Why Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Better than You Will Ever Be

Keeping up on all the advances in AI really requires its own AI.

 

As it turns out, AI is being used to locate alien life. I, for one, would like to extend a hearty welcome to our new overlords in advance.

Seriously though, I believe this is a great example (and a great use case) for why AI is better at complex data crunching than human beings will ever be.  Let’s face it, at the end of the day, humans — even the best of them — cannot out crunch a solidly-designed AI algorithm.

In this case, researchers “combed” through 400TB of data, then turned AI loose on it:

“The original data came from 2017, when astronomers thought they had found 21 signals when combing through 400 terabytes of data.

However, the AI has gone back through the data and found 72 more originating from a galaxy more than three billion light years from Earth.”

 

And I believe this illustrates why modern Artificial Intelligence — albeit really made up of patchwork of related technologies  — still out performs human brains when it comes to sifting through large, complex datasets.

In this case, researchers were able to use Machine Learning to ferret out the signals, which can be as brief as a millisecond.   Humans tend to become “data blind,” if you will when “combing” through vast amounts of data.  Even those people with outstanding focus will tend to look for shortcuts and patterns. They will tend to start scanning the data even if they don’t realize they’re doing so, and it only takes a lapse of a few seconds to miss a critical piece of information.

So, yeah, Artificial Intelligence will always be better than us in this regard:  It will never skim, scan or shortcut…at least for now.

Metaphysically, though, it raises an interesting paradox, and one we can’t answer quite yet:  If we do create a truly independent intelligence (would we still call that “artificial?”), will it also suffer from such distractions?  It’s a valid concern, I think, given the “spooky” nature of quantum intelligence.  We are only beginning to fully understand how quantum entanglement works at this point, yet despite this, we rely on it everyday.

Further, we understand that as a general rule, these thought processes are not always guaranteed to be the “best” answer or prediction or calculation, insofar as carbon-based life forms are concerned.

For all our visionary qualities, at the end of the day we are all flawed creatures.

Would a silicone intelligence be likewise?

Despite the digression, it’s a valid thought experiment.  My ultimate purpose, though,  was to illustrate a use case where a human thought they could beat AI, but came up short.

Does that sound familiar?

Reference: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1015575/alien-life-Breakthrough-Listen-fast-radio-bursts-space-news-ufo