Bk 62: (Sep 5, 2023) AI in the Wild: Sustainability in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Hi Everyone...

Our Sep 5th meeting we will discuss the book AI in the Wild: Sustainability in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Peter Dauvergne (Sep 15, 2020). With 196 reading pages it is approximately 7 pages a day. 

Check out the Bio below:

"Examining the potential benefits and risks of using artificial intelligence to advance global sustainability.

Drones with night vision are tracking elephant and rhino poachers in African wildlife parks and sanctuaries; smart submersibles are saving coral from carnivorous starfish on Australia's Great Barrier Reef; recycled cell phones alert Brazilian forest rangers to the sound of illegal logging. The tools of artificial intelligence are being increasingly deployed in the battle for global sustainability. And yet, warns Peter Dauvergne, we should be cautious in declaring AI the planet's savior. In AI in the Wild, Dauvergne avoids the AI industry-powered hype and offers a critical view, exploring both the potential benefits and risks of using artificial intelligence to advance global sustainability.

Dauvergne finds that corporations and states often use AI in ways that are antithetical to sustainability. The competition to profit from AI is entrenching technocratic management, revving up resource extraction, and turbocharging consumption, as consumers buy new smart devices (and discard their old, less-smart ones). Smart technology is helping farmers grow crops more efficiently, but also empowering the agrifood industry. Moreover, states are weaponizing AI to control citizens, suppress dissent, and aim cyberattacks at rival states.

Is there a way to harness the power of AI for environmental and social good? Dauvergne argues for precaution and humility as guiding principles in the deployment of AI."

Greenhouse Book Talk: Dauvergne from The Greenhouse on Vimeo.
*********
This is what we discussed at our meeting...

* General Impressions of the book

* Underwater Drones Starfish (Lionfish)

* Military Uses (Drones, Swarms etc.)

* The 1% wealthiest

* Marketing/Planned Obsolescence

* ADA Lab Robots 

* Big Companies want Regulation

* Ray.ai

* Chess

* Politics

* Resume Bias

* Sexual Harassment in the field

* Tyrants/Fanatico

* Economy 

* Minding Metal Waste/WasteTide book

* Killer Robots

* Korea/China Gaming/Jaywalking etc.

* Redlight cameras

* Job loss

* Autonomous Drivers

* Farming

* Healthcare

* Smart Cities

* AutoShip

* EBird

* Amazon Forest/Activists Murdered/$ sources

* Tracking Fishing 

* Parole

* ChimpFace

* Insurance Rates

* WildMe

* Rangerbot/Larvalbot

* Plantex

* Placing things on the Cloud

* Amazon Shipping

* Truckers

* App: Picture This vs INaturalist

* Iris/Fingerprint/Emotion Recognition

* Various Movies (Trailers): AI, I Robot (scene I showed in class for Emotions), Fantastic Voyage, Innerspace, Dr. Strangelove, Minority Report, 2001: A Space Odyssey, War Games etc.

** If there is anything I have forgotten, please email me!