No “Mr. Fusion” in the near future. Perhaps not even a giant tokamak. Here’s a tale of ongoing Big Science travail, Big Science going bust. A schedule that just keeps slipping into the future. • Scientific American > “World’s Largest Fusion Project Is in Big Trouble, New Documents Reveal” by Charles Seife (June 15, 2023)… Continue reading Fusion dreams – big science tokamak travail
Category: Research
Looking at technology
AI chatbot reality check – the bottom line?
Generative AI chatbots might be cool to many. But the heat (greenhouse gas emissions) and cost may deflate hype as a reality check for the botton line. Generative AI data center server infrastructure plus operating costs will challenge the business models and profitability of emergent services incorporating this tech [1]. • Washington Post > “AI… Continue reading AI chatbot reality check – the bottom line?
Meet Bard – an early experiment by Google
Today, via email, I received an invitation to try Google’s new Bard Chatbot. After a limited, cautious demonstration in 2020, there’s now a limited public beta test. Because that protocol is the way to collect “valuable data” – at public scale. Sort of like a large clinical trial of a new medicine, eh [1]. Meet… Continue reading Meet Bard – an early experiment by Google
AI tech and society’s slippery slope
Steven Levy commented this week on those heralding a “worst-case scenario” for AI – “how artificial intelligence might wipe out humanity.” At a gathering in New York City organized by the Center for Humane Technology (CHT) [1], a “doom-time presentation” evoked an apocalyptic tone: We were told that this gathering was historic, one we would… Continue reading AI tech and society’s slippery slope
Chatbot redux – synthetic coherent ‘Stochastic Parrots’
[List of articles in progress] Here’s a bunch of recent articles re AI-powered chatbots: ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, Microsoft’s Bing, … Here’s a useful context by Wired’s Steven Levy. • Wired > email Newsletter > Steven Levy > Plaintext (Feb 17, 2023) Hi, folks. Are your news feeds, like mine, loaded with “stories” consisting of reporters… Continue reading Chatbot redux – synthetic coherent ‘Stochastic Parrots’