Everything Wrong with AI

Introduction

Introduction

Where do I even start? Do I begin with Microsoft forcing a feature that takes screenshots of everything you do on your PC every 5 seconds and puts it into an easily searchable database? Do I start with art contests being taken over by AI art or companies quietly updating their privacy policies to use customer work to train AI, only revising those policies after major backlash, to which it might be too little too late?

And what about companies like Apple and Nvidia training their AI on thousands of hours of YouTube content without permission - allegedly, please don't sue me. The onslaught of every tech company racing to implement some half-ass AI feature to artificially pump those stock prices is in full force, from Google's terrible blurry AI themes to MasterClass.com's useless class TA. In 2024, AI is everywhere, and you can't escape some random AI feature on some random website that you never thought would need it, like this notion document or social media sites like Meta AI.

Despite what new technologies aim to do, AI is creating new problems faster than it can solve them. Below, we look into the issues surrounding AI, Microsoft's Co-Pilot, and the wider implications of AI in art and professional sectors.

Dystopian Digital Surveillance: Microsoft's Co-Pilot

More people need to know about Microsoft’s Co-Pilot: this is a Windows 11 AI feature that captures constant screenshots of what you're doing on your computer. Whether you’re showing your passwords, sensitive work documents, private messages, video calls, or embarrassing things, Co-Pilot stores these screenshots locally in plain text on your machine.

Before recall officially launched, it was already hacked. Microsoft misled the press by saying that your data was encrypted but when you're using the computer, it’s not encrypted anymore. They made this feature optional due to backlash, but it’s on by default. This is an absolute failure in cybersecurity.

Industry-Wide Rush: Blitz Scaling AI

The tech industry is blitz scaling to be the first in AI without considering efficiency or real-world applicability. Companies like Figma rushed out AI features that copied existing apps, only to later retract them due to design flaws and legal issues. Adobe is pushing Firefly and AI features into Photoshop that can devalue the artistic process.

Art and Creativity: Contest Issues

AI art has started to take over art contests, pulling spots from actual human artists. The Pokemon 2024 Illustration Contest had over 10,000 entries, some of which were AI-generated and bypassed rules until people noticed. There are now AI art detectors online, but they are wildly inaccurate. It’s becoming a problem even for tasks like finding a suitable background for a video, where almost every image is AI-generated.

Ethics and Legal Issues: Unauthorized Data Use

Companies like OpenAI have used over a million hours of YouTube videos to train AI without permission. When confronted, OpenAI’s responses were vague and misleading. Google, Nvidia, and others have been training AI on public data but stretching legal definitions.

AI in Music and Media

AI-generated music is on the rise, with some theorizing that platforms like Spotify are filling playlists with AI-generated music. AI voices are becoming more realistic, blending seamlessly with human voices, affecting content authenticity.

Environmental Impact

AI is also bad for the environment due to the immense computing power required for machine learning. The training of models like ChatGPT can consume power equivalent to running hundreds of homes for a year.

Possible Solutions and Ethical AI Usage

The article argues that AI should be used to enhance our lives, not replace creative processes. Instead of generating art, AI should focus on optimizing other mundane tasks like taxes or laundry. It should be used in proper educational contexts and should come with detailed source citations for better reliability.

Conclusion

AI should not be synonymous with generative art and content but should be a tool to aid in enhancing human capabilities. We need ethical guidelines, better privacy protection, and a consideration of the broader impacts on society to ensure AI developments are truly beneficial.

Keywords

• AI
• Microsoft Co-Pilot
• Artificial Intelligence
• Data Privacy
• AI in Art
• AI Training Data
• Cybersecurity
• Generative AI
• Ethical AI Usage
• Environmental Impact

FAQ

1. What is Microsoft Co-Pilot?

• Microsoft Co-Pilot is a Windows 11 feature that captures screenshots every 5 seconds, storing them locally to help users recall information. However, it has significant cybersecurity issues.

2. How is AI affecting art contests?

• AI-generated art is entering and being shortlisted in art contests, taking spots from human artists. AI detectors are not always accurate, complicating the issue.

3. What are some ethical concerns with AI?

• Companies are using unauthorized data for training AI, impacting privacy. There are also concerns about AI's environmental impact due to high energy consumption.

4. How is AI impacting the music industry?

• AI-generated music is becoming prevalent, possibly infiltrating platforms like Spotify. This raises concerns about revenue distribution and content authenticity.

5. How can AI be used ethically?

• AI should focus on enhancing mundane tasks, advancing science, and improving tools in specialized fields without replacing human creativity. It should also provide clear citations and confidence scores for factual information.