allowd freely on the roads.

Question- If an autonomous car is involved in a collision Where does the responsibilty lie - with the person in the vehicle, or the software?

Reply from ChatGPT
Determining responsibility in the event of a collision involving an autonomous car can be complex and depends on various factors, including the specific circumstances of the incident, the capabilities of the autonomous system, and relevant laws and regulations.

In general, responsibility could be attributed to:

Human Driver: If the autonomous car allows for human intervention or requires a human driver to take control in certain situations, the responsibility may lie with the person inside the vehicle if they were supposed to be in control at the time of the collision but failed to take over.

Software/Manufacturer: If the collision was a result of a failure in the autonomous system, such as a sensor malfunction, software bug, or a failure to respond appropriately to the environment, the responsibility might lie with the software developers or the manufacturer of the autonomous vehicle.

Regulatory and Legal Framework: The responsibility might also be determined by the legal and regulatory framework in place. Laws and regulations regarding autonomous vehicles vary by jurisdiction, and some places may have specific guidelines for determining liability.

Other Third Parties: In some cases, responsibility could be attributed to other parties, such as the entity responsible for maintaining the road infrastructure or other drivers on the road who may have acted negligently.

It's important to note that these scenarios are not mutually exclusive, and responsibility might be shared among multiple parties. The legal and ethical aspects of autonomous vehicle accidents are still evolving as technology advances and regulations catch up. As the technology matures, legal frameworks will likely become more defined to address these issues.

[Stanley]

I can't be bothered to enquire too deeply into such matters David. Hopefully I can manage to keep away from driverless vehicles in the short span of time I have left.
I did hear the mother of the young man who was injured by the vaccine and is in court at the moment and thought what a thoroughly sensible woman she sounds. This happened to coincide with a message from the NHS telling me that if I didn't present myself for the Covid Booster by December the 15th I could forget it. I had been considering taking Ian up on his offer of transport but on receipt of these two pieces of information I decided that I would ditch the idea of a booster and take my chance. If the NHS feel they can impose a deadline after refusing to supply a service in a town of 10,500 inhabitants, they can't feel that the jab is so important. So I have ditched the idea
Suddenly life is more simple.

[Tizer]

Suddenly life is more simple.

...but less safe.

[PanBiker]

Last time I checked a few days ago there are still walk in clinics in Skipton and Nelson.

[Big Kev]

Last time I checked a few days ago there are still walk in clinics in Skipton and Nelson.

and Colne

FB_IMG_1698977256667 (1).jpg

[PanBiker]

I forgot about that one Kev.

[Stanley]

[Big Kev]

Tesla are recalling 2 million vehicles as their 'autopilot' malfunctions.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-67693935

[Tizer]

I like this bit in the article: Jack Stilgoe, associate professor at University College London, who researches autonomous vehicles, said Tesla should have spent more time developing the system in the first place. "The conventional way of ensuring safety is to check that a car is safe when it leaves the factory", he told the BBC.

[Stanley]

I missed this yesterday Peter, sorry!
And of course Jack Stilgoe is quite right! I wonder what Mr Musk will have to say about this.
(Would you buy a car off this man?)

[Tripps]

Been a while since anyone posted here on this new topic.

I learn today that the capital value of the company NVIDIA has passed the 3 Trillion dollar mark. In this it has passed Apple and is now second only to Microsoft. That's 3 million million dollars. $3,000,000,000,000, which is a lot of money.

Does anyone know what they have for sale to which makes such it so valuable? I believe it's something to do with A.I. and microchips are involved. All quite beyond me, but it vaguely reminds me of the early days of the internet when the mere connection with the web was enough to ensure a high share price.

[Stanley]

I saw that report as well David and marvelled at the value investors place on the company.
AI has been on my mind lately because I don't see a flood of comments about the way that the new technology is already destroying jobs. At the moment people are trying to focus on the advantages like the fact (As in the case with NVidia) it will allow investors to make more money. I don't see how it can be successful without destroying even more jobs.
Sometimes I am glad I am old!

[Tizer]

We all know Nvidia from its early days making graphics cards but it has expanded out into other IT areas and has been booming for some months now, especially because it's applying AI to computer gaming. Investors are piling in because they reckon it's the next big thing after cryptocurrency. Lemmings come to mind!

[Stanley]

I find it very depressing. Capital holders making obscene profits out of a technology that is all about lowering costs and raising profits by doing tasks faster without expensive human labour......
What's the net effect going to be?
I reckon it's going to be automation and computerisation all over again. Ignore what the optimists are telling us about 'more leisure'.

[Tizer]

AI isn't really new although those touting it under that name want us to think it is. It's been with us since the first computers were launched - they were `artificial intelligence' too.

[Stanley]

Yes Peter but I think you'll agree that the levels it has reached now and the availability to ordinary people means that it qualifies as a new threat. 'The Market' certainly thinks it is new and exciting, look what they have done with NVIDIA shares. (LINK)

[Tripps]

I was treated to an AI tutorial yesterday from someone who knew what he was about, and emerged totally staggered, when shown its current capability. For instance - if you are late joining a Teams meeting - it will sumarise what you have missed, then provide you with minutes of the meeting with action points that apply to you. It can scan your email inbox, and prioritise them in order of importance and relevance to you. I didn't ask how long it would be before the next logical step - the software takes the managerial decisions.

[Stanley]

David, you confirm what I already suspected, that if I knew what AI was capable of now I too would be staggered.
You ask the same question that I do.... "how long it would be before the next logical step - the software takes the managerial decisions." My guess is that it is happening now in deciding small things and these will increase in number and importance as they are allowed. We are told that AI will not take over but I don't believe it. What will happen will be that it reaches a point where it is making decisions about the distribution and allocation of scarce resources like medicines and food and these directly impact on us humans. These actions will be defended on the grounds they are logical.
That is the point where we will have lost control, not with a bang, but a whimper......
H G Wells had it right, read The Time Machine again.

[Tizer]

After that, now read this...
`Apple brings ChatGPT to iPhones in AI overhaul' LINK
...and especially note this: ...There was a cool reaction from the markets though - Apple's share price fell by 1.91% on Monday, the day of the announcement. The partnership was also not welcomed by Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and Twitter/X, who has threatened to ban iPhones from his companies due to "data security". "Apple has no clue what's actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI," Mr Musk said on X. "They're selling you down the river." Apple has not responded to his allegations....

[Tripps]

Yes - we are just in the foothills of the AI thingy. I use (and pay a modest charge for), the Google Photos app, and I find it useful, but had wondered - if they can find a picture of a face and immediately identify all images of that person on my computer, then they can do the same over anyone else's machine. The speed and accuracy of an ordinary Google search has for some time, and still does amaze me.

I had an idea that its use had to be declared in any publication that used AI, but a loosely defined google search seems to show that there isn't (yet) any well defined law about it. Lots of rules from individual institutions such as universities, but I can see no laws as yet. A rapidly changing, and sometimes worrying, developing situation.

Caveat surfer I'd say.

[Stanley]

There is only one safe attitude and that is to assume that AI is in common use and there is nothing that ordinary users like us can do about it. I take the cowards way out, I shall die shortly and may not see the worst effects.....
All right, I am old and in this matter my opinion isn't worth a lot. I can remember telephone directories and Yellow pages.......

[PanBiker]

Dial a disc and the cricket scores. Free calls on public phones by receiver tapping until the operator came on and disconnected the call. Quite a bit of fun with that in the phone booth in the alcove of the Post Office Buildings. Press button "A" when you hear the beeps, or not as the case may be.

[Stanley]

Receiver tapping was very handy especially when trunk dialling came in, you could make free long distance calls.
Did you ever block the coin chute with screwed up paper and harvest it later?

[Tripps]

Two disturbing things, over the last couple of days.

I asked ChatGP to analyse a horse race and give me the probable winner. The result was not impressive - it basically said "too many fast changing variables - look in the Racing Post tomorrow. I get some amusement from the comments section of several websites, and tonight a conversation covers exacty that topic. Coincidence? probably - but -

I was thinking about the possibility of making a rice pudding in a slow cooker. Just thinking about it. I think quite a lot. I have since had several Youtube videos presented to me on that subject.

It's all just a bit spooky. I doubt they can read my mind - but perhaps they can filter the 'comments' to match my activity elsewhere on the Interwebthingy. What anyone gains from that I don't know.

[PanBiker]

I have made rice pudding in the slow cooker for quite a while. 100g pudding rice, 1pint milk to start. I preheat on the hob, bring to just short of the boil then tip into slow cooker, add sugar to taste. Add more milk as required, will provide 4 servings, Adjust quantities up/down as required.