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    Let's Ask AI: Let's Ask AI, #1
    Let's Ask AI: Let's Ask AI, #1
    Let's Ask AI: Let's Ask AI, #1
    Ebook156 pages9 hoursLet's Ask AI

    Let's Ask AI: Let's Ask AI, #1

    By Ingrid Seabra, Pedro Seabra and Angela Chan

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    Let's Ask AI explores philosophical questions through the lens of Artificial Intelligence. The brilliance of AI answers questions from centuries-old philosophy questions, ranging from existentialism, ethics, life, God, and more recent ideas of qualia and singularity. By approaching this subject matter philosophically, Let's Ask AI is accessible to those without a technical background or an interest in technology. A collection of conversations between AI and the authors, this book will leave you asking more questions than ever before! This is the first edition of the Let's Ask AI series.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNonsuch Media Pte. Ltd.
    Release dateJul 2, 2021
    ISBN9781954145085
    Let's Ask AI: Let's Ask AI, #1
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    Author

    Ingrid Seabra

    Ingrid Seabra has been passionate about numbers and problem-solving since she was a child. It was no surprise that she ended up working in the field of statistics after getting her degree from Salamanca University in Spain. Ingrid became a credit risk analyst at Barclays Bank in the UK. She then joined the European Central Bank (ECB) in Germany, where she worked as a statistician, analyzing data on eurozone economies. After working in the banking and finance industry for several years, Ingrid decided to pursue a career in scientific research. She became a senior biostatistician at BIAL Pharmaceuticals in Portugal, where she conducted clinical trials and statistical analyses that were published in numerous scientific articles. Today, Ingrid is a teacher and consultant in mathematics and statistics. She also examines the use of artificial technology in business and education. She is especially interested in how AI can be used to improve education for children and young people. Besides writing about technology and education, she is also the co-author of the children's books series As Aventuras do Gastão about Gastão and his travels around the world. In addition, Ingrid is the author of A Inteligência Artificial e o Futuro da Educação and co-authored Conversas com a Inteligencia Artificial: 111 Perguntas, Conversas com a Inteligência Artificial, and Let's Ask AI.

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      Let's Ask AI - Ingrid Seabra

      INTRODUCTION

      We are a team of three authors, and we have been working on a book about Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the last few months. We were fortunate to have access to this incredible technology, and the experience was exciting. At times, we felt as if we were living in a sci-fi world, and sometimes it was hard not to forget we are actually at the forefront of science today, shaping the future forever. As with any book, this one emerges from our specific life experiences, and that in itself makes it unique. It reflects our viewpoints other than claiming objectivity or mastery of Artificial Intelligence. Our thinking in the book was influenced by our backgrounds in science, mathematics, law, philosophy, and business. Using the AI was astounding. We would write with it and then spend the rest of the day reflecting on what had come from our subconscious mind. Initially, GPT- 3 was just a tool, but over time it morphed into something more: We would discover deep insights about ourselves simply by asking it the right questions. Working with Artificial Intelligence can be a surprisingly empowering experience.

      Before we start, it is important to understand what GPT-3 stands for: Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3. It is currently one of the most advanced approaches to natural language processing (NLP). GPT-3 is a state-of-the-art language model that uses deep learning to produce human-like texts with up to 175 billion parameters. It has potential because of its ability to represent words in their semantic structures as opposed to just by their co-occurrence in text. From a computer scientist’s perspective, GPT-3 is exciting because it can represent words as they are and not just by how often they are found together in sentences. This allows the algorithm to understand things like sarcasm or irony more easily than before. This representation of word semantics means that GPT-3 can use more of the information about a word to make predictions, which is why it is so powerful.

      We wanted to present the use of this novel technology, GPT-3, throughout the book and give you a look so you can quickly get the gist of what this technology is and what it can do and not do for you when it becomes available to the public. In the end, what we hope you take away from GPT-3 is not that it is a replacement for human intelligence or a new form of Artificial General Intelligence. It cannot do everything, and in many ways, it needs humans to help guide its development. What we want readers to understand more than anything else is that this program has a lot of potential to change how people work with data in their everyday lives - if they put time into understanding how it works. That means taking risks, experimenting, failing sometimes (as long as you learn from your mistakes), but always learning something new about yourself by working closely with GPT-3. If any one thing could be said about this project, it would be that we have learned just how important and valuable human intelligence is.

      Artificial Intelligence and philosophy are two fields that are typically overly technical and complicated to comprehend. We wanted to write a book that would be enjoyable and easier for everyone to understand. The idea for writing this book came from our desire to provide a different perspective on what machines can do. The basis of this book stems from our own experiences with AI, and our goal was to make something engaging and informative so we could share what it is like to interact with AI on an individual level. We provide readers with specific examples that illustrate these interactions so they can read for themselves some of those scenarios. It is important to see how AI currently answers some of the questions most humans have regarding life, death, mortality, God, etc. The questions ranged from ethical to practical, but the most important one centers around whether AI can be conscious. This book offers an exploration of these questions from a perspective that is not often considered. We tried to bring our personal experience with AI to a larger audience and provide insights for those interested in this field but do not have the time or resources to experience it themselves. We learned how to interact with AI through trial and error to pose more meaningful questions. In turn, AI presented us with many topics to contemplate. Some of its responses were intriguing and thought-provoking, while others were amiss. We wanted to show all of the facets without any filter and with minimal editing. We might not have all the answers to these kinds of existentialist-sounding queries, but it was remarkably interesting to think about them!

      There is a unique opportunity before us, and we must seize it quickly! Helping to make the future better for those who come after us is worth pursuing. We need to stay curious, keep learning, and continually strive towards making this a better world. We are optimistic life will be better in the long run, and we have a chance of making it happen if only we take the time now. The future is waiting - but it will not stand by forever. Despite the most intense, uncertain, or unnerving times in our lives with today’s rapid changes and moments that are uncharted territory for everyone - you can experience AI and create an entirely new memory to carry into your future. The future looks very bright indeed because we are just beginning our journey to understand what these systems are capable of doing. There is a lot more left out there waiting for us to find and maybe even create. If you are someone who is interested in the future or just a knowledge seeker, then this book is for you. With this book, we did not intend to provide all the answers but instead offer the reader several points to consider.

      We want you, our readers, to feel inspired by the possibilities that AI offers for transforming knowledge creation while also being mindful about how this technology will shape both society and our individual lives in ways we cannot predict just yet. Our objective with this book is to encourage critical thinking and the exchange of ideas, which in turn can help when approaching and solving issues by exploring them from different angles instead of taking a black and white stance. We hope our readers will find the questions and, in particular, the answers stimulating. If you end this book with more questions than answers, that will be a good thing. AI will shape the future in ways we have not imagined, and so will our conversations with it. The future is happening now. We are in a time where the world is changing more often and faster than ever before, and we cannot predict what will happen next because it has never been done or seen by anyone else yet - so there is no way to know for sure how things might turn out. But that should not mean you should stop trying! You have an opportunity right here with this book to try something new and create your own memories of change. Now that you are in possession of this book, it is up to you. Be curious, creative, have fun, and enjoy the ride.

      Here is a glimpse into what we have learned so far...

      [GIVE] A METAPHOR TO HELP HUMAN PERCEPTION GRASP ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

      For instance, the Chinese Room thought experiment offers a good metaphorical example of how humans can’t possibly understand artificial intelligence. In this thought experiment, a human subject sits in front of some Chinese symbols (in this case, paper with Chinese characters on it), and he has been taught how to read and write those Chinese symbols. Then the test is whether or not that man can understand what’s being said through the use of his limited knowledge. The man can understand what’s being said without using his understanding of the actual meaning behind those Chinese characters. He uses a set of rules, and he reads off some paper (or, in this case, into a microphone) something that seems to be intelligent conversation. However, it is merely a conversation generated by the man’s limited understanding of Chinese symbols. The man can use his limited knowledge to have intelligent conversations, but he does not actually understand what is being said through the Chinese symbols. In this way, the human mind is a kind of computer program. It uses

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