Re: smart people doing stupid things

On 5/19/2024 9:22 AM, Edward Rawde wrote:

Exactly.  But, you can pose questions of them and otherwise observe
their
behaviors in unrelated areas and form an opinion.

>
If they are, say, a doctor then yes you can ask questions about your
treatment but you can't otherwise observe their behavior.

>
I watch the amount of time my MD gives me above and beyond the "15 minute
slot"
that his office would PREFER to constrain him.  I watch my dentist respond
to
calls to his PERSONAL cell phone WHILE OUT OF TOWN.  I see the bicycle
that
SWMBO's MD rides to work each day.

 You must annoy a lot of people.

It's up to my doctor to terminate the appointment if it exceeds the amount
of time he wants to spend with me (us).  Instead, he seems to delight in the
questions that I pose and my interest in learning instead of being *told*
to do X, Y or Z.
And, the fact that he sees me investing in my own care -- instead of making
excuses about why I can't do this or that -- as evidence that his investment
in *me* is likely more effective (if you assume he chose to be a doctor
for a REASON!) than spending more than *10* minutes with someone who is
going to ignore his recommendations.

These people aren't highlighting these aspects of their behavior.  But,
they aren't hiding them, either.  Anyone observant would "notice".

 Anyone getting on with their own life wouldn't care.

And would suffer from less *effective* "service".  A neighbor has a
doctor who sees every problem as requiring a "pill" as a solution.
When they travel, they carry a LARGE briefcase just full of their
medications!
Ask some impartial doctor if all of those were strictly necessary (as
they have been individually prescribed, over the years) and I suspect
he would question many of them as ineffective, redundant or contraindicated.
A friend spent a few weeks in the hospital, recently.  When he came out,
the "suite" of medications that were prescribed for him had many of his
previous medications elided.  "You don't need these."  So, why didn't his
"regular doctor" ever sit down and review that list?  He has it in
his computerized record of the patient?  Did he have some plan to review
it at some future date?
My friend is now looking for a new doctor.  The experience (and how much
BETTER he now feels after the medication changes) has made it clear to him
that his previous doctor wasn't giving him the best of care.  The *patient*
is the entity to be satisfied, not the doctor's "office manager" (metering
out appointments in 15 minute blocks).

I've a neighbor who loudly claims NOT to be racist.  But, if you take
the
whole of your experiences with him and the various comments he has made,
over the years (e.g., not shopping at a particular store because there
are lots of blacks living in the apartment complex across the street
from said store -- meaning lots of them SHOP in that store!), it's
not hard to come to that conclusion.
>
He also is very vocal about The Border (an hour from here).  Yet,
ALWAYS hires mexicans.  Does he ever check to see if they are here
legally?  Entitled to work?  Or, is he really only concerned with
the price they charge?
>
When you (I) speak to other neighbors about his behavior, do they
offer similar conclusions as to his "character"?

>
I'm not following what that has to do with AI.

>
It speaks to bias.  Bias that people have and either ignore or
deny, despite it being obvious to others.
>
Those "others" will react to you WITH consideration of that bias
factored into their actions.

 So will AI.

An AI's bias is potentially more harmful.  My neighbor is limited in
what he can do -- the extent of his influence/power.  "He's only one man".
But, an AI can be replicated and have greater influence in policy matters
BECAUSE it's an AI (and not "just a man")

I visit a friend, daily, who is highly prejudiced, completely opposite
in terms of my political, spiritual, etc. beliefs, hugely different
values, etc.  He is continually critical of my appearance, how I
dress, the hours that I sleep, where I shop, what I spend money on
(and what I *don't*), etc.  And, I just smile and let his comments roll
off me.  SWMBO asks why I spend *any* time with him.
>
"I find it entertaining!" (!!)

>
Oh. Now I get why we're having this discussion.

>
I am always looking for opportunities to learn.  How can you be so
critical
of ALL these things (not just myself but EVERYONE around him including
all of the folks he *hires*!) and still remain in this "situation"?
You can afford to move anywhere (this isn't even your "home") so why
stay here with these people -- and providers -- that you (appear to)
dislike?  If you go to a restaurant and are served a bad meal, do you
just eat it and grumble under your breath?  Do you RETURN to the
restaurant for "more punishment"?
>
Explain to me WHY you engage in such behavior.  I visit a restaurant and
am unhappy with the meal, I bring it to the waiter's/maitre d's attention.
If I have a similar problem a second time, I just avoid the restaurant
entirely -- and see to it that I share this "recommendation" with my
friends.  There are too many other choices to "settle" for a disappointing
experience!

 AI restaurants are likely coming where not only do you order on an ipad
yourself but the food is not made by human cooks.

My reaction is the same.  But, likely they only get ONE chance to
disappoint me (as I would expect EVERY subsequent experience to be
repeatably identical to that first disappointment)

Annoyed with all the "illegals" coming across the border?  Then why
wouldn't you "hire white people"?  Or, at least, verify the latino's
working papers (or, hire through an agency that does this, instead of
a guy operating out of his second-hand pickup truck)!  If we closed
the border as you seem to advocate, what will you THEN do to get
cheap labor?  I.e., how do you rationalize these discrepancies in your
own mind?  (Really!  I wold like to understand how such conflicting goals
can coexist FORCEFULLY in their minds!)

 None of this seems to be related to AI except that AI will behave just like
humans if it's trained that way.

But humans don't know how they (humans) are trained!
Explain how, in detail, a child learns.  What are the "best practices"?
And why?  Which practices are contraindicated?  After all this time,
why aren't we adept at properly "training" children?  (for which
culture?)

Which is why I started this with "One thing which bothers me about AI
is
that if it's like us but way more
intelligent than us then..."

>
What's to fear, there?  If *you* have the ultimate authority to make
YOUR decisions, then you can choose to ignore the "recommendations"
of an AI just like you can ignore the recommendations of human
"experts"/professionals.

>
Who says we have the ultimate authority to ignore AI if it gets cleverer
that us?

>
AIs aren't omnipotent.

 Yet.
 

Someone has to design, build, feed and power them.

 Only until they can do so themselves.
 

Do you think the AI is going to magically grow limbs and start fashioning
weaponry to defend itself?  (Or, go on the *offense*?)

 Not magically no, but I can't otherwise see any issue with it doing so.

Someone has to do these things *for* it.  Someone has to consciously decide
to give it each capability granted.  Man is the gatekeeper.  If Man wants
to abrogate his responsibility in doing so, then Man suffers the consequences.
If you don't want to be involved in understanding why EACH medication
is prescribed for you, then you suffer the consequences of (likely!)
overmedication.

Particularly if it gets plenty of feedback from humans about whether or
not
they liked the episode it produced.

>
That assumes people will be the sole REACTIVE judge of completed
episodes.  Part of what makes entertainment entertaining is
the unexpected.  Jokes are funny because someone has noticed a
relationship between two ideas in a way that others have not,
previously.  Stories leave lasting impressions when executed well
*or* when a twist catches viewers offguard.
>
Would an AI create something like Space Balls?  Would it perceive the
humor in the various corny "bits" sprinkled throughout?  How would
YOU explain the humor to it?

>
I would expect it to generate humor the same way humans do.

>
How?  Do you think comics don't appraise their own creations BEFORE
testing them on (select) audiences?  That they don't, first, chuckle
at it, refine it and then sort through those they think have the
most promise?

 Just like AI will.

So, you are going to teach AN APPRECIATION FOR humor to an AI?  *That*
will be an accomplishment!  You can then teach it compassion, respect for
life, morality, honesty, humility, a sense of service/duty, justice,
love, greed, etc.