Dr. Bart Kosko is an author and professor of electrical and computer engineering, and law at USC. In the first half, he discussed developments in AI technology and what they might hold for our future. We're in the very early age of artificial intelligence, he noted, but what has really accelerated the technology in recent years is the increased speed of computers and their computational abilities. He talked about the problem of "hallucinations" with AI, where programs like ChatGPT at times give out false answers with the complete confidence of an expert. This issue is caused by the way the AI systems are trained and what is tossed into their neural networks to learn from. It generalizes from superimposed patterns, "but it gets a little too crazy, creative," he explained, adding that because of this, we should be cautious about the results we're given from an AI chat query.
One of Kosko's biggest concerns about AI is the possibility of bad actors (especially foreign adversaries) using the technology to hack into systems like GPS or the power grid. He also touched on class action lawsuits against Big Tech firms, who have scraped content from writers and artists off the Internet without their permission in order to train their AI models. He believes such cases will end up in the Supreme Court. As smart as modern AI systems are, he pointed out that they are surpassed in certain ways by the intelligence of a mere fly or sparrow, which have amazing built-in guidance systems. He also reported on the scientific breakthrough of quantum dots, a kind of artificial atom that may be used for a new generation of screens.
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Author, editor, and shamanic explorer Matthew Pallamary has been searching the globe for the truth about reality. In the latter half, he spoke about the nature of expanding consciousness, as well as why he believes the veil between the worlds is thinning and giving rise to more chaotic forces. Consciousness, he said, is the awareness of our thoughts, memories, or feelings, and the sensations in our environment, but it's a subjective experience that's unique to each of us. Our subconscious, things we're not aware of in the moment, can be a tool we draw on for creativity and revelations, he added.
He outlined some of psychologist William James' groundbreaking ideas about consciousness, including how human consciousness has streams of thought that are continuously changing. With the advent of the Internet, Pallamary believes our world has sped up, our boundaries have lessened, and the actions of others are now more interconnected with one another. There is a destructive aspect to this in terms of war and violence on the planet, and he thinks extreme weather patterns and global warming are part of the process we are going through, which he views as a type of purification. He also touched on his new collection of short stories, The Thinning Veil: 13 Twisted Tales, and his visitations to the Amazon jungle, where he has worked with shamans and psychedelics.
News segment guests: John M. Curtis, Charles Coppes