Good one today Bill. Your last sentence says a lot, "And so it shall be in the brave new world of AI — a counterfeit world, quality smothered beneath quantity, and humbug all the way down."
A continuous "Incestuous" relationship. It seems to me, humanity will loose it's ability to "think" and solve problems for themselves. Will people know how to change a tire, fix a faucet, paint a wall...when there is no electricity to run their computer or phone? Original thinking is the most valuable trait of a human from my viewpoint.
I’ve loved Bill’s writing since my days on the Doug Casey forums—and the founders’ offer of $10 a month forever may still be the best investment recommendation I ever followed.
“Clowns and Jokers,” published just 23 days after ChatGPT debuted, remains one of Bill’s finest pieces:
Curiously, it contains none of today’s telltale em dashes. Looking through the archives—with ChatGPT’s help, no less—they seem to begin appearing regularly around April 2024, suggesting that either AI, or a new editorial hand with a fondness for long punctuation, had joined the team.
And good for Bill. Someone older than I am, still learning, adapting, and making use of a remarkable new tool—even while writing today about what that tool cannot do.
I use AI every day.
Including, naturally, to help me research and write this reply—with em dashes.
What’s truly hilarious is that it took me more than two years to notice the change. Then this morning, Bill used different colours in his text, and suddenly it was an AHA! moment—a flashlight directly in the face, if you will.
Almost as though he were saying to the rest of us:
“It may be useless—but I’m still going to use it.”
Does the hype about AI remind anyone else of this Twilight Zone episode "The Brain Center at Whipple's"? Maybe one day AI will replace not only us but Peter Theil, Elon Musk, Sam Altman and the rest of the Tech Bros too.
*Spoiler Alert* - the similarities this episode of Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone" and our current issues with AI.
"The X109B14. Eliminates 61,000 jobs, 73 machines, 81,000 man hours. Saves $4,000,000 annually in expenditures, employee hospitalization, employee profit participation, employee insurance, employee welfare."
Hanley the plant manager: "(worried about) Men out of work"
Whipple: "When it comes to the aforementioned progress, you're a foot dragger."
Rod Serling: "The historical battle between flesh and steel. Between the brain of man and the product of man's brain."
Technician: "If we keep up with this sort of thing (throwing people out of work for the sake of efficiency) we will have wonderful products. And mighty few to buy them."
Whipple: "Happily, that is not my concern. I am here to provide efficiency. That is my only concern."
Then at the end<a surprise guest from an early 60's Sci-Fi series> replaces Whipple. Due to concerns over efficiency or lack thereof. Lol.
I have been reading: Milton, “Paradise Lost;” “Confessions of Augustin;” “Autobiography of Carl Jung .” Also reading other Worldly tomes.
Knowledge is a wonderful thing! But “What is truth.” Does Truth set you free? How have we lost Paradise? Everyone is looking for Nirvana, Utopia, the next great revolutionary thing.
We might just be piling guano upon some woebegone world founded on a pile of guano.
Those three books are a trilogy of knocking and seeking. The questions, how to return to being the Temple of God, reunion of our spirits with the Spirit of God. How to commune with Christ and conform to Christ. It is a difficult and all inclusive challenge and each of us has his own destiny, his own road. Up until now, given the state of the world, we have failed.
Regarding articles available in the public domain.....How about a simple "HONEST AUTHOR" pledge.....? Any AI-generated content present in a written article is identified by footnote.... No footnote ~ assume it's AI....!
How about this for a different angle of the future value of AI: the voice of one of the 168 children slaughtered by wonderfully holier than thou Americans and Israelis?
Some very good articles lately Bill. As for all things being relative,truth, absolute truth, can only come from the Word of God Almighty. Man’s understanding is way too limited to determine ultimate truth about anything. That’s how faith is proven.
I do agree there’s some validity to the idea that there has to be some kind of resistance for anything to grow stronger. Maybe in some way that’s why God has allowed evil to remain until now, because how can we have faith to choose to worship the Living God of heaven and earth if we had no other choice. It’s beyond my grade of knowledge so I’ll just do like Peter when Jesus asked if he would leave him too. Peter responded,”To whom would we go? Only you have the words of eternal life.”(see John 6:68)
"You can always tell the pioneer. The ones full of arrows." Farside. Kodak failed after technology change. The company made a made a whole bunch of money for decades. Benjamin Franklin, I believe in Poor Richards Almanac. Said " "A penny saved is a penny earned." I was young.I looked up what the value of a penny was in the year 1770. I'm not sure but I believe that it said it was worth about $10.40. That was enough money at the time to get a steak dinner.I checked it out recently out of curiosity. That penny , in today's dollars is between $41-$46. It's crazy , but that'll get you a steak dinner. Unlike you bill, I will still bend down to pick up a penny, worthless as it has been. It's a good mental reference and a little bit of a workout. A dollar, I'm doing push ups. Do not forget your financial roots. Cheers.
when “good” or “fast” or “rich” floods the land in overwhelming quantity, you may as well have none of it at all and the laws of 'inverse attraction' guarantee that the opposites "bad, slow, poor" are not far behind .. what humans dislike is what they attract, which makes the opposite of every 'truth' just as valid and inevitable ..
"Dollars cheapen as they multiply and so do ideas", Bill writes. I understand then nature of dollars vis-a-vis inflation, but more ideas make them less valuable? Ideas push the boundaries of human development and innovation, they don't become less valuable rather they become the value.
But, Tom, how do people learn to think if all they have to do is to turn to Claude for creativity? Ideas, I agree, are the birthplace of innovation but ideas come from thinking and pondering. I see streams of people (of all ages) staring relentlessly at the screen of their iPhone. Even today, toddlers are given iPads to keep them busy. How does that produce ideas? I use Claude (instead of google) to look things up - like where is "Kinshasa" as Bill sited it today (capital of the Republic of Congo and one of the largest cities in Africa) and I had never heard of it. But to use it to "create" instead of learning how to do that on one's own - where does that leave innovation?
Not only where does it leave innovation but how about what it does to developing brains. Lots of studies coming out showing that excessive cell phone use already hinders brain development. But maybe it's part of the process - the dumber the masses become the easier it is for the "owners" to control them.
Good one today Bill. Your last sentence says a lot, "And so it shall be in the brave new world of AI — a counterfeit world, quality smothered beneath quantity, and humbug all the way down."
A continuous "Incestuous" relationship. It seems to me, humanity will loose it's ability to "think" and solve problems for themselves. Will people know how to change a tire, fix a faucet, paint a wall...when there is no electricity to run their computer or phone? Original thinking is the most valuable trait of a human from my viewpoint.
Jim Marshall
I’ve loved Bill’s writing since my days on the Doug Casey forums—and the founders’ offer of $10 a month forever may still be the best investment recommendation I ever followed.
“Clowns and Jokers,” published just 23 days after ChatGPT debuted, remains one of Bill’s finest pieces:
https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/p/clowns-and-jokers
Curiously, it contains none of today’s telltale em dashes. Looking through the archives—with ChatGPT’s help, no less—they seem to begin appearing regularly around April 2024, suggesting that either AI, or a new editorial hand with a fondness for long punctuation, had joined the team.
And good for Bill. Someone older than I am, still learning, adapting, and making use of a remarkable new tool—even while writing today about what that tool cannot do.
I use AI every day.
Including, naturally, to help me research and write this reply—with em dashes.
What’s truly hilarious is that it took me more than two years to notice the change. Then this morning, Bill used different colours in his text, and suddenly it was an AHA! moment—a flashlight directly in the face, if you will.
Almost as though he were saying to the rest of us:
“It may be useless—but I’m still going to use it.”
Bravo, Bill. Bravo.
Yes Lucas , just another tool in ones tool box!
Interesting... I noticed when the writing changed subtly a couple years ago and came to similar conclusions, but you found the "sixth finger"!
The ideas are still there. The penmanship is still strong with this one. Putting it together in an eloquent way, hasn't been lost.
But that doesn't mean our scribe still doesn't need a hand every now and then. :)
Oh yes, good pickup 24 -'s
None in previous letters...
Does the hype about AI remind anyone else of this Twilight Zone episode "The Brain Center at Whipple's"? Maybe one day AI will replace not only us but Peter Theil, Elon Musk, Sam Altman and the rest of the Tech Bros too.
"The Brain Center at Whipples."
*Spoiler Alert* - the similarities this episode of Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone" and our current issues with AI.
"The X109B14. Eliminates 61,000 jobs, 73 machines, 81,000 man hours. Saves $4,000,000 annually in expenditures, employee hospitalization, employee profit participation, employee insurance, employee welfare."
Hanley the plant manager: "(worried about) Men out of work"
Whipple: "When it comes to the aforementioned progress, you're a foot dragger."
Rod Serling: "The historical battle between flesh and steel. Between the brain of man and the product of man's brain."
Technician: "If we keep up with this sort of thing (throwing people out of work for the sake of efficiency) we will have wonderful products. And mighty few to buy them."
Whipple: "Happily, that is not my concern. I am here to provide efficiency. That is my only concern."
Then at the end<a surprise guest from an early 60's Sci-Fi series> replaces Whipple. Due to concerns over efficiency or lack thereof. Lol.
If Ai thinks that it is smarter than its creators, then at some point it will have no need of them.
Also, if Ai decides the "mission" is more important the a few billion redundant humans, then it's all over for homo sapiens.
The real question is who controls Ai?
I have been reading: Milton, “Paradise Lost;” “Confessions of Augustin;” “Autobiography of Carl Jung .” Also reading other Worldly tomes.
Knowledge is a wonderful thing! But “What is truth.” Does Truth set you free? How have we lost Paradise? Everyone is looking for Nirvana, Utopia, the next great revolutionary thing.
We might just be piling guano upon some woebegone world founded on a pile of guano.
Try following Jesus Christ, His truth will truly set you free. “And you will know the truth,and the truth will set you free.”(John 8:32)
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
Those three books are a trilogy of knocking and seeking. The questions, how to return to being the Temple of God, reunion of our spirits with the Spirit of God. How to commune with Christ and conform to Christ. It is a difficult and all inclusive challenge and each of us has his own destiny, his own road. Up until now, given the state of the world, we have failed.
Bill, et al.....
Regarding articles available in the public domain.....How about a simple "HONEST AUTHOR" pledge.....? Any AI-generated content present in a written article is identified by footnote.... No footnote ~ assume it's AI....!
Dan Cleary
WPB, Fl.
How about this for a different angle of the future value of AI: the voice of one of the 168 children slaughtered by wonderfully holier than thou Americans and Israelis?
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZoEbr7oXkw/?igsh=azZ3Zjg3MXpueW5j
"from individuals to nations, folks pretty much get what they deserve" W Whitman
Some very good articles lately Bill. As for all things being relative,truth, absolute truth, can only come from the Word of God Almighty. Man’s understanding is way too limited to determine ultimate truth about anything. That’s how faith is proven.
I do agree there’s some validity to the idea that there has to be some kind of resistance for anything to grow stronger. Maybe in some way that’s why God has allowed evil to remain until now, because how can we have faith to choose to worship the Living God of heaven and earth if we had no other choice. It’s beyond my grade of knowledge so I’ll just do like Peter when Jesus asked if he would leave him too. Peter responded,”To whom would we go? Only you have the words of eternal life.”(see John 6:68)
"You can always tell the pioneer. The ones full of arrows." Farside. Kodak failed after technology change. The company made a made a whole bunch of money for decades. Benjamin Franklin, I believe in Poor Richards Almanac. Said " "A penny saved is a penny earned." I was young.I looked up what the value of a penny was in the year 1770. I'm not sure but I believe that it said it was worth about $10.40. That was enough money at the time to get a steak dinner.I checked it out recently out of curiosity. That penny , in today's dollars is between $41-$46. It's crazy , but that'll get you a steak dinner. Unlike you bill, I will still bend down to pick up a penny, worthless as it has been. It's a good mental reference and a little bit of a workout. A dollar, I'm doing push ups. Do not forget your financial roots. Cheers.
So we now have AAI. Artificial Artificial Intelligence.
BB is describing an automated version of Borge's Library of Babel. He may be on to something. :)
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what-is-borges-library-of-babe-R5KftrKlQmSudMooC2oCjw
John Henry said he would die with that hammer in his hand. Best always. PM
when “good” or “fast” or “rich” floods the land in overwhelming quantity, you may as well have none of it at all and the laws of 'inverse attraction' guarantee that the opposites "bad, slow, poor" are not far behind .. what humans dislike is what they attract, which makes the opposite of every 'truth' just as valid and inevitable ..
"Dollars cheapen as they multiply and so do ideas", Bill writes. I understand then nature of dollars vis-a-vis inflation, but more ideas make them less valuable? Ideas push the boundaries of human development and innovation, they don't become less valuable rather they become the value.
But, Tom, how do people learn to think if all they have to do is to turn to Claude for creativity? Ideas, I agree, are the birthplace of innovation but ideas come from thinking and pondering. I see streams of people (of all ages) staring relentlessly at the screen of their iPhone. Even today, toddlers are given iPads to keep them busy. How does that produce ideas? I use Claude (instead of google) to look things up - like where is "Kinshasa" as Bill sited it today (capital of the Republic of Congo and one of the largest cities in Africa) and I had never heard of it. But to use it to "create" instead of learning how to do that on one's own - where does that leave innovation?
Not only where does it leave innovation but how about what it does to developing brains. Lots of studies coming out showing that excessive cell phone use already hinders brain development. But maybe it's part of the process - the dumber the masses become the easier it is for the "owners" to control them.
A distracted populace is easy to manage, hence the proliferation of "technology" some of which is useful, but most is not.