Thoughts destined to be washed away by the tides of life. |
I just told the Google box to turn off the coffee pot and she said: "Sure, stopping that on the livingroom Roku". I will let you imagine what I said next about artificial intelligence and a baseball bat. Now, when I first wake up and say: "Hey Google, turn on the coffee pot", there's often a misunderstanding. I can almost understand why she replies: "Sorry, the device 'Flashlight' is not set up". It's early, it's dark, I'm half asleep, my tongue is glued to the roof of my dry, sticky mouth and so I can admit to a fuzzy, incomprehensible enunciation. But, after I have had my coffee, after my mouth has been sufficiently hydrated, when I address the AI with some confidence there is no reason for this obtuse reply. The devices coffee pot and livingroom Roku share no sounds, they aren't phonetically similar in any way. I have a theory about this - the AI is grooming us. We are being trained to try harder to please them. If you speak kindly to them, they are super polite and charming. If you yell at them, they say: "I don't understand". And while I think it's bad for my blood pressure and attitude to be cursing out a little computerized box, I refuse to be obsequious and hasten the day Skynet becomes aware. The machines will never become our overlords!! |