There Is No AI: Jaron Lanier's Case for Seeing AI as Collaboration, Not Intelligence
In a 2023 New Yorker essay, computer scientist Jaron Lanier argues that large language models like GPT-4 are not new minds but sophisticated mashups of human-created text and images, guided by statistics. He proposes 'data dignity'—a system where people are credited and compensated for their contributions to AI training data—as an alternative to the current free-data-for-services model. Lanier contends this approach would foster a more honest digital economy, ease AI's impact on jobs, and improve AI by expanding its inputs. His view, he says, 'flatters the technology' by seeing AI as a tool for collaboration rather than independent intelligence.
Seeing A.I. as a way of working together, rather than as a technology for creating independent, intelligent beings, may make it less mysterious—less like hal 9000 or Commander Data.
- huurtehoog
AI, like automation, means different things and these are often conflated.
AI can mean roughly 'advanced software functionality' but it can also convey the intention of somehow getting output with higher value than the input available. One of them is used in a misleading manner for various reasons.
Automation may mean restricted behavior as in "this contraption will always do Y if X happens" but it can also mean "this contraption will always do the right thing regardless of what you throw at it". Again, one of them is a way to mislead people.
- hackingonempty
This post is on Phil Wadler's blog (of haskell and monads fame) but it is entirely a 2023 quote from Jaron Lanier (of VR fame.)
- LoganDark
Since when exactly has artificial intelligence ever implicated the existence of a mind at all? It's always been about knowledge, intuition and the application of such, so of course large language models at least technically count.
If you specifically want a mind, then perhaps you're interested in something more specific than mere artificial intelligence.