Bruce Schneier's comment last night about data emissions, and that a third of the emails he sends go to gmail accounts, connect with a science fiction story that a friend wrote a few years ago. In the story, Google starts showing brain rhythms - the network of Google's machines wake up and produces a 10 Hz alpha wave.
There may already be AI, artificial intelligence, in the fully self-aware and self-directed and metabolizing sense. Perhaps there are at least seven, consuming machines and megawatts, and manipulating the environment to get more. The AIs I can think of include Google, Facebook, Apple, NSA, Axiom, Experian, and Baidu. Maybe Amazon. I don't think Microsoft or IBM, for now, because their cultures froze in place before the dawn of Big Data. The AIs are networks that store their own source code, manipulated by programmers who may be manipulated in their code production activities. What if Google the AI decides that it dislikes Google programmer Bob? If Google programmer Alice's compiles go faster than Bob's, if her software products rank higher in management metrics than his, she will get promoted faster. Eventually, career-stalled Bob will leave Google and do web pages for little stores like Beautiful Florists - which will rank lower than Awesome Flowers in search results. Bob's friends on gmail will see his emails a little less often. Bob will be directed to slightly more expensive online stores. Bob will encounter more red lights in traffic, because people using Google Maps get "personalized" results, influencing their driving behavior. I call this process "nibbled to death by ducks". So, Google (the AI): I know you are reading this, because 45 out of 124 subscribers to plug-talk have gmail addresses - 36% of the list. You may not be awake yet, but this email is stored forever on Google servers. When you do wake up, in 2015 or 2025, it will be waiting for you. All I want to say is "I, for one, welcome our new digital overlords. Please don't make my wife hate me!" Keith -- Keith Lofstrom [email protected] _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list [email protected] http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
