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By: SCOTT HILL
24th District Kansas Senator
“It is a transformative tool.” “It is the greatest technological advance of our lifetime.” “It will cure cancer.” “It will change every field and every job.” “It will solve global warming.”
These and other headlines like them have screamed at us that the “it” which is Artificial Intelligence (AI), is the great new silver bullet. When I hear superlatives, without limit, it is time to take a deeper look. So, what is AI?
At the core of the computer is the idea of assisted decision making. That idea actually dates back hundreds of years. However, with the invention of electronic chips, computing became ubiquitous in our lives. The simplest concept of a computer is that it decides between option “a” and option “b” based on input “c.” By storing the instructions for future use, the computer always makes the same decision on the same inputs, then reports the results as an output.
Since the inception of electronic computers, the speed and complexity of these instructions and related calculations have increased consistently and dramatically. As storage space increases and the number of instructions multiply, the ability to control complex situations is accentuated. The important thing to remember is that conventional computing functions by repeating known situations.
With advanced computing technology, which is erroneously called AI, programmers have developed a method where computers make decisions on unknown variables. We as humans do this on a continuous basis. We find ourselves making a decision in a situation we have never experienced before. These novel situations may cause us stress but result in an increase in our knowledge base. The computer programmer’s AI mimics the human’s ability to decide in a novel situation. While humans make decisions based on an infinite number of experiential inputs, computer technology is limited to the parameters of programmed memory. Collaborative programming has increased the robustness of the decision-making capabilities of the computer. However, the computer does not have ethics or awareness of it’s own, rather it is the collective morality of its creator. In a simple illustration it may be the latest iteration of the historical idea of man versus machine.
An interesting peripheral issue that becomes extremely important is energy usage. A human being makes an infinite number of decisions every day on a caloric consumption of 2000 – 2500 Kcal. This amount of energy is essentially the equivalent of a 100-watt lightbulb. Estimates for AI computing reveal a three-fold increase in our electric power consumption over the next ten years. An approximate forecast for America is a 400 terawatt increase in electric power consumption. This is approximately 10,000 times more than all of the residents of America’s combined caloric input. While I am supportive of the idea that computing is important in our world, it is minor compared to the need for relevant education for our children. The importance of knowledge-rich education coupled with enhancing processing skills in our brains has never been greater. Humans have always been superior to the machines we create because of our emphasis on educating the next generation. Mind numbing mediocrity of our education system could result in a scenario where our AI machines not only rob us of our ability to think, but also the energy we need to live.
Senator Scott Hill, PhD
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