AAI: Artificial Artificial Intelligence

In this golden age of technological marvels, artificial intelligence stands as a gleaming beacon of innovation, promising to revolutionize all industries and reshape our entire world. Yet, lurking beneath the surface of this immense potential lies a disturbing trend: the rise of fake AI, Artificial Artificial Intelligence, a deceptive illusion of intelligence where human ingenuity masquerades as machine learning.

To truly understand this phenomenon, we are required to journey back to the 18th century and a fascinating contraption that did this well before its time. A mythical device known as the Mechanical Turk.

And yes, the term does sound bit racist saying it today. But all things will be explained shortly.

The Mechanical Turk was unveiled in 1770 and was a marvel of its time. This automaton, resembling a chess-playing human figure, captivated audiences with its seemingly intelligent moves. It toured Europe and managed to beat the celebrities of its day like Napoleon Bonapart and Benjamin Frankling. Allegedly.

However things where not as they seemed and too good to be true and the illusion was soon shattered. Hidden within the intricate machinery was a skilled human chess player, manipulating the automaton’s actions from within. This technological marvel was nothing more than a man in a box.

The Mechanical Turk serves as a historical precedent for AAI, a seemingly intelligent system powered not by cogs, computers and machine learning algorithms, but by human manipulation behind the scenes.

Today AAI takes many forms in our vast and sprawling digital world. And often with a simple goal in mind, to inflate the stock price or IPO value of a company. Well before the current boom of AI firms following in the wake of the GPT Cambrian explosion companies were exploiting cheap labor to fake technological progress.

And before going on I should note that we do need a certain degree of human involvement now, and possibly forever, to keep the gears of the AI machine spinning in tandem with us, the humans. The problem with AAI, for there is several things wrong with it, is not the humans. It’s the lie, the promises of automation, that is the root of all evils.

So, going back, are there any examples of misuse after the late 1800s?

Well yes, it turns out that it is quite common even. Just in the past weeks we have seen a controversy that is still unfolding where one of the largest companies in the world, and tech giant to boot, have found itself in hot water after possibly overpromising on their AI endeavors.

Amazon has for a long time been in the Walk-in/Walk-out retailing business and have always been at the cutting edge of it. With sophisticated AI and sensors anyone could just register and then simply walk into any store under the program and simply pickup anything they want or need and promptly leave the store. The purchases would be tracked automatically and the recite would be in your phone just minutes after leaving. No more hassle with cashier and checkout lines. Just grab anything and go. Sounds too good to be true. And maybe it was?

Amazon also owns an AAI business, MTurk (The name seems familiar right) that offers an API to let humans often in developing countries do the job for you. It turns out that a similar setup was deployed to its storefront as well, with over a thousand freelancers helping the AI with its tasks. We don’t know the full extent at present. Maybe the humans did all the work or simply stood for some QA and training data, but the fact remains that Amazon was not completely transparent on their part.

Amazon is not alone, we have had similar setups by the likes of Facebook (a fellow tech giant), and this trend runs ramped in the startup space. Of almost 3000 tech startups in Europe about 50% are just in it for show. And over the last ten years we have seen examples of fake AIs transcribing our voice messages, acting as our personal assistants and building our mobile apps. All with the awesome power of the human brain and human skills but mislabeled as the product of some mythical mathematical equation or superpower machine.

So what are the consequences of AI washing and AAIs?

While taking shortcuts is natural in any industry and getting up to speed and failing fast is the motto of most of the tech sector. In this case these over promises are deadly as they are eroding all trust.

When users encounter fake AI or AI that fails to deliver on its promises, trust in the technology itself is shipped away and the whole subject erodes. This cynicism can hinder the adoption of genuine AI advancements, creating a barrier to progress.

Unrealistic claims and promises hurt us all as they set the bar for everyone else. It is often impossible to achieve something that never been achieved before and while battling fakes this and made up claims this process get close to impossible. If anyone would try to compete with a lie the chances, they would burn all their money in pursuit of it is almost guaranteed.

Law makers and politicians are taking notes and we have already started to see action being taken against fake AI claims and that is just the beginning.

Humans still are the most versatile problem solvers out there, but AI is catching up. So, the playing field needs to be even. Investers money into the sector most be used for real progress and stock values must be kept uninflated.

The future of AI is bright, but only if we prioritize genuine advancements and responsible development. Consumers have the right to know what they’re interacting with. Companies must be transparent about the limitations and functionalities of their AI systems. As AI continues to evolve, ethical frameworks and regulations are crucial to ensure its responsible use. Initiatives that prioritize fairness, transparency, and accountability are essential.

The story of the Mechanical Turk serves as a cautionary tale. Just as audiences were deceived by its illusion of intelligence, we must remain vigilant against the modern versions masquerading as true AI. The potential of AI is undeniable, but the funding and resources in this sector need to be directed towards developing and integrating genuine AI solutions that hold the true potential to transform industries and improve our lives. Or we have to go the other rout and pay the man in the box a decent wager.