“AI” is the buzzword voted most “beaten to death” in 2019. If you see the ads or read reviews or even the Amazon descriptions of some of new products – AI seems to be included. Everything from smartphones to kitchen appliances to cars to “smart homes” to online services has some wiz-bang “AI” touted that will make the inanimate object appear more responsive helpful.
There are limited demos of some products that claim to use “artificial intelligence” to simulate human interactions, recommend a restaurant, help with basic tech support questions, etc.
But – beware! The technology is rapidly advancing and it’s finding it’s way into more and more of our everyday lives. Here’s a few examples:
Real Deal
Warner Brothers Pictures International signed a deal with a company called Cinelytic to use its AI-driven “project management system.”
YAWN. Right?
NOPE. Warner Brothers will leverage the integrated online platform to “reduce executives’ time spent on low-value, repetitive tasks.” OK, so far so good. Some automation is the role of software in life.
The catch is that the system relies on AI and cloud-based technologies to help generate “actionable insights” for packaging, green-lighting, marketing, and distribution decisions in real time.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cinelytic’s system can access the value of a star in any territory and how much a film is expected to make in theaters, among other ancillary streams.
“The system can calculate in seconds what used to take days to assess by a human when it comes to general film package evaluation or a star’s worth,” Queisser explained to the Hollywood Reporter.
Starting now, AI will help determine – A STAR’S WORTH. Yikes.
Real Mobility
We’ve all seen the Terminator movies – where a well-meaning company (Cyberdyne Systems) creates an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called “Skynet” for the defense industry (SAC-NORAD). The idea is to replace human beings as commercial and military aircraft pilots, and for the control of other military systems, including nuclear missiles.
On the surface – sounds good. Saves money. Keeps people out of harm’s way. Saves money… you get the idea.
The only problem is that the AI tool becomes “self-aware”. That it is – it can think for itself. Well, this is never a good thing – so the humans try to shut it down (as you do). You really don’t want to piss off Skynet – since it has the nucldar launch codes. Skynet then launches nuclear missles at Russia, when then retaliate, and well, the world goes to hell in a hand basket.
This is the stuff of fantasy – created for a movie made in 1984.
Until now.
The technology is getting incredibly good… and a bit scary:
I mean, DAMN! What in the actual hell? Did they not SEE the movie?
Real Fakes
Seeing is believing – right? Not anymore.
Samsung has built up a lot of hype around it’s “Neon” project. Neon is “visually real” and has the ability to “show emotions and intelligence,” claims the company. It can “connect and learn more about us, gain new skills, and evolve.”
YIKES.
According to the Star Labs (yes, named after the Superman movie), a subsidiary of Samsung, claims their technology is “not an AI assistant,” but “simply, a friend.”
Mind you – this is NOT some dopey looking iMessage avatar or talking Bitmoji. These are digital, photo-realistic renderings who “are more like us, an independent but virtual living being, who can show emotions and learn from experiences.”
Check out the first 10 seconds of this video:
The envisioned uses, again according to the company, include, but are not limited to: teachers, financial advisers, health care providers, concierges, actors, spokespeople or TV anchors.
Let that sink in for a minute.
The next time you see “someone” on TV or in a movie – they may just be a completely digital creation that actually LOOKS and BEHAVES like a human.
Well, we can at least take some consolation in the fact that although the AI may be able to “act” – at least it can’t do what REAL humans can do – actually CREATE.
Until now.
Real Creativity
You’ve seen those tug-at-your-heart-strings car commercials – right? Well, Lexus jumped to the next level when it had an AI program generate the script for this one-minute commercial:
The AI used to pull off this feat was IBM’s Watson. The ad team “trained” the AI program on 15 years’ worth of award-winning luxury advertisements and human emotional responses. Amazingly, the AI managed to keep the commercial message clear and project the correct type of sentiment for the overall brand.
“When I was handed the script, the melodrama of the story convinced me of its potential,” director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play, Whitney) said in a statement.
So… ummm… yeah. Here come the machines, indeed!
