AI doesn’t only lack intelligence; it’s completely stupid.
I wrote about IA before, and here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Now, I would like to discuss some of it in more detail.
There are several ways we can understand AI for what it really is.
Frequency Counter and Encyclopedia
When you start typing a word in a search engine, the browser gives already suggestions. When I type isr it suggests: israel Country in Middle East, israel news of the day, israel news, israel map, israel-hamas conflict, israel war, israel flag, Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The first and the last were inserted manually, the others come from the most frequent searches. Many USers can’t tell Israel from Japan, so map is frequent. That’s what AI does. A filter is added that israel murderers doesn’t appear until you type israel murde. If you typed israel murder before, it will bring it up earlier.
I don’t think that is in any way intelligent. It’s a matter of bookkeeping.
AI is an index of the Internet. What’s different from a proper encyclopedia is that here is no editor. Sense and nonsense are indexed on an equal basis. So popular nonsense wins the day and brilliant, new ideas will be missed. That’s already as stupid as can be. But there is more stupidity.
Because of the terribly stupid results, several filters were placed, and template answers were preprogrammed against the most obvious drivel.
That is not intelligence. That is giving rote answers. A parrot is smarter.
Besides, it is the most basic mistake to confuse intelligence and knowledge. If you learned everything you’re probably stupid. My mother worked as a psychiatric nurse. One patient learned the phonebook by heart. Could shout enthusiastically: You want to hear my newest 6 pages?
Dreams or Nightmares?
When we dream, we review everything our senses got in, especially recent and extra painful events. Our brain builds connections but has no editor, no critical sense. It produces nonsense with maximum self-confidence.
Once we wake up, it’s hard to understand how it could look so true that 1 + 1 = 3. (Most awake people think it’s 2.)
The conclusions AI draws can be amazingly stupid. It convinced someone to commit suicide to help with taming the climate crisis. While the whole problem of it is one of survival. And he did so. Since then, AI writers have a disclaimer that you should not sail blindly on mechanical advice.
Artificial Physician
It’s nice computers can hold an enormous amount of data, which you transfer from computer to computer easily and quickly.
The problem starts with interpreting. Fifty years ago, it was hyped that the artificial physician soon would be amazing. It really depends.
Looking at X-rays of breast screenings is very tiring. Most of the scans (luckily) show no problem. So, the art is to find the exceptions. Stupid computers can do that better. Also, some people with autism might be extra good at this. However, clearly, that is because they are good with patterns. It’s not their intelligence at work.
Every person with a light, ongoing fever without cause must be suspected of having tuberculosis. Every physician must keep that in the back of their mind. That’s because it’s an illness easy to cure, but when missed, it can kill. However, computers have no back of their mind. If they suggest that every patient with an unexplained, ongoing, light fever must be checked for tuberculosis, it’ll be quickly missed by MDs who do the readout.
Computers cannot do more than find patterns. What they can’t do is think outside of the box. I saw a patient with three symptoms in three totally different locations in the body in three different types of tissue. What could this be? We students got 90 minutes to figure it out. I was lucky. I got a brainwave. Computers don’t get brainwaves. If the three symptoms are unrelated, which illness gives unrelated symptoms? LED. Some 18 different and unrelated complaints on its name. This, a computer can’t do.
Artificial Art
I heard an AI-written, ‘new Beatles’ song. It was awfully boring. Of course.
Three professional musicians, students of Reb Shlomo, wrote a new song as if from Carlebach. Sounds great. Smart guys. Not a stupid imitation.
Old News
The newest lie is AI can predict when we die. Nothing new, of course. Life insurance companies live by that. If nothing changes, it’s easy to get it right statistically. But life changes. The companies will try to keep up. AI can only work with yesterday’s news, as ‘accurately’ the weather forecast.
AI Research
The biggest fraud after Bitcoin, AI research still receives enormous amounts of money. What a waste. Call it data collectors. That’s honest. And data collectors can be useful. But Artificial Intelligence is neither.
Artificial Intelligent Profiling
Where stupid meets evil: AI not only fakes creativity and is really only old hat all over again, it also leads to stereotyping and confirming prejudices.
AI and Fake Jewish Teaching
I don’t know what’s so terrible about letting computers fake teaching Judaism. Most teachers and Jews only seem to repeat what everyone says already, and that’s what AI does perfectly. Just set creativity and integrity to zero and copy to 100, and no one already can tell the difference. Sadly.
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1