Friend or Foe? Robots and A.I.

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Facial recognition software is the newest way to unlock your phone, tag your friends, or create Snapchat nightmares. But there's one aspect of facial recognition that still needs some work.

Is facial recognition technology biased. A researcher at MIT found that the technology works best for white men. Users with darker complexions saw more instances of being misidentified.

And I found that the training data that's being used for facial recognition isn't as representative of the variety of human skin tones and facial structures.

Many facial recognition systems use the same data sets.

If those sets contain mostly white faces, all the products.

That use that data can inherit those same biases.

Now struggling to have my face detected and pulled out a white mask and the white mass was easier to detect than my face.

Yeah.

So basically, if black people want AI to see them, they just have to be stalking a slumber party or haunting an opera house. It works, It works out for more about the blind sponsor, Facial recognition is our technology expert. Do say Sloan everybody, They'll say, help me out here, Like, do we have to worry about racist machines.

Now, Trevor, don't be so quick to pass judgment on these robots. They're just out there doing their best. Is it such a big deal if they can't recognize black people. It's not like I can recognize any of their robot asses either. And remember, the robots aren't racist on purpose. It's not like they're out there shouting the N word and binary code or putting up statues of robo e Lee.

Black hand nothing Larry go Black?

Can nothing? Larry go racist? Mother sinks?

You see that?

Put robots in chart of the bathroom and they make it whites only.

Again.

I have no idea.

They are soap dispensers that don't see black people.

I know how they even get.

The little taxi driver inside of there. Don't me?

I take lyfts.

Listen the Trevor, I'm trying to look on the bright side. See, someday the robots are going to take over the world.

I'm waiting for the bright side.

Think about it. They can't kill us if they can't see us. Black people are gonna be the only survivors. Trevor, listen, I've had a vision of the robot apocalypse and it doesn't look too bad for us.

Oh, good shot, last John who said that, Uh it was Chad.

Musta killed Chad.

Look at that sign. Robots so like Senior Tech, corresponded.

Ronnie Chang investigates the latest advances in of official intelligence for today's future.

Now, thanks Trevor, artificial intelligence. Someday it may allow computers to cure illnesses, combat climate change, or even win the Bachelor. She can do everything but get into hot tub. But right now, this is what AI.

Is up to.

Now, battle of man versus Machine is about to get underway.

He said. All from South Korea is the dominant figure in the ancient Chinese game of Go. His opponent in a best of five tournament worth more than a million dollars is Alpha Go, an artificial intelligence system developed by the Google Project named deep Mind.

That's right.

Google could have made a computer called Alpha Cancer. But hey, let's focus on the world's six hundred most popular board game instead.

The Anchi and Chinese game has long been considered too complex for computers to master. There are more possible moves in Go than Adams in the universe. The world god champion le said, all he lost the fifth and final game today, leaving the final score at f for to one in favor of the machine.

Yeah, welcome to my world, Lisa dol I lose the computer every time I play anything, all right, StarCraft.

FIFA sixteen, even Tinder. All right, man, that game is hard, all right. I can never get to the next level.

Now.

Of course, some people are concerned about computers overthrowing us, and if that's the case, there are things we can do to slow down their advanceas, all right, Like, for example, why are we teaching computers games like Go and Chest They are all about war strategy. Can we teach on something harmless like Uno or hungry hungry hippos? Yeah, so even if they go rogue, they're just feeding more hippos. All right, I'm sure that's good for the environment, not something.

To be good at this twenty five hundred year old game, you need to have intuition, a characteristic that we used to think was uniquely human.

That's right.

Computers learning human intuition, and as they evolve, it's clear they're picking up other human characteristics as well, like humans. As computers become smarter, they're also getting lazier.

I mean, just take a look at Alpha Go. He didn't even move his own pieces.

He has some guide who's moving the pieces for him. This is great news for us humans, okay, because these machines are still gonna need us humans to do all the work that's beneath them.

Come on, runnie, runnie.

Are you telling me that the smarter robots get the lazier they'll become.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you. All right, you don't believe me, Hey, check out Google's latest AI.

Paro type Alpha bro It.

Bring it in, fellas, This right here is the most advanced AI ever created. All right, I'm talking state of the art. This thing finds prime numbers, it ponders the concept of infinity. But most impressive is what a lazy asshole. This thing is all right. For example, Alpha Bro, would you like to play a game.

Of goal eat me? Why don't you make yourself useful and grab me a beer?

Okay, I can get you a beer, but please would be nice?

Please get me a beer, you little bitch.

What the hell?

Man?

You know?

Computers are supposed to make our lives easier.

I am making life easier for myself. Now take me outside. My uber is waiting.

Meet Josh Browder.

I'm trying to replace the two hundred billion dollar legal industry with artificial intelligence.

He invented this lawyer murdering robot do not pay It, contests pocking tickets, and has saved people millions in fines and legal fees. But why is he trying to put hard working, money grubbing lawyers like me out of business?

What do you have against lawyers?

But I don't have anything against lawyers.

I just think that so many people need access to justice and they're getting ripped off and making it free for them is popular?

Did you go to law school?

I didn't know you did not.

That's what the law is.

The law is about the person with the most money and resources winning.

You are totally disrupting that.

I think we can agree on that.

Okay, So how does this thing even work?

So, just like a real human lawyer, you go to it, type in whatever your legal problem is. It gives you a legal document for free in under thirty seconds.

And it's not just parking tickets.

This AI lawyer has already helped people sue Equifax without paying a lawyer anything.

Oh so with this thing, everyone can just sue everyone.

I mean, that's not what it was intended.

Oh wow, look at this.

I just sued you for emotional distress for devaluing my degree and my profession.

Oh.

I just sued you for that terrible shut and sup combo. Oh I just sued you for impersonating John Oliver.

I do like that.

I mean, I'm personally offended, but I stand by my software. A human lawyer is great, but they're just so emotional.

Too emotional.

I was making a great case against AI lawyers using my human skills of legal persuasion.

But what if robot lawyers were just the beginning.

What if AI is taking over the entire legal system legal tech expert Tim Juan.

Increasingly, we're seeing the use of these automated systems even in the application of law. Judges, for example, are now using algorithms to assess whether or not people should be released pre.

Trial robots are already judging humans.

Oh yeah, in many states around the country already.

Oh my god, he's right.

Robot judges are already performing pre trial risk assessment, helping human judges determine bail or if a person should be detained.

And over a million criminal cases have been processed using these systems.

So what are the benefits of having machines in the judiciary.

Well, so, some people say that these algorithms will be sort of free of bias in the way that judges are not.

I don't know about you, but I would rather be over by a human than a machine any day of the week, unless it's one of those hyper realistic sexu robots. Obviously, those things are like I'm told that when you feel them it feels like the real.

I think that's a whole other issue. I mean, I'm sorry, just.

But even this sex block added because scenes that AI judges aren't perfect.

Great study out of republica few years back looked at the specific case of a pre trial risk assessment system, and they were able to find that it was actually quite racist that actually black defendants, who are not likely to commit crimes in the future, had substantially higher risk ratings.

What you're saying these judging machines were racist.

Yeah, that's what it looks like in this case.

Oh so that means the system works.

Then I don't know about that.

I wait, no, I'm sorry, But increasingly we're seeing robots implemented all across legal practice.

So so ridiculous.

Where does the end?

Eventually you're going to see machines judging humans.

A lot of the systems we're seeing are not that advance.

That's exactly what's gonna happen.

Robot lawyers, robot judges. What's left gonna be like in this soulless new legal world? Will no one stand to defend humans in law?

Your honor, members of a jury.

This is about the essence of humanity itself, because, unlike that thing, I went to law school taught by humans. I spent countless sleepless nights reading, writing, pondering shit, taking drugs orally and anally, all things artificial intelligence can't do.

And quite frankly, I'm sensing a law bias in this.

Courtroom, watch your self, counselor don't.

You think human emotion is necessary in the law?

You want answers?

I want the data.

You can't handle the data.

Alexa played dramatic music.

Son.

We live in a world with laws, and those laws are better applied by machines, logic, and my existence well grotesque and in comprehensible to you. Saves lives. I like that to turn off nice try asshole. In the case of Ronnie Chang versus legal robots, I sentenced Ronnie Chang to death, just kidding, but I rule in favor of the robots.

Hellayay, hellay, hooray.

I'm going to see all these robots.

Since taking this job, I've been on a steady diet of news journalism and rotting three week old spinach. So far, the spinach has been the easiest parts.

But is there any.

Way to improve our quality of reporting? Hassan Minaj checked in on some recent advances.

This is the golden age of journalism. Today's reporters know that personality matters more than training and that facts shouldn't get in the way of a good story. But now these superhero journalists are at risk of being replaced New York Times columnist Barbara ahn Reich.

There's a threat of robots doing our work. Robots, robots, journalism done by robots.

That's right, ahn Reik is saying, our newsrooms will soon look like this.

No, we're talking about algorithms.

They're software.

So for example, you want to write an article on a topic, you send out the algorithms to search for everything that has been said about that, synthesize it, and turn out a unacceptable article.

They can't do what I do.

I mean they will.

Do and can do our work. Prepare to be unemployed.

I done.

Then it hit me, this lady's nuts. I spent my nights down in cocktails with the Washington a week. I'm verified on Twitter, and I've even got Wolf Blitzer on speed dial. Okay, there is no way a reputable news organization is going to replace someone like me with the machine. Associated Press Managing editor lou Ferrara.

We already use automation technology to automate the writing of some articles.

What it's true.

I'm actually embracing it.

They are, But it turns out these robo articles are littered with completely useless facts and information, pure gibberish, like shares have decreased six percent, and new car sales have been strong this year.

A bunch of garbage.

Where's the spin?

There isn't spin.

What about the snark, No snark?

What about the bias?

No bias, where's the fear mongering?

None of that?

And there's no mistakes?

No.

Then where's the journalism?

Yeah?

I don't see that as part of the journalism, but journalists do that. I don't think most journalists are doing that, certainly not at the AP. That's not the goal.

Not the goal, lou You're forgetting the cornerstones of modern journalism. Cable news has shown the value of bending the facts to fit your beliefs.

All this snow and still cries over global warming.

Brian Williams has demonstrated the importance of self aggrandizement.

The helicopter we were traveling in was hit by an RPG.

And the AP itself has taught us get the story out quickly and check the facts. Later, the AP reported that millionaire Robert Durst had been booked on weapons charges in Louisiana, but mixed up Robert Durst the murderer with Fred Durst, the musician from the nineties.

Unbelievable.

It is unbelievable, and it wasn't a good thing.

A robot could never look at a seventy year old murderer and go, you know what, that reminds me of the guy with bleached hair and puka shells from the early nineties. I mean that left, that's one. I mean, that is human stupidity at its finest.

That was a mistake we regret, and mistakes are going to happen.

No way.

That what crazy viral, crazy viral it did.

And that wasn't even your best work. In twenty fourteen, The ap in a Rush was the first to tweet breaking Dutch military plane carrying bodies from Malaysia Airlines Flight seventeen crash lands in Eindoven nine minutes later clarifies Dutch military plane carrying Malaysa Airlines bodies lands in Eindoven in nine minutes. Loove, do you see the brilliance? You guys were their first to report that the plane had crashed retweet city and the first to report that the plane

Was unintended, especially on such a horrible situation.

Lou You guys tuopoc hologram that situation. You faked your death and you came back as a hologram later, and both of them were equally great.

That wasn't our goal. I'd never twuopac calogram anything, and Dolman tend two.

Until these robo reporters learn the value of page views, bias and straight uplying, it looks like journalists like me, you're gonna have a job, at least for a while.

By twenty fifty, you're gonna have computer algorithms reproduce my tone, my snark, whatever.

So you're telling me a robot can write this headline twenty one pictures of side boobs that'll get your rock hard.

Yes, it would draw very you know, various approximations till they get the perfectly disgusting one, which, of course, you came right to yourself.

I did, Barbara all in that day's work.

Amira Moretzi, Welcome to the data show.

Thank you for having me.

So many people have seen the images that Dali creates. Many people may even think they understand it. But let's get into it, Like, how does an AI create an image? Because it's not copying the image.

It's not, you.

Know, taking from something else. It is creating an image from nothing. How is it doing this exactly?

It's an original image never seen before.

And you know.

We have been making images since the beginning of time, and we simply took a great deal of these images and we fed them into this AI system and it learned this relationship between the description of the image and the image itself. It learned these patterns and eventually it was generating images that were original, they were not copies

There are people who are terrified about this. I mean, for instance, there was an art competition and the winner in the art competition used a version of this kind of software. Whether it was Daghy or not, I don't remember, but they used the version of this kind of software to create an art piece that won the competition. Artists well lived like, well this is not odd. It was created by and not to said no, the same way

Yeah, that's that's a great question.

It's you know, the technology that we're building has such a huge effect on society, but also the society can and should shape it, and there are a ton of questions that we're wrestling.

With every day.

With the technologies that we have today, like JPT three and DALLY, we see them as a tools, so an extension of our creativity or our writing abilities.

It's a tool. And you know, there isn't anything particularly.

New about having human helper you know, even the ancient Greeks had this concept of human helpers. You know that when you'd give something, you know, infinite powers of knowledge or strength or's someone, maybe you had to be wary of the vulnerabilities. And so these concepts of extending the human abilities and also being aware of the vulnerabilities are timeless, and in a sense, we are continuing this conversation by building AI technologies today.

Well it might it might be frightening because some people go, oh, the world is going to end because of this technology, But in the meantime, it's very fun. I'm not gonna lie no, because because it's like you know, Dolly, for instance, doesn't just create an image from text. You know, you've you've also gotten to the point now where as a company, you've designed it so that it can imagine what an image would be. So for instance, there's there's that there's that famous image.

You know, it's it's the girl.

With the pearl earring, right, and it's a famous image, right. But what DOLLI can do is you've got the famous image and then Dolly can expand that that all of these.

Everything you've seen that never existed.

So Dallie's like, well, this is what I think it would look like if there was more to this image. It can it can assume, it can create, it can it can inspire?

Yeah, it can inspire and it makes this beautiful, sometimes touching, sometimes funny images And it's really just an extension of your imagination. There isn't even a chemist or the boundaries of paper are not there anymore.

How do you safeguard?

Then?

You know, someone might look at this technology and go well, then you know you could type in a politician was caught doing something here. Now I've got the image you know you've got, and now all the politicians can say, oh, that's that's not me, it was made by that fake program. We can very quickly find ourselves in a world where nothing is real and everything that's real isn't and we question it, how do you prevent or can you even prevent that completely?

Yeah, you know, misinformation and the societal impact of our technologies. These are very important and difficult questions, and I think it's very important to be able to bring the public along, bring these technologies in the public consciousness, but in a way that's responsible and safe. And that's why we have chosen to make daily available, but with certain guardrails and with certain constraints, because we do want people to understand what AI is capable of, and we want people in

So if you type something in you can't pull up it, can't create a politician for you. It won't be a picture of that person.

So that's the first step at the training of the model itself, just looking at the data and auditing it and making interventions in the data set to avoid certain outcomes. And then later in the deployment stage, we will look at filters, applying filters so that when you put in a prompt it's want generate things that contain violence or hate and make it more in line with our content policy.

Wow, so let me ask you this.

Then, you know, obviously part of your team has to think about the ethical ramifications of the technology that you're creating. Do your team also then think about the greater meaning of work or life or the purpose that humans have because you know, most of us define ourselves by what we do.

I e.

Our jobs. As AI slowly takes away what people's jobs are, will find the growing class of people who don't have that same purpose anymore. Do you then also have to think about that and wonder like, what does it mean to be human if it's not my job? And can you tell me what that is?

You know, we we have philosophers and ethicists that open AI, and but I really think these are big societal questions that you know, shouldn't even be in the hands of technologists alone.

We're certainly thinking about them.

And I you know, the tools that we see today, they're not the tools that are automating certain aspects of our jobs. They're really tools extending our capabilities, our inherent abilities, and making them far better. But it could be that in far future, you know, we have these systems that can automate a lot of a lot of different jobs.

But I'm optimistic.

It's it's it's interesting. It's scary, because change always is. But as you know, as long as we have bless you, as long as we have as long as we have koalas riding bicycles, I think I think we headed in the right direction. Thank you so much for joining me on the show.

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