2023: A year of great movement and change. Technological developments have rocketed generative AI’s capabilities into the stratosphere of possibilities for future approaches to work, health, and play. Host Jon Krohn doesn’t mind telling listeners that he was surprised by the rapidity of these developments: As regular listeners will know, even the AI experts can be bamboozled by results from time to time!
While Jon says there has “never been a more exciting time to be in the field of data science” (00:49), he also notes the importance of those in the industry staying circumspect about the future of AI. True, our rapid technological achievements over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have helped us to reduce mortality and poverty rates and to establish and protect human rights across the globe. And yet, history shows us that the needs of society and culture are always subject to change. Knowing this, Jon emphasizes that we cannot afford to expect the democratic, inclusive values that we have enjoyed over the last few decades to continue moving in the same direction with such momentum. Technology is an excellent tool, but it is just one tool that humanity has to protect against the rise of misinformation, the unethical use of citizen data, and lethal weapons.
Jon nevertheless wishes to remain positive about the future of AI, believing that it can help in the quest for world peace, but only in a supporting role: He urges data scientists not to become jaded in their work but rather to continue investing their time, energy and even capital in social projects that give back to communities in need.
For this wrap-up of the year, Jon Krohn looks forward to 2024 with an eye to all of us continuing to keep a critical awareness of AI developments. Naturally, one way to do this is to keep listening to the Super Data Science podcast! Another is to write to “your elected representatives to vote for bills that encourage the safe and ethical usage of automated systems” (02:18).
Finally, Jon treats listeners to his rendition of The Beatles’ “Across the Universe”. And, yes, he is playing the very guitar that is often in shot in the background of his video interviews!
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Podcast Transcript
(00:05):
This is Five-Minute Friday wishing you a peaceful 2024.
(00:19):
Welcome back to The Super Data Science Podcast. I’m your host, Jon Krohn. As we look back on 2023, it has been an extraordinary year for our field, no question. The pace of development of A.I. has been staggering. If you’d asked me a year ago if we’d have an algorithm with the capabilities of GPT-4, Claude 2 or Gemini in a decade, I’d have said that might be a stretch. These wild advancements at the model layer are facilitating time-saving and innovation-propelling impacts across industries at the application layer, meaning it’s never been a more exciting time to be in the field of data science.
Welcome back to The Super Data Science Podcast. I’m your host, Jon Krohn. As we look back on 2023, it has been an extraordinary year for our field, no question. The pace of development of A.I. has been staggering. If you’d asked me a year ago if we’d have an algorithm with the capabilities of GPT-4, Claude 2 or Gemini in a decade, I’d have said that might be a stretch. These wild advancements at the model layer are facilitating time-saving and innovation-propelling impacts across industries at the application layer, meaning it’s never been a more exciting time to be in the field of data science.
(00:52):
For all the technological feats, however, this year has also brought much tragedy. Over the decades since World War II, the world enjoyed technological advancements that correlated with positive societal changes including increased life expectancy, improved quality of life, a decline in violence, decreased poverty rates, the spread of democracy, and greater press freedom — all these things, milestones of human progress.
For all the technological feats, however, this year has also brought much tragedy. Over the decades since World War II, the world enjoyed technological advancements that correlated with positive societal changes including increased life expectancy, improved quality of life, a decline in violence, decreased poverty rates, the spread of democracy, and greater press freedom — all these things, milestones of human progress.
(01:15):
However, the past few years have seen a concerning and noticeable backslide in many of these areas. Despite this, I remain optimistic that in the long run, climate-friendly increases in prosperity brought about by technological breakthroughs, including A.I. in particular, will help bring about world peace. With your interest and talents in data science, you can help out by investing your time, energy and capital in work and in side projects that help us toward this utopic state.
However, the past few years have seen a concerning and noticeable backslide in many of these areas. Despite this, I remain optimistic that in the long run, climate-friendly increases in prosperity brought about by technological breakthroughs, including A.I. in particular, will help bring about world peace. With your interest and talents in data science, you can help out by investing your time, energy and capital in work and in side projects that help us toward this utopic state.
(01:41):
In the short-term, however, waiting on machine learning advancements won’t be enough. Although they are powerful tools, machines on their own aren’t a panacea and so human compassion, forgiveness and diplomacy will be essential, particularly when A.I. can be used in polarizing newsfeeds, as a misinformation generator, as a surveillance-state stranglehold on human rights and as a system that — for the first time in 2023 — can fire lethal weapons at human targets from drones without a human in the loop in any way. To make an outsized impact and to try to rain in some of these missuses of A.I., you could urge your elected representatives to vote for bills that encourage the safe and ethical usage of automated systems.
In the short-term, however, waiting on machine learning advancements won’t be enough. Although they are powerful tools, machines on their own aren’t a panacea and so human compassion, forgiveness and diplomacy will be essential, particularly when A.I. can be used in polarizing newsfeeds, as a misinformation generator, as a surveillance-state stranglehold on human rights and as a system that — for the first time in 2023 — can fire lethal weapons at human targets from drones without a human in the loop in any way. To make an outsized impact and to try to rain in some of these missuses of A.I., you could urge your elected representatives to vote for bills that encourage the safe and ethical usage of automated systems.
(02:24):
Well, all right, I’ll get off my soapbox there. Thank you for joining us on this show throughout both the promising and challenging events of 2023. I’m looking forward to walking alongside you through 2024. No doubt there will be extraordinary advances in our field to cover as the pace of progress quickens and quickens and, with concerted efforts and a touch of good fortune, that will hopefully correspond to more peace, freedom and prosperity in 2024 than ever before.
Well, all right, I’ll get off my soapbox there. Thank you for joining us on this show throughout both the promising and challenging events of 2023. I’m looking forward to walking alongside you through 2024. No doubt there will be extraordinary advances in our field to cover as the pace of progress quickens and quickens and, with concerted efforts and a touch of good fortune, that will hopefully correspond to more peace, freedom and prosperity in 2024 than ever before.
(02:52):
To wrap the year up, I’ll do something that I couldn’t do at the end of last year due to a broken finger but did do two years ago to wrap up 2021: I sang you a tune. If you watch the YouTube version of this program, you see the guitar behind me in most episodes; well, today, you can hear it in action. Hopefully you enjoy! From the Beatles 1970 album Let It Be, here’s a cover of the Lennon and McCartney track Across the Universe.
To wrap the year up, I’ll do something that I couldn’t do at the end of last year due to a broken finger but did do two years ago to wrap up 2021: I sang you a tune. If you watch the YouTube version of this program, you see the guitar behind me in most episodes; well, today, you can hear it in action. Hopefully you enjoy! From the Beatles 1970 album Let It Be, here’s a cover of the Lennon and McCartney track Across the Universe.
(03:18):
[Jon playing and singing “ACROSS THE UNIVERSE”]
[Jon playing and singing “ACROSS THE UNIVERSE”]
