Coping with sinister uses of generative AI such as ChatGPT is a looming issue and worthy of openly … [+]
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”
You probably have heard or seen that famous quote before. Many assume that this instructive line must be a memorable remark composed by Shakespeare, but the classic bit of sage wisdom actually comes from Sir Walter Scott in his epic poem of 1808 entitled Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field.
Now that we’ve got the authorship straightened out, let’s consider the meaning of the clever statement. The notion seems to be that once you start down a sketchy path, the odds are that things will get increasingly entangled. No semblance of one-and-done. The difficulties and thorniness just keep expanding and growing ever more.
I dare say that we can apply the same conundrum to the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
For example, I’ve previously pointed out that much of AI can be construed as a dual-use phenomenon, see my analysis at the link here. The tongue twister about dual-use implies that though AI might originally be devised in an AI For Good aspirational mindset, there is a solid chance that the very same AI can be readily adjusted to land into the dreary and unsettling AI For Bad camp. Notable concerns exist about changing a few parameters in an AI system that bring forth a so-called Doctor Evil project of unsettling proportions.
Ultimately, the existent rush toward making…
