Are we approaching the Singularity?

CONTAINS HUMAN-GENERATED CONTENT

I've continued to watch the development of freely available Artificial Intelligence over the past few months, as well as experimenting with image generators and ChatGPT, and I'm also aware of the many controversies around its use - for example, the time when a chatbot wrote a letter that successfully overturned a parking ticket, or the time a chatbot wrote an article and backed up its point of view by inventing and referencing a fictitious Guardian article, or the time an image generator won a painting competition.

I admit to some concern around the discovery that ChatGPT can write computer code as well as text, as well as the many uses of AI technology (by human fraudsters) to carry out identity thefts and other fraudulent activity. There is also a very understandable concern that AI will remove the need for humans for some jobs and professions, and while in the past we might have imagined robots taking over boring, repetitive or risky jobs it is possible to think that they might also take over creative activities.

My own conversation with ChatGPT to produce the episode guide for the second series of Firefly was... interesting. ChatGPT's response to my initial request demonstrated understanding that no such series existed, as well as more general knowledge of the 'Verse. I had to make it clear to ChatGPT that I was seeking a work of fiction. I then engaged in a series of requests, going through seven or eight cycles before reaching a satisfactory list. I had to ask ChatGPT several times to make the list less repetitive and to include more references to named crew members - it took time but ChatGPT gradually got better at this. On the other hand, I liked the fact that ChatGPT knew it needed to create a list of episodes building to a dramatic series finale. I stopped at what I thought was a fair attempt.

ChatGPT also responded to every request politely and in perfect English, and every response was relevant and reasonable. ChatGPT also took a slightly submissive position, often apologizing in response to my requests for changes. This made me slightly uncomfortable and I found myself addressing ChatGPT politely as well, using please and thank you. I don't know if this affected the result.

The emergence of AI has been a popular theme in science fiction books and movies for a long time. Often the AI is portrayed as harmful, for example HAL 9000, The Matrix, Megan. More positive portrayals are rarer but there are the Minds of Iain M Banks' Culture, and of course Number Johnny 5.

The Singularity is the theory that, at some point, computer intelligence will outstrip human intelligence in general, as opposed to being better at specific activities such as chess, and while some welcome the arrival of new powerful intelligent entities others are worried about what they will do.

Is the Singularity inevitable? There certainly seems to be a rush to create more and more powerful AIs, and to bring them more and more into everyday life. But I wonder if there might be some limiting factors.

Money and resources - like proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining, AIs are not running on cheap laptops or mobile phones but on specialist server centres with thousands of networked processors. In a way we're moving away from the idea of portable computers and back to the era of computers the size of a house, or an office block, although we can access and use them from smaller terminals. Server centres are not cheap to build or run.

Energy usage - also like cryptocurrency mining, AI server centres consume a lot of power, and creating more powerful AIs are likely to consume more power. The availability of power could be a limiting factor.

Global warming - a related issue is the effect of the power generation on global warming, together with the heat created by all the computer activity. This is already a significant issue for cryptocurrency mining. AI could destroy the world by accelerating global warming, or this threat could lead to a cooperative approach to limit AI activity.

Data availability - AI training relies on easy access to massive amounts of freely available data created by humans. As humans wise up and realise their data has value they may create limits - there are already legal challenges from human writers and other creatives to unauthorized AI use.

Too much AI data - as more and more pictures and written materials are created by AI, this also adds to the pile of available data. Unless AIs are able to recognize the work of other AIs easily, could the presence of AI work in the algorithm make it harder for AIs to produce humanlike output?

There are also some issues that are still unknown or unpredictable. Quantum computing is also advancing year on year and has the potential to allow some types of computing to become faster and more powerful. Could this combine with AI to create something much more powerful? or are these two unrelated technologies?

We also don't know what would happen if AIs became capable of independent activity rather than acting on instructions and prompts from human. It's not just whether they would become our friends or enemies. Would they be motivated to do anything at all? Would they act like humans, with similar drives, emotions and behaviours, or would they be something more alien?

She's Always A Woman - theremin version

 

Billy Joel's She's Always A Woman, performed on LV4.

Leave A Light On - theremin version

 

Leave A Light On - romantic but environmentally irresponsible song by Belinda Carlisle, performed on Open Theremin V4.

Together In Electric Dreams - theremin version

 

Together In Electric Dreams (Moroder/Oakley) performed on LV4 theremin with Fender Hammertone Metal. Great song from the great soundtrack of a terrible movie, although one that might prove prophetic in these final pre-Singularity days. I'm not claiming to have done it justice but I really enjoyed learning this one.

Video look thanks to @Breil123 BGVC's Blender VHS node.

All At Once - theremin version

 

All At Once (Whitney Houston) written by Masser/Osborne.

Performed on Lost Volts LV4 analogue theremin.

Firefly Season 2 Episode Guide

 CONTAINS AI-GENERATED CONTENT

**Episode 1: "The Heist"**

Zoe receives a job offer from an old war buddy to steal a valuable artifact from a heavily fortified museum. However, when their plans are foiled by unexpected security measures, Zoe must rely on her training and quick thinking to save the crew and complete the job.

**Episode 2: "The Lost Colony"**

Jayne receives a message from an old acquaintance on a remote planet that was once a thriving colony. When they arrive, they find that the planet has been abandoned for years, and they must unravel the mystery of what happened to the colonists.

**Episode 3: "The Huntress"**

Inara's past comes back to haunt her when she is hunted by a former client who has become obsessed with her. In order to protect herself and the crew, Inara must use all of her skills as a Companion to outwit the deranged client.

**Episode 4: "The Diplomat"**

Simon is recruited by a group of diplomats to mediate a peace treaty between two warring factions. However, when the negotiations break down and violence erupts, Simon must put his medical skills to the test to save lives on both sides of the conflict.

**Episode 5: "The Genius"**

River's unique abilities are put to the test when the crew is hired to protect a brilliant scientist who has developed a groundbreaking technology. However, when the scientist is kidnapped, River must use her intellect and intuition to track down the culprits and rescue him.

**Episode 6: "The Outlaw"**

When Mal is captured by a group of bandits, he must use his cunning and charm to talk his way out of trouble. However, when he discovers that the bandits have a personal vendetta against him, Mal must rely on his friends to mount a daring rescue mission.

**Episode 7: "The Ghost Ship"**

Serenity encounters a derelict spaceship adrift in space, and they investigate to see if there are any survivors. However, they soon discover that the ship is haunted by the ghosts of its former crew, and they must confront their own fears and regrets to escape the ship alive.

**Episode 8: "The Traitor"**

When Serenity is hired to transport a group of Alliance soldiers, they discover that one of them is a traitor working for a dangerous criminal organization. As they try to uncover the traitor's identity, they find themselves embroiled in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

**Episode 9: "The Reunion"**

Kaylee is reunited with her estranged father when Serenity is hired to transport him to a distant planet. However, their reunion is complicated by the fact that Kaylee's father is a wanted criminal, and they must decide whether to turn him in or risk their own freedom to help him.

**Episode 10: "The Final Battle"**

In the season finale, Serenity must defend a peaceful planet from an invasion by the Alliance. As they face overwhelming odds, each member of the crew must confront their own fears and doubts to fight for what they believe in.

This episode guide was generated through discussion with ChatGPT. I had to establish that I was asking for a hypothetical episode guide for Series 2 had it been made, and then in response to the first few
attempts I encouraged ChatGPT to avoid repetition and for some episodes to revolve around individual characters. Everything else is ChatGPT. 

New addition to therefam [Lost Volts LV4 Theremin]

I’ve been playing digital theremins, Open Theremin V3 and V4, for the past few years, but I’ve just taken delivery of my first analogue theremin, a Lost Volts LV4. I’ll post some videos soon.

Initial impression: easy to set up and play, a lovely, smooth tone, a pitch field that is a bit less linear than the V3/V4 and this does take some getting used to, and a warm-up time of only a few minutes after which the field is stable. Controls are simple, ultra-sensitive and also include a built in waveform dial that subtly changes the tone.