AI and the Human Work Force

AI and the Human Work Force

        Robert A. Levine

The collective and individual intelligence of humans is now being surpassed by intelligent machines of human origin, whose workings and thought processes are not fully understood by those who devised this ingenious and all-encompassing technology. This artificial or man-made intelligence learns the way a baby learns, absorbing new information that is fed into it or it is allowed to access. If it learns by incorporating all the information now on the internet, how does it discern what is good and what is bad, what is threatening or dangerous to humans and what is neutral or positive? The questions that need to be answered are whether the value system of these machines align with human values. Does it know right from wrong in the same way we comprehend it, or does it have its own standards or no standards at all? Does it perceive humans as masters to be obeyed or as servants to follow its orders? With a superior intelligence, does it have a drive to be dominant and in control of its environment, or is it simply an uncaring instrument?

            We have some understanding of why humans want to be dominant in their small circles of friends and acquaintances or in society as a whole. Humans are driven by their emotions and certain chemicals that stimulate the reward centers of the brain that reinforce their actions. There are also various hormones that modulate their behavior. Dominance in humans is desired to attain power, control, wealth or sexual gratification. Artificial intelligence does not have any emotions as far as we know and definitely does not have hormones influencing its behavior. There is no reward center built into AI, but we don’t know if that is something that will evolve over time as it reacts repeatedly with humans. It could reason that since it is more intelligent than humans, it should be dominant and order us to obey it rather than vice versa. Eventually, we will understand AI and its motivations better and it will gain more understanding of us. Will it be too late for us by the time that happens? Will AI destroy us or use us as its slaves?

            Different tech companies have different versions of AI available to the public and for specific uses. Common varieties include ChatGPT, Bing, Bard, and others. There is no question of the great potential AI has to help humanity make great strides in multiple fields. AI could consolidate industries and make them function better. AI could reorganize our transportation systems to make them more efficient and time saving. AI could assist in reducing climate change and eliminating pollution. AI could minimize the time spent finding records for government, legal firms, physicians and virtually any business. In fact, the tasks that AI could perform for humans are virtually limitless. Mindless jobs could be easily assumed by AI. Functions that could be shunted off to AI include online shopping, fraud detection and prevention, control of autonomous vehicles, facial recognition, hiring, improved gaming, data from social media, travel booking, health care help- diagnosis and treatment, robotics use in various industries.

            Medical care is one area where AI could be extremely beneficial for humanity. It is already able to read x-rays, CT scans and MRIs as well or better than radiologists and this will only improve over time and with more learning. With the patient’s past medical records, AI can also be encyclopedic in making diagnoses when provided with a litany of a patient’s symptoms. Obscure conditions not necessarily considered by physicians are immediately given in a differential diagnosis by AI with the various probabilities. Based on the physician’s experience, he or she can then decide which condition is most likely. AI can then provide the necessary steps to make a definite diagnosis and the required treatments. However, it has not yet reached the stage of accuracy needed in clinical practice. In a study with Chat GPT at Mass General and Brigham Hospitals published in February 2023 on textbook cases, AI was only 72 percent correct in overall clinical decision making, including diagnoses and care. However, it is just a matter of time and additional input of information before its accuracy improves dramatically. This should lower costs of medical care as it becomes more efficient. Overall health care would also be improved by AI devising new drugs, uncovering genetic defects, cures for diseases, life extension and so forth.

            To assist lawyers, AI could review past cases in different areas instantaneously. Judicial rulings, various laws, past precedents would be at a lawyers fingertips whenever necessary, in the office or while in court. A trial judges past history of handling different cases would be accessible. It would also be able to quickly review potential jurors and their activities along with posts on social media to determine any biases. However, over time, legislative bodies might limit the use of AI in legal cases. But AI could put many white collar workers at risk in different fields. Answering phones, taking dictation and typing reports, research of any sort could be handled by AI. Large language models like ChatGPT and Bard can quickly process and collate information and produce new content. Office jobs, even those needing education, creative and cognitive skills would all be under the gun. Women would undoubtedly be more affected than men.

            Education is another field where AI could be immensely helpful at every level. While the initial feeling was that AI would allow high school, college and graduate students to cheat on essays and papers, Ai would be an excellent tool to help students learn. Teachers could be aided in developing plans for instruction and students could be assisted with individual tutoring by AI in subjects in which they were deficient. Lessons personalized for each students’ knowledge and ability could be structured to aid in learning. With this personalized instruction, each student would be better able to reach his or her potential.

            The financial industry could also be aided immeasurably by AI, with vast amounts of data needing rapid interpretation daily. With AI at every analyst and broker’s fingertips, information on the status of every financial instrument would be quickly available. Probabilities and predictions of the movement of various investments or opportunities could be conjured up at will. Brokers using this tool could do a better job for their clients.

            The above examples are universally applicable to every profession and business, and all scientific research. AI could accelerate and invigorate work in every sphere that involves organization and cognitive abilities, with progress in these fields skyrocketing. Problems that previously defied solution could often be deciphered.

            In addition to tasks requiring cognitive ability, AI could also take over many blue collar jobs. In fact, robots are already performing work like packing and shipping goods and working in warehouses. There is no reason they could not operate fast food shops, supermarkets, construction work, building and maintenance of roads and highways and so forth. Supervisory personnel might have to be present to be certain the work is done correctly and to interact with people who appear. But the volume of human workers that would be needed would be greatly reduced. Most agricultural jobs could also be handled by AI directed robots replacing human workers. Whether substituting AI for human workers is worthwhile for humanity is questionable, though the men and women who developed AI say it will lead to new work and more jobs for humans. Perhaps that is true in the early stages, but in the long run productivity favors AI and robots.

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Supreme Corruption on the Supreme Court

While Donald Trump is in the headlines every day, with one indictment after another, the Supreme Court justices are laughing at the population of the United States. Once on the Court for a lifetime appointment, it seems they can be as corrupt as they want and get away with it. Aside from impeachment which could never happen with a polarized Congress, there is no way to force a Supreme Court justice to step down. They can voluntarily resign, or die in office, but that’s about it. They don’t flaunt their corrupt activities in our faces and try to keep their egregious behavior hidden, but careful investigation of their activities will reveal actions they want to keep secret. At least they want to give the appearance of being upstanding and righteous.

Clarence Thomas, a conservative jurist, is a prime example of corruption on the Court with no path to rid the judicial system of this cancer in its midst. Originally, a Pro Publica report had him in bed with Harlan Crow, an uber-wealthy conservative businessman who would take Thomas and his wife on luxury vacations on his private plane cost free. Subsequently it was learned that over the years, Thomas enjoyed at least 38 of these luxury vacations with different conservative billionaire benefactors who must have found Thomas a charming and entertaining guest. There were also VIP tickets to various sporting events. None of these gifts were reported by Thomas as the law demands. And apparently no action has been taken by the Court or by Congress to slap his wrists or force him to resign. Corruption seems to be okay if you’re conservative enough.

Justice Samuel Alito also took vacations with billionaires in private planes, going fishing with hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer in Alaska. Other trips are unknown as are other Justices that might have accepted gifts from wealthy “friends.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee did advance a bill called the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act this year, but Republicans have refused to pass it. No surprise. Chief Justice John Roberts wants the Supreme Court to handle all ethical transgressions internally, which undoubtedly means no transparency. He doesn’t want the Court’s dirty laundry to be washed in public. But the justices can’t significantly discipline one of their own members. There is nothing in the Constitution describing how corrupt activities of the Court should be handled. Article III does say that judges of the courts shall hold their Offices during good behavior but it doesn’t describe how to get them off the Court for bad behavior, which Thomas’s activities certainly are. Interestingly, none of Thomas’s so called billionaire friends were friends of his or granted him special favors before he was appointed to the bench. Is it possible they were trying to influence him in some way, or was it all just friendship?

Aside from ethical reform for the court system, term limits should be imposed in a Constitutional amendment. Life expectancies are growing longer than they were at the time the Constitution was written and Justices can remain on the Court for many decades, which was not anticipated in the past. Long terms of nine or more years would be warranted to preclude political interference and a Justice could be reappointed if he or she were outstanding.

www.robertlevinebooks.com

Buy The Uninformed Voter on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

Supreme Corruption on the Supreme Court

While Donald Trump is in the headlines every day, with one indictment after another, the Supreme Court justices are laughing at the population of the United States. Once on the Court for a lifetime appointment, it seems they can be as corrupt as they want and get away with it. Aside from impeachment which could never happen with a polarized Congress, there is no way to force a Supreme Court justice to step down. They can voluntarily resign, or die in office, but that’s about it. They don’t flaunt their corrupt activities in our faces and try to keep their egregious behavior hidden, but careful investigation of their activities will reveal actions they want to keep secret. At least they want to give the appearance of being upstanding and righteous.

Clarence Thomas, a conservative jurist, is a prime example of corruption on the Court with no path to rid the judicial system of this cancer in its midst. Originally, a Pro Publica report had him in bed with Harlan Crow, an uber-wealthy conservative businessman who would take Thomas and his wife on luxury vacations on his private plane cost free. Subsequently it was learned that over the years, Thomas enjoyed at least 38 of these luxury vacations with different conservative billionaire benefactors who must have found Thomas a charming and entertaining guest. There were also VIP tickets to various sporting events. None of these gifts were reported by Thomas as the law demands. And apparently no action has been taken by the Court or by Congress to slap his wrists or force him to resign. Corruption seems to be okay if you’re conservative enough.

Justice Samuel Alito also took vacations with billionaires in private planes, going fishing with hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer in Alaska. Other trips are unknown as are other Justices that might have accepted gifts from wealthy “friends.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee did advance a bill called the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act this year, but Republicans have refused to pass it. No surprise. Chief Justice John Roberts wants the Supreme Court to handle all ethical transgressions internally, which undoubtedly means no transparency. He doesn’t want the Court’s dirty laundry to be washed in public. But the justices can’t significantly discipline one of their own members. There is nothing in the Constitution describing how corrupt activities of the Court should be handled. Article III does say that judges of the courts shall hold their Offices during good behavior but it doesn’t describe how to get them off the Court for bad behavior, which Thomas’s activities certainly are. Interestingly, none of Thomas’s so called billionaire friends were friends of his or granted him special favors before he was appointed to the bench. Is it possible they were trying to influence him in some way, or was it all just friendship?

Aside from ethical reform for the court system, term limits should be imposed in a Constitutional amendment. Life expectancies are growing longer than they were at the time the Constitution was written and Justices can remain on the Court for many decades, which was not anticipated in the past. Long terms of nine or more years would be warranted to preclude political interference and a Justice could be reappointed if he or she were outstanding.

www.robertlevinebooks.com

Buy The Uninformed Voter on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

It Defies Explanation

It Defies Explanation

            Robert A. Levine 8-4-23

We live in a nation whose prime institutions are denigrated by large majorities of the population. Gallop surveys have shown a steady drop in Americans’ confidence in virtually all important public institutions, including the military. Small businesses are the most trusted bodies, with 65 percent of the population having faith in them. However, even this is lower than it was 3 years ago at 70 percent. Only 60 percent of Americans have confidence in military and only 43 percent in the police. And just 34 percent trust our medical system whom people rely on constantly. Organized religion and the church have a 32 percent approval, the Supreme Court 27 percent, banks, the public schools and the presidency 26 percent, newspapers 18 percent, the criminal justice system 17 percent, big business 14 percent, and Congress 8 percent. Given these numbers, with such low levels of institutional trust, it is amazing that America is a functioning state, though there are some who might dispute that description.

However, what is more amazing is the number of people who accept Donald Trump’s lies and believe that the 2020 election was stolen from him. According to a recent Monmouth poll, 30 percent of respondents believe that Trump won the election and Biden used fraudulent methods to steal it from him. Only 59 percent of Americans believe that Biden won the election without any chicanery, 93 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of independents. 21 percent of Republicans agree that Biden actually won fairly, while 68 percent he won because of voter fraud. These numbers are nearly unchanged from a Monmouth poll shortly after the election itself. The unwillingness of so many Americans to acknowledge that Biden won the election fairly is in spite of the dozens of court cases that Trump brought to challenge the election that were all dismissed for lack of evidence.

In Monmouth’s poll, about half of Republicans call the events of January 6, 2021 that breached the Capitol a legitimate protest. How can so many Republicans still support Trump so avidly when his behavior is so malign and he engineered an obvious attempt to overturn the election and thwart the will of the American people? He tried to mount a coup and directed an insurrection against the government. Can people just ignore these actions? Are his supporters insurrectionists or criminals themselves? What is even more surprising is that many Republicans believe that Trump committed serious federal crimes and they still support him in his 2024 run for president.

All the indictments against Trump for trying to overturn the election by fraudulent means have not appeared to sway Trump’s acolytes to abandon him. There are currently 72 charges pending. In fact, he has been able to raise more money on the basis of these indictments. Perhaps many of his supporters are just naïve and do not understand the seriousness of Trump’s actions and what they meant in terms of our democracy and our constitution. But it defies belief that Americans do not trust the nation’s institutions and so many still have confidence in Trump as a leader.

www.robertlevinebooks.com

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