Well, y'know...
The ads claiming that AI can just build you a website in seconds are now unavoidable. Between them and the news of AI "Experts" claiming that the revolution is here, the average person could be a bit nervous. Since the hype about AI has been overtaken by the hype about the hype, I decided to check in to see what condition our condition was in.
I actually have built a website or two. The first, using a free service, was farcical. I finally learned to write HTML code myself and created my own. So, when I say the claims about AI are hyped, you can take it to the bank.
I've also tried using the AI video programs and found You need a separate AI just to get the instructions right! Most of my efforts were on a spectrum between "not good" and "travesty". Adding in the time you spend doing that, the "math" works out to, "Why the **** did I spend money on this!?" I've had better luck with AI images. Here's another one using HotPot AI that I used for my book, "Nobody Wants Princess to Succeed".
Hot Pot AI: Nobody and Princess at the Prom on Pandora
Mostly, then, AI seems to be useful for avoiding the expense of real human artists, and that places the AI hype in a very stark relief.
The news about AI is both uncompromisingly optimistic and cowardly cynical. It's addiction to hype is really a bad look because it develops a demand for interpretation. Ultimately, Readers will just stop listening because of the unreliable narration. Here's a quote from a website that tries to sound official, optimistic and also business savvy at the same time,
AI innovation is an international race, with regions like Europe and especially China investing heavily to lead in AI deployment and even setting ambitious targets for open-source AI leadership by 2030. The United States’ competitive edge in AI has so far been fueled by a dynamic private sector and open markets.
"It's a huge thing that everybody wants in on and we're in it thick, bitch!!!"
Again with the hype. I almost think they doth signal too much.
The thing is that the actual community of people and companies that can create and improve AI is pretty small. This article may be deliberately understating it by referring to a US/China competition, but also may not be incorrect. However, framing it as if AI is a possible solution to global geopolitical concerns is like putting the cart before the horse, in the Stone Age before we tamed horses, invented the wheel, or had enough shit in a pile to require a cart. Let's put a big exclamation point on this one and declare, It's really bad to suggest that we rely upon something that doesn't think to do our important thinking!
The actual community of AI Experts is way smaller than we are led to believe, and they are all competing within that small community. We are justified in asking, Are they all competing differently? Are they all innovating wildly, Or, are they all running the same race in the same way? Why wouldn't they? Whether you are cynical or optimistic, the goal is the same for all of them, and as far as anyone knows, the means are the same as well.
The community of people making decisions about AI and what to do with it- how to profit from it- is even smaller still, and so the descent into madness- I mean evolution of AI- is concentrated into a small circle of influences that may only be motivated by their immediate competitor. Monkey See, Monkey Do.
I gave Gemini and Meta the following prompt: "Please compare and contrast the factual advancements in AI with the news articles and advertising surrounding it, and estimate how much of what the public knows is hype."
Gemini: "Estimation of Hype: It's difficult to put an exact percentage on "hype," as it's a spectrum, but a reasonable estimate would be that 30-50% of what the public knows about AI is influenced by hype, oversimplification, or outright exaggeration."
The expanded answer is illuminating, giving current AI technology a fair appraisal. Lots of people doing good work out there.
Meta: Hype vs. Reality: Estimating the exact amount of hype surrounding AI is challenging, but it's likely that a significant portion of the public's perception is influenced by exaggerated claims and sensationalized media coverage.
META also went on to add the following. "Key Statistics:
AI Adoption: 88% of marketers report using AI in their daily operations.
Productivity Gains: 83% of marketers report increased efficiency, with nearly 50% saving 1-5 hours weekly.
Job Displacement Concerns: 59.8% of marketers worry that AI may replace their roles.
Data Privacy Concerns: 40% of marketers cite data privacy concerns as the top barrier to adopting AI tools ¹.
Overall, while AI has made significant strides, it's crucial to maintain a nuanced understanding of its capabilities and limitations, separating factual advancements from the hype surrounding it."
Finally, some sound advice!
Hot Pot AI. Princess and Nobody making tough decisions.
None of the AIs will read between the lines for us and, unfortunately, that is exactly what humans need when making decisions. The Hype surrounding AI development is masking something that we know instinctively is either disappointing or dangerous. By the time we figure out that it was all just about making more money, today's perpetrators will be anecdotes of history.
THAT, is a ridiculous paradigm for making business decisions.