Not to be cynical, but I'm afraid the verdict is already in: If there's money to be made, no amount of earnest concern and measured discussion will stop the stampede.
That’s where my mind was going too Troy, and to wondering if we’ll ever escape the unintended consequences of this experiment with capitalism that started so many years ago. Really thought provoking, Terry.
no. he did not share his work with the students. He read our stories, and commented on them, and stimulated in class discussions, where we shared our work with the other students and discussed approaches in fiction writing, style, message, dialogue and time lines, flash-backs etc.
Ohio U was wonderful. I had Daniel one term, and Walter Tevis the other term for my creative writing fiction courses. I also took three creative writing courses in poetry which were all taught by grad students, who I can’t remember.
I've never read this one, though it's been on my list as a SF Classic that I'd like to read at some point.
I didn't know the GDPR covered that. I thought it was only for how they use the data. I doubt many big tech companies want their to be any transparency over their algorithms. I think AI will fast outpace any measures that are meant to be put in place. Soon the AI will be generating its own AI (only half joking...)!
I think it's because of situations like evaluating applicants for jobs. If someone is rejected because of an AI algorithm, it's not great that they can't challenge the decision because nobody understands how it was arrived at!
It's alive! It's alive! It's alive! Such a classic! Really made me laugh this morning, Terry. Another film with a similar theme to Flowers for Algernon is Awakenings ( Robert De Niro and Robin Williams). As for your AI question... I have a feeling we will not know the true danger until it is too late, and it is already too late. Reminds me of the truism that the first symptom of heart disease is cardiac arrest...
I hadn't heard that about cardiac arrest. The closest one to it was Yogananda: Death is Nature's way of telling you to slow down.
That film was based on the work of Oliver Sacks. That was indeed similar. I hadn't thought of that when I wrote this post, so thanks for that. That was brilliantly acted -- I hadn't realised Robert De Niro was such a fine actor before seeing that.
"It's alive!" The next part of that scene is Frankenstein saying "Now I know how it feels to be God!"
Oh gosh, I remember reading Flowers for Algernon many years ago - no, actually I think I came across it as a dramatisation in Radio 4's 'Afternoon Play' slot one day. It broke my heart! 💔
Yes, it's definitely heartbreaking. The book or short story is written in the style of a diary, if I remember rightly. It starts with the low IQ style, and gets better and more academic while the treatment is working, and then degenerates back to square one, but in the meantime he and the teacher fell in love, though he no longer remembers that. Very sad, brilliantly conceived.
I agree. Ethics committees tend to be susceptibe to groupthink, or they would just be arguing amongst themselves all the time. Not sure what an ethical solution to that might be.
Not to be cynical, but I'm afraid the verdict is already in: If there's money to be made, no amount of earnest concern and measured discussion will stop the stampede.
Yes that, Troy, plus the amoral justification of "if we don't do it someone else will anyway, so we might as well."
Yes, blaming others for our own actions. 😠
Unfortunately, yes.
That’s where my mind was going too Troy, and to wondering if we’ll ever escape the unintended consequences of this experiment with capitalism that started so many years ago. Really thought provoking, Terry.
Thanks, Tom.
Daniel Keyes was one of my creative writing instructors at Ohio University in 1973 .
Oh wow! Did you get to see works in progress?
no. he did not share his work with the students. He read our stories, and commented on them, and stimulated in class discussions, where we shared our work with the other students and discussed approaches in fiction writing, style, message, dialogue and time lines, flash-backs etc.
Ohio U was wonderful. I had Daniel one term, and Walter Tevis the other term for my creative writing fiction courses. I also took three creative writing courses in poetry which were all taught by grad students, who I can’t remember.
Keyes sounds like he was a great tutor.
So much to absorb.
And we can't absorb AI, but much to think about.
Thanks sorta, for posting, my intelligent synapses are firing fast--but will that diminish? and maybe that's a good thing?
definitely a good thing. The unintended consequences are too complicated and difficult to think about.
I've never read this one, though it's been on my list as a SF Classic that I'd like to read at some point.
I didn't know the GDPR covered that. I thought it was only for how they use the data. I doubt many big tech companies want their to be any transparency over their algorithms. I think AI will fast outpace any measures that are meant to be put in place. Soon the AI will be generating its own AI (only half joking...)!
I think it's because of situations like evaluating applicants for jobs. If someone is rejected because of an AI algorithm, it's not great that they can't challenge the decision because nobody understands how it was arrived at!
It's alive! It's alive! It's alive! Such a classic! Really made me laugh this morning, Terry. Another film with a similar theme to Flowers for Algernon is Awakenings ( Robert De Niro and Robin Williams). As for your AI question... I have a feeling we will not know the true danger until it is too late, and it is already too late. Reminds me of the truism that the first symptom of heart disease is cardiac arrest...
I hadn't heard that about cardiac arrest. The closest one to it was Yogananda: Death is Nature's way of telling you to slow down.
That film was based on the work of Oliver Sacks. That was indeed similar. I hadn't thought of that when I wrote this post, so thanks for that. That was brilliantly acted -- I hadn't realised Robert De Niro was such a fine actor before seeing that.
"It's alive!" The next part of that scene is Frankenstein saying "Now I know how it feels to be God!"
Yogananda on death! Brilliant.
Oh! Yes! Terrifying….
extremely, Beth.
Oh gosh, I remember reading Flowers for Algernon many years ago - no, actually I think I came across it as a dramatisation in Radio 4's 'Afternoon Play' slot one day. It broke my heart! 💔
Yes, it's definitely heartbreaking. The book or short story is written in the style of a diary, if I remember rightly. It starts with the low IQ style, and gets better and more academic while the treatment is working, and then degenerates back to square one, but in the meantime he and the teacher fell in love, though he no longer remembers that. Very sad, brilliantly conceived.
https://youtu.be/V7NlFWh7Sz8?si=xDkBDxK4U50-CFB_
I agree. Ethics committees tend to be susceptibe to groupthink, or they would just be arguing amongst themselves all the time. Not sure what an ethical solution to that might be.