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Artificial intelligence: How soon will we see meaningful progress?
The field of artificial intelligence has exploded in the last year. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are now used by hundreds of millions of people around the world for everything from writing college term papers to computer code.
On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, cognitive scientist and AI researcher Gary Marcus discussed AI’s exponential growth and where the biggest advancements might be in the next few years. One word stands out: uncertainty.
Massive amounts of money have been pumped into AI research and development, but Marcus warns that just because investors are excited, doesn’t mean we’ll see meaningful progress. He cites the example of driverless cars, a field that’s received over $100 billion in investment, but hasn’t yet delivered on its initial promise.
“Large language models are actually special in their unreliability,” Marcus tells Bremmer, “They're arguably the most versatile AI technique that's ever been developed, but they're also the least reliable AI technique that's ever gone mainstream.”
Marcus says that even with the emergence of more advanced models like ChatGPT-5, the reliability of AI to give accurate information in critical areas, like medicine, is still a distant reality. For the near future, at least, generative AI tools will need “humans in the loop” will remain essential for almost all of the uses of AI we’re really benefiting from.
Watch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
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Is AI's "intelligence" an illusion?
Is ChatGPT all it’s cracked up to be? Will truth survive the evolution of artificial intelligence?
On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, cognitive scientist and AI researcher Gary Marcus breaks down the recent advances––and inherent risks––of generative AI.
AI-powered, large language model tools like the text-to-text generator ChatGPT or the text-to-image generator Midjourney can do magical things like write a college term paper in Klingon or instantly create nine images of a slice of bread ascending to heaven.
But there’s still a lot they can’t do: namely, they have a pretty hard time with the concept of truth, often presenting inaccurate or plainly false information as facts. As generative AI becomes more widespread, it will undoubtedly change the way we live, in both good ways and bad.
“Large language models are actually special in their unreliability,” Marcus says on GZERO World, “They're arguably the most versatile AI technique that's ever been developed, but they're also the least reliable AI technique that's ever gone mainstream.”
Marcus sits down with Ian Bremmer to talk about the underlying technology behind generative AI, how it differs from the “good old-fashioned AI” of previous generations, and what effective, global AI regulation might look like.
Watch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
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Personal data risks with TikTok; Tesla driverless cars investigation
Marietje Schaake, International Policy Director at Stanford's Cyber Policy Center, Eurasia Group senior advisor and former MEP, discusses trends in big tech, privacy protection and cyberspace:
Beijing took a stake and a board seat in TikTok owner ByteDance's key Chinese entity. Should I worry about my data on TikTok?
Now, being concerned about where your data ends up is always a good idea, but for underage children, many of whom love video-sharing apps and social media, that question is even more sensitive. And for apps that end up being accessible by governments, and essentially most of them are, you want to be aware of what you share. I recall an account of an American teenager being shut down as they highlighted the human rights violations of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, which is, of course, something that should be highlighted and it's troubling that the video-sharing company intervenes on behalf of a Chinese state agenda.
Tesla is under formal US investigation into Autopilot crashes. Will driverless cars also be more vulnerable to cyberattacks?
Now the simple math suggests yes, because the more software, the more risk. Any smart device, whether it's a fridge, a phone, or a car, can be vulnerable to hacking and attacking. But with self-driving cars, with a lot of software, the risk of attacking or commandeering is easy to imagine. Slamming a hacked car into a crowd can be the dream of terrorists. So, getting more transparency about risks, liability and responsibility for software quality, the security as well as updates are all much needed if trust in the promise of self-driving cars is to lead us to a positive place.