Nexus

 

An underlying motivation for this book was the author's concern about the impact of AI, the danger and the opportunity.  Mankind has come a long way, but perhaps we are entering a critical change.  Up until recently all improvements in handling information have had a human with control, but now we are embarking on ceding much of the control to non humans.

This blog is too short to do full justice to "Nexus", but it is my hope that more people will be aware of the game changing effects of AI.  

Information is not just facts.  It includes errors, lies, fantasies and fiction.We may strive for truth, but information is just as likely to focus on order.

About 70,000 years ago humans took a big step when we learned to co-operate with one another.  A key tool was a story.  A story is a human attempt to make sense of reality.  A brand is a specific type of story that represents ( not necessarily truthfully) characteristics of a product or even a purpose.

An example of a brand offered is that of "Stalin".  A story is told about  Stalin's son, Vasily who used the family name to intimidate people and was berated by his father.   Stalin knew what really effected people was what had been written about him and not his actual self.

Paper, writing and printing allowed for communication beyond the present moment.  Bureaucracy formed as a way of storing documents such as ownership.

Nations, corporations, and religions all developed stories that claim they are infallible in some respects.  After time many of the infallible symbols are found to be fallible. 

One of the strengths of computers that deal with massive amounts of information is they can detect patterns that escape humans.  A1 is structured so they can make decisions based on what they discover.

An example of computers getting ahead of humans.  A Facebook algorithm was designed to increase posts that had the most engagement.  To some it was a surprise that the algorithm discovered that outrage generated the most activity.  One example was in Myanmar where anti-minority posts were effective at increasing violence.  

Surveillance and facial recognition is advanced enough in Iran that it is being used to enforce stricter hijab laws.  They can detect if women have discarded their hijab in a car and issue a warning for the first infraction, but subsequent offenses will be met with harsher punishment.   One fears what other evil activities can be utilized by AI.

Some are suggesting that what AI gives bring us back the law of the jungle.  Yuval points out that the jungle actually is very symbiotic with a diversity of life forms supporting one another. 

 A big concern is that AI could take over human management and subverting democracy.  The author concedes that humans could easily lose control.  On the other hand totalitarian governments are very  vulnerable  as too centralized.

The term "Nexus" is merely a connection or more than one connection to a series of connections.  The pigeon on the cover is supposed to be about  particular carrier pigeon that delivered a message in wartime that saved lives.

 As a youngster I recall reading "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov.  He anticipated that robots would become more critical for humans.  His three laws seemed well thought out, but I can imagine Yuval would point out difficulties.   Mankind is definitely entering a new world.

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First and Second Laws.

 There are lots more details in the book and I suggest you should get a copy and read it carefully.  A! could make slaves of us all or free us up for a more meaningful life.

Previous blogs about Yuval Noah Harari

 http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/12/sapiens-brief-history-of-humankind.html

 http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/04/homo-deus.html

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/12/21-lessons-for-21st-century.html