The Good, Bad and Ugly Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Social Media on Humanity

 

The Expanding Influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Social Media on Human Life and Culture

By Professor Gilbert Morris
Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas

LET’S STOP UNINFORMED NONSENSE; SOCIAL MEDIA AND AI ARE A THREAT TO HUMAN EXISTENCE!

How do sane people read this and compare it to the printing press or people’s fear of technologies?

That is mere duffus barking!  This is different.  It was possible to get away from those technologies.

No one became addicted to their wrench, sewing machine or their refrigerator or their lawnmower.  These technologies did not have the capacity to give some unknown person or system access to one’s life and nor have they capacities to manipulate one’s opinion on nearly every aspect of life.  The scale of the impact of the automobile, the telephone and the airplane was they they did not replace everyday repetitive or creative tasks; with the capacity to retain personal data.

Social media and Artificial intelligence are different in every respect and represent both opportunities to build a good society - as my colleagues Daniel Schmachtenberger, Tristan Harris and Audrey Tang are trying to do - and yet because of the power relations of our social, political and economic models, they pose a virulent existential risk; if only because we are stupid enough to misread the doltish pleasures it gives us - for now - whilst ignoring what it’s done already, what it’s doing and will do.

Social media was not designed by techies - who are often brainless about psychology and sociology - it was designed by cognitive neuroscientists and game theorists on the psychology of girls 13-27. (This is not new as sociologist Thorstein Veblen, Max Weber and Edward Bernays built the social and legal models for the Industrial Revolution).

Now at one end: it’s Peter Theil, Mark Andreessen and Curtis Yarin and at another Nick Bostrom, Josha Bach and the social media and AI Leviathans.

Why did they premise the psychology of girls and young women?  Because that demographic is the most powerful, most attractive, most consistent seekers of attention in human history.  Anything pitched to that demographic sells.

Mothers dote on them, fathers adore them…all men - even wicked ones - want them and they become promiscuous attention seekers almost naturally.

Get them to adopt a trend and it becomes a fad that is monetisable.

In the attention economy, they all get to act like celebrities talking bogus nonsense about “boundaries” and “my followers”, 80% of whom are BOTS!

At universities, we are seeing psychological derangements and dissonances…a child at 18 gets 25,000 followers for nothing; no talent, not gifts, no accomplishments.  She naturally thinks it’s her essence, when she has none!

One or two such “influencers” get “brand deals”, and lots more get meaningless package giveaways…and material greed merges with dopamine rushes to entice and enthuse these female youth into an obsession with social media, now powered by AI…not merely to engage…but to capture their psychologies and render than automatons for the social media companies.

This heralds two things in general:

1. For girls, every day there is another 10 million 18 years olds who awaken and are prepared to get naked in social media, so at least for a time, gaining popularity over the previous 18 year olds.  Moreover, social media is one massive dating site in which 80% of the women - convinced that they are 10 (tens) - their term, not mine - prefer only 3% of men, who want none of them, except for “hookups”; this generating unfulfillable expectations, leading to anxieties.

Additionally, take ONLYFANS.  Of the 10 million 18-25 year olds in America, over 1 million are on OnlyFans; so 10% of marriageable aged women, with 80% of the audience as white married males.

That means those marriages are suspect and also means, amongst many things a range of society that’s raising the next two generations of children are engaged in an anti-social building practice: Lawnmowers can’t do that.

These predilections have initiated new human protocols: young women awaken in the morning and go directly to social media and start speaking as if they are speaking to best friends or actual fans.  They engage with comments as if these BOTS/Followers actually care for them.

Imagine you live in a home with someone obsessed with and by social media: you do everything to make your home loving and peaceful.  But that person engaged with some unknown and probably unreal person OUTSIDE YOUR LIVES, brings the tensions and disagreements with that person or thing into your private life!  Think upon that: you private life is constantly subject to the nothingness of some unknown aliens interloper with the power to change the mood of our loved one…and alter the mood and focus of your home.

I believe in deep listening to those about whom we care, but don’t think I could bear listening to the digital rubbish from some social media ghetto and not think the person trying to explain it to me has lost their cotton picking mind!

Worse,when the fake digital crowd leaves the obsessed for the next batch of 18 year olds…they crash psychologically…and depending on what they’ve done online, they may recover only in their mid-30s, now having emptied their youth for nothing without learning, practising or developing proper social skills.

2. For young men, because social media actively promotes a false sense of value for women, young men are bereft of meaningful female interaction, or they face imperious arrogance fuelled by social media delusions.  Now that’s changing?  Why? Because - whilst many of their fathers are on onlyfans - AI is building sexual companions - both online and as robots - and these young men are adopting these fake relations and preferable because they satisfy a single urge in an unlimited manner.

In one episode, a company made a sex robot with docile and “grape” settings.  The latter was preferred.  This makes for a society where young men from 16-27 may learn their basic sexual interaction for interactive porn and robots…which makes for a dangerous world for actual women.

All these modes are fed and feed from clinically tested additive processes deliberately manipulated by social media companies, in addition to colonialising private data, to a point that will make democracy and the nation-state impossibilities.

These are not - by any measure - and not by orders of magnitude anything like ANYTHING we’ve ever known.  Beyond these personal psychological corruptions is broad structural catastrophe that is underway already.

For those who say, but AI would generate new jobs - part of the daft unthinking galloping nonsense oft repeated - think sensibly, a job is a value or earning proposition: if humans make new jobs after AI takes their job…AI would just take the new jobs too, since that maximises income.

Why would AI companies allow humans to earn money when they could and AI could make new AI to take any new job ‘ad infinitum’!

Let’s stop talking nonsense and recognise existential threats to our civilisational models. 

Finally, social media has been successful in dividing humans through psychological manipulation and the undermining of facts.  Keyboard Idiot barkers argue with research professors and think themselves informed by google searches and confirmation biases; which they can’t grasp even when explained.

Yes, we all know social media allows one to connect with cousins, old school friends and to see whether one’s high school love has gotten old and fat.  Meanwhile AI has made stupendous medical advances.  But actual knowledge teaches us the gradient logic of the “double edged” sword: just the energy demand and AI business model will mean:

1. It undermines the labour/wage economic models

2. Even as its makes medical and educational advances

3. Therefore, if you’re jobless, you get nothing from those advances

4. Those advances are distributed to a new super elite class, as the wealth gap widens and political systems become more useless than they are now.

It’s astonishing how people convince themselves that society will suddenly do a good it’s never done, because technology has the capacity for that good.

LISTEN: nearly 90% of AI will aim at building surveillance, control, and weapons.

Why?

Because those generate power…and power grants dominant status…and despite the Old and New Testament and all the loving talk and wisdom books of history…..power and dominant status - I tell you - have been the only sustained ambitions of humankind! 

Governments should have begun 5 years ago to take emergency measures through high level technical task forces: social media and AI impacts are not collateral to national well being…they are central.  The world is being divided…and countries that lack control over their digital architecture, social media, AI deployment, systems construction and maintenance will become digitally colonised.

There is zero option now for partnering with tech giants….since they are already richer than 80% of the world’s nations.  Countries like China, Estonia, India, Singapore and Norway are the last best hope to gain a ready-made solution that does not compromise national security completely.

A hint to the wise!

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How Could Artificial Intelligence (AI) Make a Rewardingly Productive Difference in Infrastructure in Latin America and The Caribbean?

Artifical Intelligence (AI) as An Efficient Driver of Development in Latin America and Caribbean

By Alexander Riobo - Maria Pfeifer

The critical infrastructure sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) face growing challenges that threaten their efficiency and sustainability.  Roads, power grids, water systems and public transportation networks show signs of aging and obsolescence, increasing maintenance costs and reducing the quality of services.

Against this backdrop, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can be applied to infrastructure.  For example, in public transportation, route optimization algorithms are helping reduce travel times and congestion.  In water and sanitation, predictive models make it possible to detect leaks and anticipate outages in distribution networks.  In energy, AI is used to forecast demand and facilitate the integration of renewable energy at scale.

These advances and lessons are covered in the IDB’s publication “AI from the Ground Up: Challenges and Opportunities in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean”, which presents real-world cases, recommendations, and practical guidelines on how AI can become a key tool to strengthen the region’s critical infrastructure.

Challenges for Our Infrastructure

Infrastructure in the region faces challenges such as aging physical structures, accelerated urbanization, population growth, and the impact of climate events.  The consequences include disruptions in essential services and rising costs of use, which lead to unequal access.

However, technology can help reverse these trends.  IDB estimates suggest that a 15% reduction in infrastructure service costs through the efficient use of digital technologies could increase the GDP of Latin America and the Caribbean by 6% over the next 10 years.

How AI Can Make a Difference in Infrastructure

Although more than 40% of public agencies in transportation and energy in LAC lack a clear digital transformation strategy, any entity can implement AI-based projects.  In critical infrastructure sectors, the implementation of machine learning models is already within reach for many governments and organizations.

Some concrete examples show this potential in the region across three areas:

• Energy: AI systems predict consumption patterns and help balance supply and demand, facilitating the integration of intermittent renewable energies such as solar and wind.
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• Water and sanitation: Predictive models supported by smart sensors allow detection of invisible leaks and anticipation of pipe ruptures, reducing water losses and maintenance costs.
• Transportation: Traffic optimization algorithms help reduce congestion and improve route efficiency in urban public transport.
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Effective AI Adoption

The report offers the following recommendations to unlock AI’s potential in critical infrastructure sectors:

• Adopt agile methodologies that include proof of concepts, prototypes, and minimum viable products.  These tools make it possible to experiment with AI-based solutions before scaling them.

•  Establish organizational structures that drive AI adoption, ensuring that teams have the necessary technical skills.

• Data quality determines the success of AI projects.   Building high-quality data requires identifying sources, designing efficient data flows, and ensuring adequate architectures for storage and processing.

• Evaluate infrastructure requirements from the outset, especially storage and computing capacities needed for AI models.

• Ensure that AI models address specific and measurable problems, based on data quality, computing capacity, explainability, and performance.

• Incorporate ethical principles from the design stage, addressing privacy, security, and transparency to build trust in solutions.

AI as a Driver of Development

We invite you to explore these recommendations in detail in “AI from the Ground Up: Challenges and Opportunities in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean.”

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Energy is the impediment that will drive the geopolitics behind enterprise tech and AI dominance

There isn’t enough power in the developed world for deployment of these new technologies for even 50% of population, much less AI countries

REMARKS: H.E. Ambassador Professor Gilbert Morris at Bahamas Diplomtic Week Forum on AI and Development

I have only just returned from 10 weeks of lectures and seminars on “AI and the Human Future” in China, Singapore, London, Panama, Mexico and California; which included touring the facilities of the companies and engaging with the individuals who are designing the human future, together with those financing them.

The aim was to both to gain and to explain the actual state of affairs of the coming techno-centric human future:

It’s necessary to state hard facts that are beyond mere opinions or positive or negative perceptions:

1. Only 7% of world’s nations produce any AI tech.  This means 93% have little to no say in AI architecture, design or deployment.  Our definitions of “keeping pace with innovation” usually means someone else’s innovations!

2. In today’s world, that “someone else’s” will be increasingly a non-state actor: Google’s “Gemini” or Anthropic’s “Claude” - Facebook or NVIDA are all larger that 90% of the worlds nations in valuation terms and there is nothing small states can do to get them to alter their technologies for our benefit.

3. Of the 93% of nations left, about 1/3rd are role model states - Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand etc - with exceptions like India, Singapore and Estonia.  These states don’t manufacture enterprise technology, but they have the means to acquire and manufacture components of enterprise tech, which gives them leverage.

4. The rest are spilt in two; neither of which has leverage: first are mere consumers of tech, whose systems and infrastructure will change to conform to the tech they commune.  Second is the abject “digital divide” where they they will have to make do with dregs and second-hand tech.  They will - by current structures - live off the scraps.

5. ⁠The Promised Balance is Eroding: AI has had diagnostic breakthroughs in health and public-facing innovations in immigration and eGovernment in Singapore and Estonia, for instance.  But the innovations are outpacing the very concept of the nation state, as technology is developing faster than societies, economic and legal systems can adapt.

6. ⁠Social Media now enhanced in impact and speed-of-spread by AI, is producing distortions of reality and neuro-cognitive atrophies; which has reached crisis levels amongst young people and crisis levels in schools and universities.  More than 2 dozen nations have banned social media access for children at school or between 7pm and 7am; with China limiting social media to 2 hours per day for children.

7. ⁠At the heart of social tech is personal identity: Estonia solved this by declaring that a citizen is now the unity of one’s Biological and Virtual self; a unified identity.  Estonia also made internet access a Human Right in their Constitution; additionally, Estonia held their last 8 General Elections online for 1.3 million people.  In Estonia, AI does not replace people but is structured and used to enhance human life and social systems.

URGENT PRIORITIES:

1. We need humane technologies that prioritises humans and enhances human living systems rather than render humans useless.  Some sociologists argue that we are too divided for to generate the needed solutions.  But I find that people are not divided: “they are being divided” for the benefit of a few tech companies.

2. ⁠Social mapping, Economic Mapping, Health and Payments tech, Plurality Systems aimed at enhancing political participation are the best uses for AI and enterprise technologies.

3. ⁠The problem - AGAIN - is, small nations in the 93% don’t create this tech and it’s being designed by those creating it for human control rather than human enhancement.

4. ⁠Small nations must urgently align and cooperate to ensure tech deployment at a pace of social absorption, without the ill-effects of limbic-colonialism or dopamine lust!

5. ⁠Small nations must convene a global congress aimed at setting new rules that will change our economic models across the world more in the next 3 years than the last 1,300 years.

6. ⁠But there are additionally two main crucial matters:

a. Even if managed well, AI will induce massive labour destabilisation.  It’s not enough to say it will create jobs because AI companies will create AI to take those jobs too.  Some advise a switch to Universal Basic Income (IBI).  But UBI can’t be universal: manufacturing nations would have no UBI whilst non-manufacturing nations would have it, so as to create a market for transactions.  This needs to be mapped out immediately.

b. There isn’t enough power in the developed world for deployment of these new technologies for even 50% of population, much less al countries.  Energy is the impediment that will drive the geopolitics behind enterprise tech and AI dominance. 

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In The Digital Economy and Culture - It is crucial to ensure that everyone can benefit from connectivity in an era of rapid technological advancement

The digital future is not guaranteed; it gets shaped through the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders involved

Nothing is Fated: Shaping an Equitable Digital Future Must be a Collective Endeavor

By Edgar Cabañas

As Karim Lesina, EVP of Millicom, correctly points out, in the ever-evolving landscape of technology and connectivity, the future is not a predetermined destination awaiting our arrival; rather, it is a realm we actively shape and build together.

The digital future is not guaranteed; it gets shaped through the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders involved.  This sentiment lies at the heart of major telecommunications companies, highlighting the crucial role of collective contributions in steering us toward a future that embraces efficiency, equity, and opportunity.

The indispensable role of collaboration among various actors within the digital ecosystem is a critical factor for success.  From telecommunications giants to policymakers, from innovators to consumers, investors, and development banks, each participant plays a vital role in shaping the trajectory of digitization.

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Additional reading

• Digital Connectivity: Oil for the 21st Century
• The Great Tech Revolution: Artificial General Intelligence & Multilateral Development Bank

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In recognizing this interdependence, telecommunications companies acknowledge that a shared vision is essential for harnessing the full potential of the digital era.

Efficiency and equity are the twin pillars upon which any successful connectivity policy must rest.  It is crucial to ensure that everyone can benefit from connectivity in an era of rapid technological advancement.

This requires deploying robust infrastructure and implementing policies that bridge the digital divide and empower marginalized communities.  By fostering an environment of inclusivity and accessibility, telecommunications companies pave the way for a more equitable digital future.

However, achieving these goals necessitates the concerted efforts of all stakeholders involved.  As key architects of the digital landscape, telecommunications companies bear a significant responsibility in this regard.

By endorsing initiatives prioritizing efficiency, equity, and collaboration, these companies demonstrate their commitment to advancing society's collective interests.

At its core, telecommunications companies reflect a recognition of the transformative power of connectivity.  In an increasingly interconnected world, digitization has the potential to revolutionize every aspect of our lives, from education and healthcare to commerce and governance.

Yet, realizing this potential requires more than technological advancement; it demands a shared commitment to fostering an ecosystem that values inclusivity, innovation, and social responsibility.

As we navigate the complexities of the digital future, we must do so with a collective mindset that transcends individual interests and embraces the common good.  By coming together to chart a course toward a more connected, equitable, and sustainable future, we can harness technology's transformative power to build a world that works for everyone.

The major telecommunications companies serve as a testament to the importance of collaboration in shaping the digital future.  By recognizing the shared responsibility, we all bear in this endeavor, we can work towards creating a more connected, inclusive, and prosperous world for generations to come.

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The power of ChatGPT in revolutionizing the way we produce and manage knowledge, especially in public policy - from initial ideas to final briefs and project implementation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are at the forefront in our world of advancing technology

Leveraging the power of ChatGPT to produce innovative public policy

By Marcello Basani

The world of technology is advancing rapidly, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are at the forefront.  The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) strongly believes in the advantages of using cutting-edge technologies such as AI, machine learning, deep learning, and transformers to enhance efficiency and productivity, increase inclusivity, and reduce emissions in infrastructure.  In Latin America and the Caribbean, these technologies enable countries to analyze data more effectively and automate manual processes, resulting in better decision-making and services.

The infrastructure sector already applies technologies that reduce water and electricity losses, automate pavement and signage analysis, diagnose road safety features, and automate satellite imagery inspection to estimate solar power generation, detect water and sanitation assets, and create inventories of unpaved roads.

AI can revolutionize the water sector by providing innovative solutions to complex challenges.  It can be used to analyze data from multiple sources (sensors, satellites, and social media) to identify water quality issues and predict trends.  Thus, water managers can respond to contamination events quickly and accurately.  AI can optimize water resource management by predicting demand, identifying leakages, and optimizing treatment processes.  It can predict flood and drought events based on weather, soil moisture, and water level data analysis and help managers take preventive measures.  Finally, it can even identify wastage in homes and businesses and suggest ways for consumers to conserve water and reduce their bills.

One of the most exciting developments in this field is the rise of OpenAI’s language model: ChatGPT, a cutting-edge technology that can revolutionize the way we produce and manage knowledge, especially in public policy, from initial ideas to final briefs and project implementation.  This language model relies on a massive dataset of millions of web pages to generate text that is almost indistinguishable from that written by a human.

With ChatGPT, knowledge producers and organizations looking to create high-quality content can produce policy briefs, reports, and other written materials in a fraction of the time it would take to do so manually.  For example, in the case of renewable energy, ChatGPT can quickly generate a list of potential initiatives, as well as outline the pros and cons of each one.  Knowledge organizations can quickly and efficiently explore complex issues, provide in-depth analysis, and evaluate different scenarios and ideas from other fields to provide valuable insights and guide decision-makers in the development of more effective policies. 

Policy experts could also use ChatGPT to: 

• Generate summaries of large amounts of data, making it easier to digest and understand the information. 
• Create data visualizations and interactive reports, adding language descriptions and explanations of the data, trends, and patterns, making it easier for stakeholders to understand the information presented. 
• Simulate scenarios and assess the impact of different policy options, leading to the creation of better-informed and more effective public policies. 
• Produce insightful reports with in-depth analysis of the impact of policy initiatives on the defined field. 
• Quickly analyze large datasets and produce concise and actionable insights that can guide decision-makers. 
• Understand the needs and perspectives of stakeholders, and provide recommendations and insights based on this information. 
• Streamline the policy development process.

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