Discerning the End of Time

Last week, I noted in this column and on the radio program that a prominent leader in the development of AI quit his job and walked away from the industry, warning that unless scientists get control of AI, it could kill us all and destroy our world civilization within the next 10 years.

ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and Fox also covered the story throughout the day

Yesterday we were told that "Scientists have calculated the likely timeline for the end of the universe based on groundbreaking scientific research."

You may remember that the late Stephen Hawking's end-of-the-world prediction was even backed by NASA.

Be informed, not misled.

9/11: The Clash of Civilizations

Twenty-five years ago today, things were going quite well for most Americans. Or so we thought.

We were being told that the twenty-first century would be an era of peace and progress, because the major conflicts of the 20th century- the two world wars and the Cold War that followed- were fundamentally disputes within the West over competing visions for our civilization.

Instead of blood and treasure being sunk into massive wars, the coming century would see our efforts directed toward research and exploration of the oceans and space.

In fact, Samuel Huntington wrote a book in 1996 assuring his readers that no clash was imminent because no one could compete with the West, which was now at peace with itself.

We could rest easy; our future was bright.

Then the planes came on 9/11.

Be informed, not misled.

Could AI Kill Us All By the End of the Decade?

An Anthropic researcher just quit and sounded the alarm that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to kill us by the end of the decade.

"By the end of the decade?"

Has Al Gore returned to his ways of predicting the end of all things by a certain date, with a book to sell?

No.

Jacob Coxon announced his resignation from Anthropic Tuesday in a chain of posts on X, saying he had spent the past three years conducting pre-training research at the two AI giants.

Be informed, not misled.

From Facts to Feelings in One Generation

A while back, I read an article in which a child psychologist told a story about meeting some kids at a conference who were "transitioning."

As he began talking with them, he asked how they recognized that they were transgender.

He then entered their responses into two categories

One group said it was the result of classroom discussions, indoctrination, and teaching materials.

The other group said they were influenced toward transgendering by children's television programs. 

Then, the psychologist said there was this one kid who said he had noticed that his friends who were transitioning got a lot more attention than straight kids, so he just decided to join them. 

Be informed, not misled.

A Seared Conscience and its Consequences

Last Friday, the Associated Press reported that the judge in the Lindsay Clancy case declared a mistrial after the 12 jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision on whether the Massachusetts mom was criminally responsible for taking the lives of her three children.

The mistrial declaration came after the top court in Massachusetts denied the defense's petition to stop the judge from declaring a mistrial.

The mistrial, on the seventh day of deliberations, leaves the case unresolved and allows prosecutors to try Clancy again.

This shook most normal people in the nation --- particularly parents.

How could a mom systematically kill each of her three children by systematically strangling each child?

Some considerations.

Be informed, not misled.