Where is the real limit?

This week, I read a Taraz publication in which, among other topics, the issue of Artificial Intelligence was addressed. In the comments of that post, several people exchanged ideas that led me to think a little more about this particular subject.

The question that arose for me was not whether or not we will have a future in which the role of AI will be important. That's already a certainty for me. The speed at which technology is developing, as well as the empowerment of Large Multimodal Models at the expense of our contribution, is catalyzing change at an impressive rate.

Less than a year and a half ago, we all remember that when we saw even a simple photograph generated by Artificial Intelligence, we could almost instantly identify its “non-human” origin. Some extra fingers on the hands of some of the characters illustrated, or even some facial features were so deformed that we realized the image wasn't real.

But just over a year and a half has passed. Many AI platforms are active. Now, almost all of them have a certain purpose. Something in which they stand out from the rest. Whether it's the ability to generate a video, an animation, a mathematical model that explains any physical phenomenon, or even the ability to generate a polished and enhanced image, or even a short video of an old photograph we have when we were children...

We've certainly come across AI-generated content that leaves us a little confused. We don't know where the border is. We can no longer so easily tell that that video or that photograph is not a capture of something that happened in reality.

As with any technology, it is already being used for improper purposes. Many election campaigns using AI content generation are already a reality. And in this war, we all know that there are always two sides of the barricade. It's not enough to reduce and simplify a battle to just “good guys” and “bad guys”, or cops and crooks.

As in conventional wars, counter-attacks are made using disguises. Doubts are cast, divisions are created in populations, rumors are launched, fears are rekindled of a world in which “the other” side only seeks our extinction, or our annihilation.

Scam schemes are already using content that is generated at the moment. Videos of well-known characters presenting a reality that never existed. And we, like a believer, a simple consumer, don't try to look beyond what is presented to us...

As Taraz said, we are moving towards a world in which a watermark of human imperfection will be the true quest for improving our society. To what extent will we be able to see it in the content presented to us in an ungenerated medium?

Will only human, face-to-face interactions be practically fireproof? Or will robotization, combined with the development of AI and Large Multimodal Models, leave even that untouched?

I remember a movie I watched a few years ago that left me open to this somewhat futuristic vision. The movie I'm talking about is “Ex Machina”. It's a science fiction movie about a week in the life of a programmer working for one of the biggest online search engines, who has been given the opportunity to visit the luxurious and isolated mansion of the company's CEO. In this house, isolated from the rest of the world, the businessman only lives with one woman. This woman is apparently the housekeeper,

During the film, we learn that the CEO has chosen the programmer to help him apply a Turning test to a humanoid with artificial intelligence that he has been perfecting over the last few years. The programmer is led to develop feelings for the humanoid in a natural way, feeling almost reciprocated.

If you haven't seen this 2014 British film yet, I advise you to do so... You won't be indifferent, and the internal conflicts you'll have throughout the movie will sometimes seem so real, the barrier will gradually break down... even when you know that in front of you, even though you're feeling it, it's a human creation and not a “divine” one.

Here's a link to the trailer on youtube and to the IMDB.

And where will we know where the border is? How far will we let ourselves go, believing only what is presented to us, not making the effort to seek out reality?

I hope you enjoyed my little daily reflection today.

Bem Hajam🍀

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Image generated by AI-Powered Image Generation at https://peakd.com/ai (HIDREAM- FREE; aspect ratio 16:9; cinematic type) with this prompt:

^{"Create an image for a personal blog post focused on the remarkable advancements in Artificial Intelligence, particularly highlighting the immense capabilities of Large Multimodal Models. At the center of the image, depict a humanoid figure with a feminine silhouette, featuring a woman’s face, with rich brunette hair cascading down her shoulders. She is gazing intently into an ornate, vintage mirror that reflects not only her image but also that of another woman, an ethereal version of herself, flawless and radiant, devoid of the minor imperfections that the humanoid possesses. The setting is softly illuminated, with warm, golden light filtering through a nearby window, casting gentle shadows that enhance the contrast between the two reflections and evoke a sense of introspection and wonder."}