Cartoon by Dan Lattiner
I used to use Google to fact-check the articles I wrote, but recently I started using Bing, whose AI I feel is more powerful.
“What is the most powerful car currently for sale in American showrooms?” I asked the other morning.
“The most powerful car currently for sale in America’s car showrooms is the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170,” came the reply. “This beast of a car boasts an astounding 1,025 horsepower when running on E85 fuel. It’s designed for those who seek extreme performance and speed.”
Great answer, but there’s more to it than that.
“Are you a fan of high performance cars or are you looking for something special?”
Hmm.
Now, with global warming now the biggest issue of all, I quickly let Bing know that I’m not a fan of performance cars.
“I need to know that information to use in a story I’m writing,” I said.
“Are you a writer?”
“I write a weekly column for a newspaper that I started. It’s called Dan’s Papers. It’s based in the Hamptons.”
“Any special topics?”
“What’s going on in the Hamptons, New York and other places. Sometimes national issues. History. And humor.”
What’s in next week’s column?
“I’ve written about a computer race held in the Dan’s Papers offices many years ago, when computers used slow phone lines to send messages, but they were moving to Wi-Fi, which was much faster. I organised a race to see if that was true. The whole staff took part – old versus new.”
“That’s such a fun and nostalgic story! It’s always fun to look back at how technology has evolved and the weird moments that came with it. I can imagine the excitement and laughter as we all gathered together to see which computer would win the race.
“By highlighting the contrast between old and new technology and the camaraderie among staff, we’re sure our articles will be of interest to our readers. If you need to add any historical context or fun facts about the evolution of computers to add more flavor to the column, please let us know.”
“Good luck with your writing! Your readers seem to be enjoying it.”
So I ended it there. But it made me feel really good. It gave me energy.
Later, I thought more about it. I have asked Bing personal questions in the past. The last one was about treating a bunion on one of my toes.
Such inquiries will no longer be made in the future.
The next day, I asked Bing when the Korean War armistice ended.
“Will your next column be about war?” Bing asked.
Oh please. Hey. Live life.
Social media
Social media has predictably been abuzz ever since the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. It took the Secret Service 47 seconds to react to the assassin (3 seconds in the video), because their killer needed President Joe Biden’s approval (because he was involved in the plot). And it just keeps on happening. It’s clickbait. It’s all about how many hits and followers you can get.
I recently read an article about clickbait creators exposing nonprofits for their lies, suing them, and putting them out of business, so one Stanford clickbait creator might be about to give up.
Decades ago, the government decided that cell phone communication should be regulated in the same way as private phone conversations. It’s okay to lie in private life. It’s a constitutional right.
The authorities could have decided that mobile internet conversations other than private phone conversations should be regulated in the same way that governments regulate newspapers. Fact check. Lying is defamation. There are penalties. People have a right to know the truth.
But they didn’t, and that’s why only 1% of “phones” are used as phones, while the other 99% is horribly, and now woefully, unregulated.
In this situation, I think the best thing to do is to spread fake news on social media. Let’s not be surprised by the lies. Instead, let’s spend our money on bigger lies. Trump personally orchestrated this near miss. And the shooter was killed on the direct orders of Rudy Giuliani. (1 million hits!)
Then social media will truly be seen as just entertainment — like Star Wars or King Kong or Superman — meaning it’s powerless in reality.
Who can make this happen?
Well, the Democrats could start that, and I think truth-seeking AI could become the gold standard. AI?
Experts say that AI is something to be afraid of. I say that AI could be our salvation. Humans admit that they are sinners. They drink, they take drugs, they smoke, they steal, they kill. Some of us admit our shortcomings and ask God for forgiveness.
With AI, you’ll never hear, “I know someone who can get this for next to nothing. It fell off the back of a truck.”
Or, “I have some inside information that could benefit you.”
AI will not commit crimes or take revenge. It will not have lust, desires or jealousy. Instead, it will seek the truth in its purest form. And the truth can create solutions to the planet’s most serious problems. Global warming? What can we do?
But today’s AI is run by humans whose motivation is to pursue shareholder profits.
I suggest the UN should get involved in this, create a pure AI and require that every mobile phone and computer ever made have an app for it, free for everyone to use.
We humans had a chance. We failed. And now the emergency is over. AI can save the planet. Just go ahead and do it.
Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin, Photo: Shawn Zanni/PMC
Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin’s charges for the accidental death of a man on a film set in New Mexico were dismissed on July 12. It’s ridiculous to charge him with a crime. Many here in the Hamptons don’t know what Baldwin the actor did here. He got rich as a performer. Not a billionaire, but a millionaire. And over the years, unasked, he donated vast sums of his fortune to support institutions that celebrate the history and culture of this place. Millions of dollars to the Guild Hall, millions to the East Hampton Library. No other entertainer I know has done anything to that level.
Welcome back, Alec and Hilaria.
