Weâve lived but a few years so far into the age when artiÂfiÂcial intelÂliÂgence can proÂduce conÂvincÂing stoÂries, songs, essays, poems, novÂels, and even films. For many of us, these recentÂly impleÂmentÂed funcÂtions have already come to feel necÂesÂsary in our daiÂly life, but it may surÂprise us to conÂsidÂer how many peoÂple had long assumed that comÂputÂers could already perÂform them. That belief sureÂly owes in part to the roles played by effecÂtiveÂly senÂtient machines in popÂuÂlar ficÂtions since at least the earÂly decades of the twenÂtiÂeth cenÂtuÂry. RevisÂitÂing George Orwellâs NineÂteen Eighty-Four, we even find a device very much like todayâs large lanÂguage modÂels in use at the MinÂistry of Truth, the employÂer of proÂtagÂoÂnist WinÂston Smith.
WithÂin the MinÂistry is âa whole chain of sepÂaÂrate departÂments dealÂing with proÂleÂtarÂiÂan litÂerÂaÂture, music, draÂma, and enterÂtainÂment genÂerÂalÂly. Here were proÂduced rubÂbishy newsÂpaÂpers conÂtainÂing almost nothÂing except sport, crime and astrolÂoÂgy, senÂsaÂtionÂal five-cent novÂelÂettes, films oozÂing with sex, and senÂtiÂmenÂtal songs which were comÂposed entireÂly by mechanÂiÂcal means on a speÂcial kind of kaleiÂdoÂscope known as a verÂsiÂfiÂcaÂtor.â Much latÂer in the novÂel, Smith overÂhears a hit song comÂposed on that very kaleiÂdoÂscope, âwithÂout any human interÂvenÂtion whatÂevÂer,â sung by a woman of this dystopiÂan EngÂlandâs lowÂest class, whose very baseÂness libÂerÂates it from the watchÂful eye that Big BrothÂerâs vast surÂveilÂlance sysÂtem keeps on his ostenÂsiÂbly privÂiÂleged ParÂty memÂbers.
All the âproÂlesâ realÂly require, in the view of the state, is the freeÂdom to satÂisÂfy their vices and a steady stream of paciÂfyÂing media. The extruÂsions of the verÂsiÂfiÂcaÂtor may now bring to mind the ever-increasÂing quanÂtiÂties of âAI slop,â often creÂatÂed with vanÂishÂingÂly small amounts of human interÂvenÂtion, whose potenÂtial to flood the interÂnet has lateÂly become a matÂter of pubÂlic conÂcern. Whatâs more chillÂing to conÂsidÂer is that such low-effort, high-volÂume conÂtent wouldÂnât have attained such a presÂence if it werenât genÂuineÂly popÂuÂlar. Much like the junk culÂture pumped out by the MinÂistry of Truth, AI slop reflects less the ill intent of (or at least neglect by) the powÂers that be than the undeÂmandÂing nature of the pubÂlic.
PerÂhaps we can proÂviÂsionÂalÂly chalk this one up in the âOrwell was rightâ colÂumn. Itâs posÂsiÂble that, in light of real techÂnoÂlogÂiÂcal develÂopÂments, even Isaac AsiÂmov could be conÂvinced to give it to him. Here on Open CulÂture, we recentÂly feaÂtured AsiÂmovâs criÂtique of NineÂteen Eighty-Four as a poor propheÂcy of the future, not least from a techÂnoÂlogÂiÂcal standÂpoint. That piece was writÂten in 1980 at the very end of an âAI winÂter,â one of the falÂlow periÂods in artiÂfiÂcial intelÂliÂgence research. A boom was soon to come, but the truÂly astonÂishÂing develÂopÂments wouldÂnât hapÂpen until the twenÂty-twenÂties, about thirÂty years after AsiÂmovâs death. When describÂing the verÂsiÂfiÂcaÂtor, Orwell was preÂsumÂably extrapÂoÂlatÂing from the disÂtractÂing, disÂposÂable enterÂtainÂments of nineÂteen-forÂties EngÂland. Even if his readÂers couldÂnât believe the idea of that sort of thing being creÂatÂed autoÂmatÂiÂcalÂly, more than a few probÂaÂbly agreed with his diagÂnoÂsis of its qualÂiÂty. Now, colÂlecÂtive human intelÂliÂgence may face its most forÂmiÂdaÂble chalÂlenger, but indiÂvidÂual human disÂcernÂment has nevÂer been more valuÂable.
via Boing Boing
RelatÂed conÂtent:
Aldous HuxÂley to George Orwell: My HellÂish Vision of the Future is BetÂter Than Yours (1949)
Based in Seoul, ColÂin Marshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. Heâs the author of the newsletÂter Books on Cities as well as the books íęľ ěě˝ ę¸ě§Â (No SumÂmaÂrizÂing Korea) and KoreÂan Newtro. FolÂlow him on the social netÂwork forÂmerÂly known as TwitÂter at @colinmarshall.
