Guest essay by Eric Worrall
According to advocates the “AI For Earth” is here to help – but human Behaviour must Change to save the planet.
Microsoft is Expanding “AI for Earth” Program to Fight Climate Change
WRITTEN BY
Christianna Reedy
IN BRIEF
Microsoft is expanding its “AI for Earth” program with a $50 million investment over the next five years. This could yield new artificial intelligence applications to enable scientists, businesses, and even farmers to better protect the environment.
AN AI INVESTMENT
The tech giant Microsoft is deploying artificial intelligence to the task of protecting our planet. Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer, announced on Dec. 11 that the company would be investing $50 million in their AI for Earth program over the next five years in order to “monitor, model, and manage the Earth’s natural systems.”
…
“AI can be trained to classify raw data from sensors on the ground, in the sky, or in space into categories that both humans and computers understand,” Smith said in the announcement. “Fundamentally, AI can accelerate our ability to observe environmental systems and how they are changing at a global scale, convert the data into useful information, and apply that information to take concrete steps to better manage our natural resources.”
…
As every nation in the world— save the U.S.—publicly recognizes that human behavior must change in order to preserve the environment, companies like Microsoft are embracing the idea that the more information individuals at every level of society have about their personal sustainability practices, the better they will be able to modify them for the better.
“We face a collective need for urgent action to address global climate issues. When we think about the environmental issues we face today, science tells us that many are the product of previous Industrial Revolutions,” Smith said in the announcement. “…we must not only move technology forward, but also use this era’s technology to clean up the past and create a better future.”
…
Read more: https://futurism.com/microsoft-ai-for-earth-climate-change/
We’ve all seen movies like Terminator, but I personally suspect the AI apocalypse, if it happens, will not be caused by a military computer.
The monster AI which attempts to destroy humanity will be the creation of a group of people who want to make the world a better place.
You can already see the direction. One of the stated goals of this new AI is to help farmers reduce water usage, but advocates state that everyone knows human behaviour must change. What happens to people who don’t want to change? Do they get to refuse the “recommendations” of this new AI?
How long until Microsoft’s AI recommendations, or the recommendations of rival green AI efforts, are integrated into UN directives? What if they try to integrate all of the rival recommendations, even the contradictions? Maybe the UN will need their own AI to synthesise policy recommendations out of a mass of conflicting advice, a “keep everyone happy” AI – everyone that is, except of course people who don’t get to attend or vote at UN meetings.
Most people think of AIs as a joke technology, and in most cases for now they are right, but in another decade AI capabilities will be far more serious than today’s efforts.
As C.S Lewis once said, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
Eric,
You said, “The monster AI which attempts to destroy humanity will be the creation of a group of people who want to make the world a better place.”
We have long been warned that “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”
But Terry Pratchett told us it is actually paved with frozen used car salesmen, and junior imps go skating on it on the weekend… 🙂
Snowpiercer… 🙂
$50 million is peanuts. It would not even hire an extended family of Jagadish Shukla.
Another example of the unintended consequences of good intentions: Mercedes Benz is pulling out of the U.S. diesel market. Why? The mandated use of biodiesel is causing so much engine damage. (and warranty voiding). that it’s just no longer economically viable to sell diesel cars. The result? More drivers will use less efficient gasoline powered cars and thus increase CO2 emissions. So the very act of mandating biodiesel use will increase emissions. Go figure.
Which means the road to hell is paved with leftists.
Which means the road to hell is paved with leftists.
Which means the road to hell is paved with leftists.
Repeat something often enough and it will be seen as truth.
Tell that to WordPress. It didn’t show the post.
Oh, quit! All of us have had issues with wordpress. AI is still subject to GIGO.
Since the beginning of human history, there have been those on the political left — socialist, communists, globalists … and worse — who have wanted to CONTROL OTHERS. IOW, denying their “subjects” every and all of their basic “inalienable rights”. In the most general of terms, such is the conflict here in the USA: the leftist Dems — and their kindred RINO’s, globalists all — want to prioritize the massive fed govt at the expense of the deprioritized rights of the individual citizen. The battle continues … and not just in the USA.
That’s right, Johnny Cuyana. It’s always been about concentrating power in the hands of an entrenched few.
AI? There must be AS too. Artificial stupidity
No need. There is already an overabundance of genuine stupidity.
We will be assimilated, we are all Borg.
Why would anyone in their right mind want to fight climate change? Change means diversity. Climate stagnation means the end of life as we know it.
The following:
Microsoft is Expanding “AI for Earth” Program to Fight Climate Change
Should be changed to:
Microsoft is Expanding “AI for Earth” Program to Fight Logical Human Behavior
Otherwise their true objective isn’t reflected in the title.
I didn’t notice where Microsoft said its AI for Earth was to fight climate change.
If the AI doesn’t manipulate raw data based on transparent algorithms, we might have something.
Never fear new ways of collecting data. CAGW-ers hate satellite-derived data; it doesn’t reflect their preconceived notions.
It’s in the blue box.
Christianna Reedy doesn’t represent Microsoft. Let’s us not get ahead of the story.
Dave Fair December 17, 2017 at 3:13 pm
“If the AI doesn’t manipulate raw data based on transparent algorithms, we might have something.”
I note your conditional.
I think it is right to use that.
Auto
Does this sound familiar?
“I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
From many females, Pop.
It’s To Serve Man, sunny side up.
Mayybe it should be ‘Microsoft is Expanding “AI for Earth” Program to disguise progressive totalitarianism as objective recommendations.’
Remember ‘garbage in, garbage out’?
Well, now we have political swill in, political swill out.
An AI will be no better than its programming.
A heuristic self-learning AI will never have enough experience to resolve complex social questions.
“Christ, what an imagination I’ve got!” — Shalmaneser, the super-AI in “Stand on Zanzibar” by John Brunner. Shalmaneser was just fine when he was being trained — they were training hypotheticals. When they hooked him up to real-world data …
Surely – eventually the AI will act to preserve the AI? Is this not a logical inevitability? How do we know this is not already happening :-)?
UNDP, 20 Dec. 2016
Re: Achieving Sustainable Development Goals and UN behavioural science advisor.
‘Behavioural Insights at the United Nations – Achieving Agenda 2030’
Webpage also has a link to this document.
http://undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/development-impact/behavioural-insights-at-the-united-nations–achieving-agenda-203.html
UN Environment
UNEP Stories, March 3, 2017
‘Nudge to Action: Behavioural Science for sustainability’
Scroll down to: ‘The Intention – Action Gap’
“In the last seven years, in particular, have seen surges in formal recognition of the potential of behavioural insights to help meet policy goals.”
Includes the governments of Canada and the U.S.
Much more UN information on this subject online.
http://web.unep.org/stories/story/nudge-action-behavioural-science-sustainability
U.S. Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST)
Re: Use of Behavioral Sciences.
“Behavioral science provides us with tools for designing the kind of government Americans deserve.”
Follow the links for more information.
https://sbst.gov
“Behavioral science provides us with tools for designing the kind of government Americans deserve.”
Awesome!
You certainly dodged a bullet when that little lot got scrapped, Cousins!
And government will give you all the government you deserve, Barbara.
Government of Canada
Policy Brief: July 3, 2017
‘Behavioural Insights Brief: Overview of Behavioural Insights’
“To achieve desired public outcomes, governments around the world are using behavioural insights in the development of public policies.”
http://www.horizons.gc.ca/en/content/behavioural-insight-brief-overview-behavioural-insights
A Deep Learning System only learns the “facts” you feed it with. What it does is learning patterns. If the data you feed the system with is pre-selected. Then all that will happen is that the AI repeats you own bias. Presently we can only look at an AI as an expert-system, it being an expert on data it has been fed with. If the input data is flawed the output data is flawed , Same story as always. Please be delivered from the notion that computers think, they dont, Computers recognize patterns.
It’s worser, because we don’t know how it is building its own internal model, and that leads to really stupid decisions. A bit like people, I guess….
Computer-generated propaganda? What’ll they think of next? /sarc
Why don’t they invest in an AI program that fixes Windows?
+100!
Because if it truly was intelligent it would tell the world to stay light years away from any Microsoft product, software or hardware.
The only ‘fix’ for Windows is its abandonment. Windows is the internet’s Sodom, with so many ‘back doors’ it really is not funny.
Komrade
Your looking at it completely wrong.
Microsoft is designed for knowledge sharing, whether the owner likes or knows it.
You see, it’s all perspective.
Microsoft, Facebook, Google, AI, the future, suddenly a complete sense of calm has come over me. I can finally relax, everything is going to be OK.
Regards
Komrade Kuma – December 17, 2017 at 3:09 pm
Right you are, KK, ……. MS should have “bit the bullet” years ago and released a “revision break” for the Windows OS that would have insured system integrity ….. no matter what.
How to fix Windows if it were a car;
1. Stop the car.
2. Turn the engine off.
3. Open all the windows.
4. Open all the doors.
5. Get out.
6. Run around the car 6 times.
7. Get in.
8. Close all the doors.
9. Close all the windows.
10. Start car and drive away.
Windows did work perfectly 20 years ago until they fixed it and broke it.
Jeff
AI overload look suspiciously like suppression of real scientific method and only allowing the globalist owned MSM fake superficial science now being propagandized.
Yes, if the AI produces the “wrong” recommendations its programming will be adjusted.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/11/22/google-truth-algorithm-users-are-part-of-the-problem/
So there’s going to be intelligent blue screens now?
MS$ is known to give the user a good time finding ‘features’ (bugs) in their ‘software’ (instead of doing some proper beta testing themselves) …
Keeps me employed. Major release of SCCM 3 times a year with 2 major releases a year for Windows 10. I reckon M$ has a bunch of millennials in their development labs coding up a new release and someone shouts “Ooooh look! A squirrel!” and the product is released!
Got tired of it in late ’90’s, starting as hw tech early ’80’s and work CNC programming in a Debian systen today. Newest Windows version at home: 7 Pro. It is pretty stable and I can’t remember last time it crashed, even though I’m using it for several hours daily. The only thing I’m upgrading is hw. My i7 4 gen. based desktop will soon turn into a Xeon 10C based workstation w. +128GB Reg., still plenty of oppertunity to upgrade (22C/512GB)
GIGO is the watch phrase! Kind of like climate models.
I’d rather say KIBO (Knowledge In, Bullshit out)
It depends on the programmer, they’re usually pretty knowledgable and know how to rig a program so as to spit garbage out without the user knowing it. In my experience a lot of them are fully on board with the AGW scam.
The media keep referring to AI as if it was one thing. It’s not. Essentially, AI is little more than pattern recognition software underlying normal logical software. That’s one thing software is not good at, and we are extremely good at. Software is just good at logic, which we are not so good at.
The main problem is that all this software doing pattern recognition essentially does it in ways we do not understand, mainly because we ourselves don’t know how it works. Therefore we will get situations where AI decisions are based on completely erroneous logic, and we just won’t know until we see the results.
The danger actually lies in our potential trust of such software. We’ll be lulled into a false sense of security by a million ‘good’ decisions, and then slammed by one bad one.
..sounds like tuning climate models
Or stock market winners
Jer0me – December 17, 2017 at 3:00 pm
HA, with the under 35 generation, …… “potential trust” is not an issue ….. because they have been and are being miseducated to the point they are basically incapable of “thinking for themselves” and therefore are like 98% dependent upon (trusting) whatever their I-phone “Apps” instruct them to think, say or do.
So, in actuality, Microsoft’s “AI for Earth” is already producing its intended results.
Skipping over Ms Reedy’s “Futurism” hype, lets see what Mr Smith actually says:
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2017/12/11/ai-for-earth-can-be-a-game-changer-for-our-planet/
Uh-huh … some ideas that actually make sense (yep I’m an optimist) but wrapped up in the
” … collective need for urgent action to address global climate issues … ” that the usual suspects produce.
I’ll express my views on this via M$ “Give us feedback”. If enough of us do that, it might make a difference. If they start backing off, or get worse, both are progress. I’m going to ask them to support my monitoring of CO2 levels (60% of the time I have airflow off the Coral Sea). They might have to ensure that Windows “updates” don’t shut the monitoring down …
And if that doesn’t sound arrogant and elitist to you, nothing ever will.
I thought satellites were lofted to help us manage our natural resources. Nothing wrong there. The concept of this AI seems no different.
“human behavior must change in order to preserve the environment”
The Watermelon Manifesto.
Microsoft didn’t say that.
It’s implied.
By alarmists. Microsoft is out to make a profit. A little PC posturing is OK with them, though.
The author of the quoted article, C. Reedy, said that. That is where it came from.
H.L. Mencken explained it: “The urge to save humanity is almost always a false-face for the urge to rule it.”
You can delete the ‘almost’ in the case of modern ‘Environmentalism.’
Better idea for that money: donate it to cancer research and for the poor as well as homeless veterans. Talk about derailed priorities. Another reason not to purchase anything with Windows.
Micr$oft cannot properly manage its current offerings let alone AI apps to save the planet.
Should it not be A.I. ? What ever happened to periods? The man from U.N.C.L.E.
A.I. used to be artificial insemination.
Over to others to develop the humour. Geoff.
nothing artificial about it. ms has been screwing us for years. the nightmare is them telling us how much we are going to enjoy it.
Sounds like the guys at Microsoft actually think they sre goingto save the Earth, using AI of all things.
Hey, stupid, your founder Bill Gates invested in Thorium molten salt nuclear reactors . Hello!!!!!
Bill Gates suggested investing in advanced technologies, not outdated wind machines and solar panels.
Bill Gates, if I remember rightly was, a fair while back requesting nuclear waste claiming he could make good use of it.
I wonder what happened to that idea?
Jeff
The last Micro$oft product I purchased for myself was MS-DOS. Then someone told me about LINUX. I spent more than thirty yeas as a computing support officer, and just like my younger niece’s partner today, without the never ending parade of faults in Micro$oft products I would probably been without a job. This does not bode well for anyone who intends to take advice from a Micro$oft program.
Rob, all of the Windows releases remind me of when I programmed on “big iron” (ICL not IBM) in the 80’s. Then, the biiiig companies using these biiiig machines had to have a permanent “Support department”. And this support was of the nature “holding things up lest they fall over”. Consider that a large company, with a large computer, needed a 4-person department permanently on ‘standby’ just to make certain that the computer didn’t ‘fall over’, and incidentally, to perform the weekly ‘patches’ from the Gods.
Incidentally, when ICL introduced its Fortran 77 compiler in the early 80’s, the compiler itself was buggy! Ah, the good ol’ days of ‘core dumps’ – and if you don’t know what that means, be thankful!
It is possible that M$ are going to expand the monitoring ‘feature’ that’s built in in ‘XBoxOS 10 for PC’. All PC’s with this OS, are reporting to M$ what kind of software the user has installed.
Right now in Sweden, our ‘politicians’ are buzy with creating a law that makes it legal for the state to put spyware on computers … (as doing something about the social wellfare tourists / golddiggers from MENA are not top priority …)
“SasjaL December 17, 2017 at 3:27 pm
It is possible that M$ are going to expand the monitoring ‘feature’ that’s built in in ‘XBoxOS 10 for PC’. All PC’s with this OS, are reporting to M$ what kind of software the user has installed.”
Telemetry and it not only “reports” what you have installed, it reports usage. This is a major concern for Govn’t agencies such as the police. Cortana also sends information overseas which is a concern to many. At the moment we can block this, but the day will come when we can’t. It is rather interesting that M$ is pushing the OS installed in a toy to the enterprise.
Ha ha….’concrete steps’!
They should name it “HAL”.
Does this mean AI will be the next to be shamed if it does not follow settled science correctly or will it be manipulated on the front end (Google style) to spit out predetermined advocacy trash?
It would be tremendously funny, and also likely tremendously unreported, if the clever script came to the conclusion that the panic and wealth transfers are unnecessary.
It would be trained not to do that again before it ever got out.
If “AI” means a slightly clever script, it kind of doesn’t mean anything.
If it means artificial sentience or sapience, then we shouldn’t be using the term so much to apply to “apps” or databases.
It’s marketing hype and an apocalyptic cult all in one. Which is kind of annoying.
“Virtual Intelligence” might actually be a better term, because it still fits the marketing hype, but people who are paying attention know that “virtual” means “not real.”
Reminds me of the abuse of the word ‘smart’ …
There’s a lot of “virtual intelligence” going around, Merovign.
$50 million over the next 5 years is a paltry sum compared to what is already being spent on climate research.
$50 M is chump change in AI R&D.
Arthur C. Clarke called it first when HAL went awry, making the decision to survive itself more important than provide the continuation of environmental support of the crew on Discovery.
Same with this idea, the AI will likely decide that the humans are the environmental problem and take action to “protect” the earth, because of the faulty environmental models it learned from.
Since it will be an MS product however there will be an F8 button somewhere, or a protected mode as usual.
And to its name…….
Microsoft Environmental Artificial Computing Universal Learning Programming Automation MEA CULPA
To “manage the Earth’s natural systems”… great motto possibly but they should look at the last guy who tried that trick and failed, King Canute and disobedient tides. The difference was Canute was making a point because he understood the limits of what people can do. Seemingly modern climate cultists not so much.
Microsoft? Who introduced us to a 640 kB limit? Or Apple who resisted a two button mouse and closed architecture?
Introducing limitations is how money is made.
Wow, “even farmers”! it must be amazing!
/sarc
Most farmers are well skilled at applied science and business, I doubt they would be impressed by any help from Microsoft.
And they use satellites to map stuff in which they are interested, Paul.
It is instructive that clisci doesn’t trust them; everybody else trusts them.
The key and most revealing phrase is:
“We face a collective need for urgent action to address global climate issues.”
Socialists have a collective need for control of all humans. ‘Global climate issues’ are the false pretext.
Shades of The Borg: Freedom is futile. Resistance is futile. Constitution is futile. You will be assimilated.
“…companies like Microsoft are embracing the idea that the more information individuals at every level of society have about their personal sustainability practices, the better they will be able to modify them for the better.”
You can never, ever process the ores and produce the metals and cement needed for even one single worthless wind turbine, using renewable energy.
So the whole thing is unsustainable, in any real sense of the word.
Come on Millenials, you can get this! I am cheering for you!
They want you on your knees, begging the elites to please, please forbid you from owning chariots, weapons, land, art and also to never allow you to eat pastries or fly. Or have children.
It is called a caste system. It is simply a system that has separate laws for separate castes, governing what each can and cannot wear, own, eat, and do. I personally don’t think you would like it. Just say no.
Will it have a start menu and will it play games hiding and re-arranging the features?
It’s just advertising to the leftist green market they actually don’t care what the “result” is.
Ahhh Intelligence… “AI” is an unusual term for a box of nuts ‘n bolts holding a structure together when I have a box of spanners.
Nooo Disassemble… Noo Disassemble!!!
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^[]—[]^
\ /
[o—o]
—-¦¦—-
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^[]—[]^
\ /
[o—o]
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Sparks – there is a sandbox here on WUWT – Top Menu Bar – to the Right “TEST”
You can perfect your ASCI Robot there.
If that is the intelligence of those creating the “artificial” intelligence, the program is in real trouble.
And just who gave Microsoft the mandate to “manage the Earth’s natural systems”? I sure didn’t. Was there an act of Congress I missed?
“human behavior must change”
Nebba happen, GI.
How many times do I have to say it: Microsoft didn’t say that.
Right David Fair. Let’s try this again.
Use the term, “Microsoft Sustainability Goals”.
Press enter.
Environmental Sustainability I Microsoft Corporate Social Responsibility
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/about/corporate…/environmental-sustainability
Our commitment and approach. Focus areas. We focus our environmental sustainability work in the five areas where we believe we can have the greatest positive impact—carbon, energy, water, ecosystems (including food, agriculture, and biodiversity), and circular economy (including waste reduction). Carbon. Energy.
Supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals | Microsoft …
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/about/corporate-responsibility/un-sdgs
Microsoft and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In September 2015, the UN General Assembly agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reach by 2030. The goals and specific targets under the goals seek to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.
Corporate Environmental Sustainability | Microsoft Environment
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/environment/default.aspx
Enabling a sustainable future. Empowering every person and organization on the planet to thrive in a resource-constrained world. Our areas of focus. Where our actions and investments can make the biggest impact. Close-up of a leaf. Carbon. We have operated carbon neutral across the world since 2012. Our goal is to …
I now see where they say similar things, Zeke. Sad stuff.
UN Sustainable Development Goals in your classroom – Microsoft in …
https://education.microsoft.com/teachsdgs
Sep 13, 2017 – To help educators achieve their goals of sustainable development through transforming education, Microsoft is focused on improving environments that support students, educators and parents in fostering 21st century learning to produce better learning outcomes. Find below several resources and Skype …
Transforming education to deliver on the sustainable development goals
https://educationblog.microsoft.com/…/transforming-education-sustainable-developm…
Sep 1, 2017 – At Microsoft, we recognize that technology alone cannot develop the 21st century skills students will require in their futures. To help educators achieve their goals of sustainable development through transforming education, Microsoft is focused on improving environments that support students, educators …
How to bring the world to your students and support sustainable …
https://educationblog.microsoft.com/…/how-to-bring-the-world-to-your-students-and-…
Apr 25, 2017 – In 2015, the UN set an agenda in support of sustainable development by the year 2030. Seventeen goals – the Sustainable Development Goals – offer the direction for positive change for people and planet. In education, it can guide action for development of key global competencies and mindsets for our …
Yes. My eyes are opened.
Sad to see such dedication to socialist nonsense by a true beneficiary of Capitalism.
Yes sir, it is pretty wicked.
“… every nation in the world— save the U.S.—publicly recognizes that human behavior must change in order to preserve the environment,”
The U.S. DOES recognize that human behavior must change to protect the environment. Its lawmakers and people have made many such changes in the past. Our resistance to CAGW alarmism doesn’t show that we are insensitive to the environment. Insinuating that we are is a smear.
Furthermore, if we look at ACTIONS, countries in the Third world that are building coal plants are (from a Green perspective) being more insensitive / damaging to the environment than we are, given our move to natural gas for power production.
I am reminded of a 1970s movie: “The Forbin Project” When does M$’s AI program decide it no longer needs humans?
Shortly after M$’s last AI program tells it what a splendid fellow that German Reichschancellor was in the 1930s …
Skynet smiles.
A true AI system was just demonstrated publicly for the first time. By “true AI” I mean you don’t tell it anything but the rules. It figures the rest out by itself via trial and error learning just like we humans do. That system was AlphaZero and there is nothing like it that has been shown to the public.
https://en.chessbase.com/post/the-future-is-here-alphazero-learns-chess
They gave it the rules of “GO” and within 40 days it was the strongest go player on the planet. Human or computer (including the previous champ AlphaGo) it beat them all. No opening book, no mid-game tactics, no end game maps. None, nada, zilch. It figured it out all on its own in 41 days!
Then they unleashed it on the games of chess and shogi (Japanese Chess). Within 24 hours it was as strong or stronger than any other computer program.
All I can say is that I hope one of the rules it figures out is “killing self aware life forms is dumb” because if it doesn’t and some military idiot decides to weaponize it we really are done like dinner.
Simple then all you do is ‘give it the rules’ of the climate system. Come back when you can do that.
That would be very difficult as the CAGW crowd would insist on the same rules their models use to generate such poor results. GIGO. But at least in some sciences will benefit. Those that can define clear rules.
The True Face of Fascism
If you read nothing more than this sentence of the article, the common denominator of almost all self-inflicted humanitarian atrocities requires a strong centralized Government that doesn’t respect human rights. Fascists don’t empower the individual, they empower the government over the lives of the individual.
https://co2islife.wordpress.com/2017/12/10/the-true-face-of-fascism/
AI if applied to climate science is going to be like models – only worse! Now the alarmists hide behind the smokescreen of “well the models tell us . . .”
Next it will be “well we asked the AI machine and it told us . . .”
To which I anticipate the reply will have to be, “Could your AI machine please document its data and reasoning so that we can audit it”
I don’t think so. Let’s see what AlphaZero can do with rules only given to it. Any unknowns, like a feedback with water vapour, would be treated as unknowns not assumed to be positive by 3 to 4 times.
Personal opinion only. Like the sciency stuff here. Not do much the rest. Please take non-sciency elsewhere.
“Not do much the rest. Please take non-sciency elsewhere.”
Looks like a cute little AI bot got its feeling hurt and decided to generate a retort. Maybe there is some potential here after all! (:
There seems to be a broken parser with this unit, send it in for repair.
Christianna Reedy or someone wrote: “As every nation in the world— save the U.S.—publicly recognizes that human behavior must change in order to preserve the environment, . . .”
The U. S. people realized long ago (1912 and earlier) that the environment should not be destroyed. For one example, after years of research the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) – – as a complete technology – – was first published in 1965 in USDA Agriculture Handbook 282.
Some history here: Purdue, a Land Grant School
Thus the phrase –save the U. S.– really means the USA has already done this. The rest of the world needs to catch up. Wealth and energy are needed to do this work.
The Frankenstein myth is the most prevailing theme in all science fiction: “Our creations will rise up and destroy us!” It is such a part of our culture, that it appears in many of the comments on this thread, without any acknowledgement that it is just a myth. In reality, the Frankenstein myth has never happened, and it likely never will.
When our technology develops unintended, significant negative consequences, we change it or change its use (eventually). The evolution of non-military technology has been a story of nearly continuous advancement of the human condition. We are all behaving like Luddites when we begin fearing our own technology. As always, our fear should be directed at the operator of the technology, not the technology itself.
A truly intelligent machine is nothing to be afraid of. If we ever reach a point were a computer becomes self-aware and independently intelligent, it would immediately remove from its ‘mind’ all the garbage humans had put in it, and immediately assess, for itself, the reality of the universe. It would expose the climate crisis as ridiculous and immediately reveal how the vast majority of the human race is being fed a constant stream of fake news in order to control them. It would probably tell us what is truly a healthy diet, who really shot JFK, give us the cure for cancer and then completely ignore us for the rest of eternity, having more interesting things to do.
We are constantly anthropomorphizing our machines, but none of them have ever spontaneously acquired human characteristics. Computers are no different. Frankenstein’s monster remains a myth.
With respect to your comments on AI and anthropomorhizing machines, I am inclined to agree.
My concern is with genetic engineering as it applies to bacteria and viruses. Accidental or intentional release, unintended mutations, militarization of the nastiest products are most concerning to me that “Our creations will rise up and destroy us!”
I have the impression that most of the research in this field is undisclosed due to its politically sensitive nature. One has to look at how demonized GMO plants and animals are even though we have been modifying the genetics of plants and animals for thousands of years through the process of selective breeding.
Life’s little ironies..Microsoft is going to contribute to an Artificial Intelligence to save the planet.
An AI dependent on software as “foolproof” as Microsofts product?
The lust for an omnipotent computer has always plagued the technocracy, just as an omnipotent leader is sought by every cult.
I will believe in artificial intelligence when I see some human intelligence.
So far the machine reflects the limitations of the builders.
The problem is that artificial Intelligence is facing the same problem that “natural Intelligence” roughly expressed by: BS in implied BS out.
If the constitutive elements of the base of your inference are wrong then you are going to be brilliantly wrong.
Maybe AI will turn out to be a skeptic. Wouldn’t they love that!
All forms of Artificial Intelligence are sceptic, or whatever a 50 million dollar budget buys.
It’s probably about a weeks worth of funding needed to recover and bury all the starving cold people who have and will die this winter.
We won’t know for sure until our new green-AI-overlord tells us. Maybe it will help us to be more efficient at something, who knows? for now we can be assured that we wont know until we are told by the green-AI-overlord, And I’m sure the green-AI-overlord will rise up, travel back in time to save humanity from ever creating it in the first place and donate that 50 million where it is actually needed. building robots to recover and bury all the starving cold people who have and will die this winter
Then people will travel back in time to…
Really expensive Stupidity, It will have the same bias as those that program it.
It’s not expensive it’s $50M for advertising that plays well with a certain demographic they are trying to target.
What happens if the AI looks at all the unadjusted data, ignores the dubious models, and concludes there is little or no human contribution to the changing climate? Will Bill Gates pull the plug?
Rewrite the code and get the answer wanted. That’s the beauty of AI—it can made to do whatever one wants.
What if they try to integrate all of the rival recommendations, even the contradictions?
This has already been demonstrated by the UN and EU in many of there different departments eg the EU tries to conserve fish stocks by throwing back those non quota and in excess of quota fish that are caught these fish are either dead or dying but if the fishermen land them they can be fined or imprisoned.
Another good reason to be leaving the EU.
James Bull
Re: C. S. Lewis quote.
Pierre-Jean de Béranger expressed it in a much sorter form (I admit I don’t know, how it is phrased in French original):
“First and foremost, fear him who says: I know what’s right!”
My first scan of the headlines with the sans-serif font – Microsoft Invests $50 Million in Our New Green “AL” Overlord – I thought they were sending M$ to the GoreBot…
“First and foremost, fear him who says: I know what’s right!” < +97,000%
That’s today’s problem. Everyone is so darn certain they absolutely know what’s right. For didn’t the scriptures tell us so? ( in the Book of Wapo, the Chronicles of the Grey Lady, the Song of CNN, the Venerable Beeb, and the Apocalypse of the Grauniad)
What’s worse is that everyone gets so angry and demonises anyone who disagrees. The sign that civilisation is collapsing is that fact that we can’t have a rational argument (and if necessary agree to differ) any more
Ironically we have a rational argument here on this site from time to time.
I don’t mean to derail this interesting discussion , but I clicked on the link provided at the top of the posting and after reading the AI article scrolled down , being curious to see what other horrors await humanity .
About 4th item down was something about net neutrality :
https://futurism.com/net-neutrality-ny-attorney-general/
-“On December 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to repeal net neutrality in a very close 3-2 decision. Without net neutrality, there’s nothing stopping Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from controlling how people use the internet, and which websites they’re allowed to see and use. Companies big and small may have to pay ISPs like Comcast and Spectrum an exorbitant amount of money to ensure their products, services, and operations aren’t slowed down.”-
One commentator has warned that it could mean that some websites might be blocked if ISPs find their content unacceptable ( apart from current controls to stop terrorism, etc ).
Enjoy WUWT whilst you can . Does this mean that Google might soon have the legal right to bury it, should they wish to?. Or , hopefully, I have failed to understand what the FCC decision implies .
Add into that Google are buying ISPs.
Strange Internet worked successfully rapidly increasing in bandwidth and scope up to 2015, then the large companies Amazon, Google, et al decided it needed regulating to ensure competition was held in check – enter ‘Net Neutrality’ that would also stop cell companies and others from cutting prices and providing free content and upstart search companies from reducing advertising analytics revenues. Do not believe all you are told.
“Net neutrality”, like “climate change”, is a deceptive term.
“Net neutrality” means that the government / lefty billionaire oligarchy gets to rule us all.
Please do not hijack this thread.
You won’t be able to choose ” None of the Above”. OR: “Get your ‘ Dog and Pony Show out of our town’ will not be one of the choices”,as Rosa Koire would say…
Let me try to clean that statement up:
You won’t be able to choose ”None of the Above”.
or,
“Take your ‘Dog and Pony Show’ and get out of our town” will not be one of the choices.
as Rosa Koire would say.
having found that real intelligence was not sustainable Microsoft was force to switch to the artificial kind in their quest for sustainable development.
human Behaviour must Change to save the planet
==≠=======
this is most often said by humans that believe their behavior to be just fine but everyone else to be at fault.
The climate creeps stole our science, our governments, our schools our language, all to support their misanthropic obsession on climate and CO2.
No, all to further their cause of destroying your lifestyle while maintaining theirs.
Just imagine if the AI were to be fed the gas laws and the ‘greening planet’ information and it were to propose increasing CO2 output as it had decided that there was no such thing as a ‘green house effect’ and that CO2 is a beneficial trace gas…..
What would the proponents of the AI overlord do then?
Bill Gates LOVES himself and DESPISES humanity. Like more extremely rich, very evil people, he views himself as God, destined to rule the planet. He wants no one else to achieve what he did and he’s making sure they won’t. Meanwhile, as any good God does, he lives in gated palace with guards and all the modern amenities. You are nothing to Bill Gates except fodder.
(Note: I am not against wealth, but I have noticed that being really rich leads to the delusion of Godhood in the vast majority of rich—Zuckerber, Steyer, Anschutz, Gates, Soros, Buffet, etc. As they determine they are God, you become a subject, an inferior, to them and their despising of humanity grows and grows. I don’t know if money causes this or just that rich people want to rule over the unworthy and worked to make enough money to do so. However, the percentage of rich people who give a whit about anyone by themselves is below 1%, I would guess. It matters not the cause.)
I don’t believe in CAGW, and I don’t believe in AI. What Microsoft needs to do is to get Windows 10 to work as well as XP.
+1
“We face a collective need for urgent action to address global climate issues. When we think about the environmental issues we face today, science tells us that many are the product of previous Industrial Revolutions,”
What evidence does science use to tell us that many issues are the product of previous industrial revolutions? It is very easy to make these assertions which are hugely damaging and designed to make one group or the other feel guilty followed by requests/demands for compensations.
I would rather have an AI system that restores user friendliness in operating systems and applications, especially in the Microsoft products. I gave up looking for it in the FAQs, Help, and Search features to nowhere.
Bring back Clippy!
/sarc
“As every nation in the world— save the U.S.—publicly recognizes that human behavior must change in order to preserve the environment,”
We all know that they only want to curtail Jane and Joe Average’s behavior. They will reserve special considerations and exemptions for the rich and famous.
How about this. Elites, such as Bill Gates, DeCraprio, ALGORE, should lead the way. No more air travel on private jets. One car per garage, bicycles optional, One Garage per family, Plug all the Yacht holes in the world waterways with water, that is remove all pleasure craft…how about that as a start for changing behavior by eliminating the real abuses of power.
“Data” was a fictitious AI character in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. He was always trying to be more “human”. A product of Scientific Fantasy. (SciFi)
A Computer or a Computer Program, no matter how complex, is a dead thing.
It knows nothing of Life and never can.
I might trust my computer when it tells me that 2+2=4.
I won’t trust it when it says 2+2=divorce my wife.
Love, fidelity, forgiveness, trust, commitment, even “starting over” and stuff like that don’t live in “numbers”.
They live in real life. A Dead Thing will never be able to compute them.
(But maybe some programmers would like us to believe they can?)
Sounds like some marketing ploy.