The Uncanny Valley: Home of AI

En Route to Uncanny Valley

Last week, I traveled to NYC to meet a new friend and collaborator and attend an AI conference whilst topping up on city energy for an energized second stretch of the year.

About halfway back on my drive up I-95, I realized that we have no clue what we are looking at when it comes to AI, which is dropping us into an intellectual uncanny valley.

Some of us tech heads are eager to push the masses to adopt and explore the new horizons afforded to us through AI. However, we are missing the fear factor that will continue to block those who are more weary.

OpenAI has introduced a comprehensive five-level framework to track its progress toward achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). This guide is helpful as it allows us to parse where we are now in the technological progression.

Knowing where we are is essential information as it clarifies how we should feel about the capabilities of current AI systems. It should help reduce the tension stemming from fear or at least provide knowledge, which is always helpful.

1. Conversational AI📌^{current state of AI}

This is the initial level where AI systems excel at engaging in natural, human-like conversations. These systems can respond to various prompts and questions, showcasing foundational understanding and the ability to interact conversationally with users. OpenAI currently considers itself at this level.

2. Problem-Solving Virtuosos

The next milestone, referred to as "Reasoners," involves AI systems capable of solving complex problems with the proficiency of human experts. Achieving this level signifies a transition from mimicking human behavior to demonstrating genuine intellectual prowess. These systems can perform problem-solving tasks at the level of a human with a PhD without external resources.

3. Autonomous Agents

AI systems, termed "Agents," can operate autonomously for extended periods at this level. These agents can take on complex tasks, make decisions, and adapt to changing circumstances without constant human oversight. This represents a significant leap in AI capabilities, allowing for sustained and autonomous decision-making.

4. Innovators and Creators

This stage, "Innovators," is where AI systems possess the creativity and ingenuity to develop groundbreaking ideas and solutions. Systems at this level can drive innovation and progress across various fields, showcasing high creativity and adaptability.

5. Organizational Equivalents

The pinnacle of OpenAI's AGI roadmap is where AI systems can function as entire organizations. These AI "Organizations" possess the strategic thinking, operational efficiency, and adaptability required to manage complex systems and achieve organizational goals independently. This level represents the ultimate ambition of AGI researchers.

Timeline and Predictions

OpenAI believes we are currently at level one while possibly nearing level two. Some optimistic tech tycoons, such as Elon Musk, believe AGI will arrive within five years. The reality is that we have yet to determine when AGI will arrive. Whatever the timeline, human intelligence is not close to being replaced by AI systems.

My Take, Given the Information

Our current AI applications are decent at synthesis and, therefore, present the availability of a helpful tool. If you know what you want and learn to craft your questions through prompting, then learn to iterate off the output and repeat the process, you can generate valuable results. Consider the current AI landscape as containing varying types of digital assistants. Learn what type you need for a given task, and, equally, learn to discern between safe (secure) applications and whether your data will be used according to your wishes when interacting with a given AI application.

Shape your opinion through experiential learning with AI, and you will have an informed approach to leveraging the powerful new tools that have the potential to democratize information in ways we cannot yet conceive. Sign up for TheTechMargin’s free AI guide with tools you can implement in your business and life as soon as today!

Read About AI as a Creative Ally 👇🏻

The Whitney Biennial

Hudson Yards in NYC on a hot summer day brims with people— from children with their parents to tourists and shoppers. The shops seemed empty of both consumers and retailers on this hot July afternoon. The waterfront parks were bustling as I made my way between the High Line and Chelsea Market towards the Whitney Museum of Art. On show, the Biennial, The Whitney Museum's feature show of the latest and greatest in contemporary art, the (highly) subjective opinion of a juried panel.

In a vague and otherwise unaddressed nod to AI, the title of this year's Biennial is Even Better Than The Real Thing. This biennial boasts a cornucopia of video art, a proportionate amount of cultural-themed and topical-political art, and many things hanging from the ceiling— like a confused toddler who got overly ambitious with several tubes of crazy glue and a ball of yarn.

There were also exciting and beautiful works on display, including the large-format, elegant paintings by Eamon Ore-Giron. Overall, the feeling of being bombarded by opinions, half-formed concepts, and societal division was real and exhausting. Exhibitions that feel like work from the moment you enter the gallery are why much of the public feels cut out from the art world— an institution born out of the need to collectively share and celebrate the human experience.

Sebastian Smee sums the exhibit up perfectly in his Washington Post article, and his sentiment is spot on as he concludes—

Attention, A Love Story

In our efforts to be more like laser beams than sunshine, the synthetic attention provided by drugs and demanded by culture dilutes the expansive creative capacity natural to human beings.

I am riding the Metro North train back to Connecticut and listening to Attention, A Love Story by Casey Schwartz. My thoughts collide around Casey Schwartz's writing like iron filings around a magnet.

Casey deftly weaves her narrative journey of learning to trust the very mind she possesses rather than the chemical compounds prescribed to her in college. Schwartz chooses carefully from the myriad thinkers throughout history who focused their attention on the concept of attention, interjecting biographical parallels between the search for the holy grail of concentration and the current day absence of our ability to find the time or stamina to think deeply.

Casey and I both grew up in the 1980s and entered our teens in the tumult of 1990s America; a generation born into the time between word processors and Windows operating systems, a generation who can uniquely imitate the sound of a dialup modem connecting, and who have breathed the air of anxious curiosity from our first inhale.

Our generation knew the inane and sublime boredom of sweaty summers concocting entertainment from the mundane and time that ticked by slowly by comparison to the hurried world of adults.

Today, the absence of boredom is making every one of us succumb to overwhelm at some point in our journey. No matter our age, young or above the mid-line, humans are losing the space between— the liminal expanse eternally (until now) afforded to us as our birthright.

Schwartz demands we define the quality of attention we are seeking. Through example and gorgeously written narrative, she shows us a path through the new human condition, a way to sit with and deepen our concentration, not attention for attention's sake, but natural, blooming, unfolding awareness of the need for depth and breadth, at intervals, in our mental focus— the human way.

Focus Outward

When we are languishing, an excellent tonic is found in the redirection of energy away from what ails us to connect with those around us. Many of us spend entirely too much time in our minds, and moving our physical bodies away from screens to the faces of other humans is one path to returning to connection.

Even if you work alone, finding a few worthy collaborators will add spice to your dish and inspiration to your work. Ideas are generative, and a third mind can emerge when two minds connect creatively. This "third mind" is novel and unique to the output conceived by either individual and is where the fruit of collaboration is found.

Through the Brooklyn neighborhoods, I found my way to a new friend's house, where we spent an inspiring afternoon engaged in a dialogue of ideas, stories, and inspiration.

We learn from our friends and strangers. Many of us fear the loss of autonomy by collaborating, but this is misguided. Learn your boundaries and how you personally work with others. Tools such as the Predictive Index (thank you, Julia, for teaching me about this tool!) and 16 Personalities can help you gain insight into your ideal working style.

My trip to NYC was brief but fruitful and I am charged with “city juice” for the next half of the year. If you think a friend would enjoy this read, share this article with them and help grow the reach of TheTechMargin.

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Remember to explore technology as a tool that can work for you. Don't be afraid to experiment, and most importantly, have fun!

Leave a comment or drop me a note if you have thoughts, comments or ideas you would like to share.

Let's innovate together to transform challenges into opportunities and embrace discomfort in the name of fearless and transformational growth.

Thank you for reading, — Sonia, a.k.a SuperSonic

Tech Without Stress by TheTechMargin

^{Tech Guides for Non-Techies from TheTechMargin}☞

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