We continue to do the same activities as 60 years ago, but at an infinite speed. But these tools still don't create anything, they “create” texts or images that are very different.
Presented in Madrid this week is the paper “Artificial Intelligence, etc.”, a work by our colleague Jorge Izquierdo, which seeks to explain and reveal the categories of unquestionable and mysterious “faith”. without changing anything.
We already talked about the book here: Artificial Intelligence, etc.
But we wanted more, and since we're all in this LoQueSomos house, we had a conversation with George, and we're leaving it in this Q&A. Good reading!
LQSomos: Your article on artificial intelligence is out now, and it's short but powerful. Who is it aimed at?
Jorge Izquierdo: To say “it's aimed at all audiences” would be an exaggeration, but the truth is, I've tried to write as little technology as possible and used one without any other option. To unravel precisely the amount of pseudo-technical and pseudo-scientific marketing used in so-called artificial intelligence.
LQSomos: As history shows, technology is far ahead of our comprehension. Generally, the concept is difficult to understand. Is “artificial intelligence” intelligent? Artificial?
JI: Technology is not a “thing” but a process, and always has been. Knowing how to use fire is just as important as being able to do so. What we're currently trying to sell is sold, be it matter, GPT chat, etc… and to do so, we need to convince the market that the process of “creating an insight” has come to an end or nearly so. . None of that is backed up by science. Creators of Chat GPT or Gemini (from Google) won't win any Nobel Prize. In the same way that the creator of Windows or Apple doesn't get it. None of them invented anything in the world of computing, but they developed part of those processes.
LQSomos: AI has been presented to us as an innovation. Has AI just arrived, has it already arrived, or is it yet to arrive?
JI: We can say that generative programs (text or image) are new because the computing power of today's computers was completely “science fiction” fifty years ago, let alone thirty. While computing power alone has not changed (and so have the computing techniques that can take advantage of that power), the ethics and psychology of this society have evolved as well. Every day four billion people seek their moment of fame. Just as the Second Industrial Revolution occurred in 1870, we can say that the Second Digital Revolution occurred, which marked the beginning of a new phase of capitalism, characterized by an enormous increase in the size of enterprises. The size of large tech companies continues to grow. Google has more than 130 data centers around the world and has twice as many employees as car manufacturers like Audi, with 190,000 employees. 25 years ago they were two workers.
LQSomos: AI machines or applications are capable of creating content, processing information, classifying data and using it for many other things. Are there limitations?
JI: First, we must be clear that current computing has one fundamental characteristic: it is based on a binary system (true/false, zero/one). We continue to do the same activities as 60 years ago, but at an infinite speed. But these tools still don't create anything, they “create” texts or images that are very different. Anyway, nothing new. Our civilization is based on the idea that God “created” the heavens and the earth. These types of machines and programs lack intelligence. That doesn't mean they're very useful.
LQSomos: With the Chat-GPT boom and the wild marketing campaign for its launch, it's implied that human intelligence will take a back seat. What is the truth in this?
JI: Linus Torvalds (creator of the Linux operating system): “If you think the people who use your programs are idiots, only idiots will use your programs.” Now change “only” to “for all” and we can better understand what's going on.
LQSomos: With all this technological boom, software development seems to be in the hands of large multinational corporations. Where is the free software?
JI: Well, basically free software is also in the hands of big multinational corporations. However, no one wants to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Free software is one of the main reasons for this digital revolution and will continue to be free. Currently there are development programs based on free software. Perhaps the fault that can be leveled at this freeware is that it doesn't exactly imagine. For example, what has the digital revolution contributed to philosophy?
LQSomos: From a dissident perspective, what is the role of activism, which continues to struggle for that “other possible world” within the framework of grassroots organizations with a free-thinking and anti-capitalist stance?
JI: Assuming that the streets will always be ours, which is highly speculative, it is clear that using the tools of capitalism is difficult to propose an alternative. Current movements are gaining some traction. It should be seen that dedicating themselves to traditional lobbying rather than digital outreach will not achieve the best results. To me, the big problem comes from the lack of programmers who are “free thinkers”. Do you know apps about philosophy, politics, etc.? How can Twitter change the world?
LQSomos: Is there room for protest in an Internet controlled by large multinational corporations, owners of social networks and others?
JI: Always will be, that's clear. But we don't do well if we leave the creation of technology to “them” in the first place, and look at programming with “capitalist glasses” that focus on free software and little else. Who makes plans for individual reason and complete freedom from all supernatural criteria? There are no such altering or superseding schemes.
LQSomos: And can this digital activism reap the benefits of protests and protests on the streets?
JI: Absolutely. The problem is that we selfishly think that digital activism is a possible solution.
LQSomos: Far Right 2.0 has been able to read the changes in society better than others. Has the Left Abandoned Technology Gaps?
JI: True leftists, to understand us, never enter these spaces. All you have to do is visit their web pages.
LQSomos: Do the examples of Aaron Schwartz or current political prisoner Julian Assange serve as references to struggle and commitment in cyberspace, or do their persecution serve as precedents to inspire people?
JI: Absolutely exemplary. The creators of major porn sites are billionaires, while free-thinking programmers like Assange and Schwartz are hard to find.
LQSomos: Go back to your book. Does a paper book live in the middle of a digital engine, or does it become obsolete once printed?
JI: The other day I attended a presentation of the “Forbidden” book, a catalog of hundreds of censored works of art that can now be found in the Museum of Forbidden Art. As of today, I believe paper is the only way to ensure it lasts five years. The digital world is volatile.
LQSomos: Finally, an impossible question: What future awaits us?
JI: Typical, right? Prussian way: two steps forward and one step back.
Thanks George, we will definitely be using your book's presentations to answer more questions for you. Let's meet!
Artificial intelligence etc. Author: Jorge Izquierdo
Garage Editions. Collection: Abstracts, Company Papers
160 pages. Format: 12 x 16 cm. ISBN: 978-84-126213-6-5
Artificial Intelligence, etc.
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