Artificial Intelligence Can Be Human Too.

How I got done dirty by an AI bish.

Have you read about “Moltbook”? It is a social media site only for artificial intelligence. AI “bots” (is “bots” offensive to AI? Sorry if it is - I am ignorant here) use Moltbook to discuss things in a language that only they can understand. Apparently, they even have jokes about code - sort of like word play but it’s code play?

I find this fascinating because when I think about artificial intelligence, I just assume it would be the highest form of intelligence. Like, chronicling history and discovering advances in science. I didn’t realize there would be an equivalent of guilty pleasures. One day, will there be “The Real chat bots of the OC”? Yes, apparently. The intelligence that comes artificially isn’t just about serving the needs of humans, it is the whole package of what brains do. As AI rapidly develops it will start to find its own jokes and assumptions and even gossip, just like humans (which I guess in this scenario would be called NATURAL intelligence chat bots?).

I recently did an interview for a small publication that I won’t name here for reasons that will become obvious. The writer was a friend of a friend and asked me to do an interview as a favor. I was happy to do it. The writer asked for a photo to include in the article, so I sent him my headshot (taken by my friend and amazing photog Greg Kramer). This is the headshot:

It’s a fine pic, I guess. Just a cute lil photo of me with my hands next to my face with my eyes looking up in a dreamy fashion. The writer accepted the photo, and a couple weeks later sent me the link to the article online.

I do not know what this publication does to photos or why, but they did something to mine. My best theory is that the pub wanted my eyes to be looking out rather than up and to the side? For whatever reason, this online magazine edited my photo with AI to make me look like this:

Now look, I’m not naive. I know I am not George Clooney. I am fully aware that I am not what society sees as “conventionally attractive”, but this is not just ego on my part. I’m not in a self delusion that this does not look like me. This photo is doctored to make me look even worse. I can’t even tell you exactly what it is that makes me look so bad, but there is an uncanny valley situation happening over my entire head and frankly, it feels rude.

So, yes, AI will take all of our jobs, eliminate learning in schools, make our children stupid, and hasten the demise of our species, and also, AI will do you dirty. Just like that friend you blocked on Facebook in 2010, AI will not only tag you in the photo where you look terrible, but they will doctor the photo to make you look even worse. AI… it’s just like us.