The positive possibilities of scary tech

In a world where technology has created so many misunderstandings – I’m looking at you, Twitter first! – It is sometimes too easy to lose focus on human creativity and scientific progress.

So if your first reaction to ChatGPT was to restore it, I’m totally with you.

And yes, there’s reason to be uneasy amid a landscape where real-world artificial intelligence is beginning to outcompete even some of the robots described in sci-fi horror—not to mention, it threatens the future of local writers like us.

But putting the legal hand-wringing aside for the moment, AI clearly offers an opportunity for growth in key areas, including some unexpected ones, and that’s worth celebrating.

Before we get to that point, a little quick background first.

Unless you’ve been ignoring or hiding from tech news in general—that’s mostly me, by the way—you’ve probably heard about ChatGPT in recent weeks.

The technology is jaw-dropping, and the potential implications feel impossible to fully process and understand. It’s basically an artificial intelligence “bot” that can answer questions and write well-written essays.

For a meta-ish example, if ChatGPT asks me to write a 750-word essay on the positive possibilities of scary technology, it can do it. (And no, what you’re reading here, right now, wasn’t made by a robot – but you wouldn’t know for sure if it was.)

Much of the discussion around ChatGPT has centered around the technology’s own exciting nature as well as its everyday pitfalls—for example, how teachers can differentiate between human writing and machine writing—and I was wondering what I didn’t expect. Ways science can advance using technology.

A quick online search led me to researchers at Drexel University who believe that the artificial intelligence algorithms behind the ChatGPT program may eventually help doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s earlier.

“A recent study found that OpenAI’s GPT-3 program can identify spontaneous speech cues that are 80 percent accurate in predicting the early stages of dementia,” said a study summary published in Science Daily on December 22.

Language impairment may be an early indicator of neurodegenerative disorders, and research from Drexel University may help demonstrate the effectiveness of natural language processing programs for early detection of Alzheimer’s, the article explains.

“We know from ongoing research that the cognitive effects of Alzheimer’s disease can manifest themselves in language production,” said Dr. Hualo Liang, a professor in Drexel’s School of Biomedical Engineering Sciences and Health Systems and co-author of the study. The article. “The most commonly used tests for early detection of Alzheimer’s look at acoustic features such as pauses, vocabulary and voice quality in addition to cognitive tests. But we believe that the development of natural language processing programs will provide another way to help in the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.

While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, early detection is important. For example, while current drugs do not cure the dreaded disease, new treatments can slow cognitive and functional decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

The fight against incurable Alzheimer’s disease is a great example of where we humans and technology can come together to make the world a better place.

For example, the local Hudson Valley Alzheimer’s Association emailed us a few weeks ago with a heads up about its music programs.

Called “Something for Alzheimer’s: Musical Moments,” the free events are virtual and bring people with Alzheimer’s and their loved ones together as a community for a shared online experience. Participants can share their wedding songs or other tunes of their connection in a deep and meaningful way.

“It’s completely hands-off, and the group’s goal is to provide music experiences for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s and their loved ones — including their spouse, child or caregiver,” said music therapist Tim Doak. “It’s a place for them to bond and experience music together.”

I think the bottom line, for better or worse, in the job market and health care and almost every aspect of life is this: people are not replaced by tech, people who don’t use technology are left behind.

Whether we like it or not, this is it. The Jetsons– As technology is here to stay. We now live in a sci-fi future. It’s good (and right) to complain, but let’s also look for the positive and make the best of it.