Big Brain Revolution

Michelle Tempest Dr

Description

Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) changing the world? Is AI updating the human brain? Can AI help to solve complex problems baffling scientists and politicians? The answer is yes. This book offers unique insights into the consequences of mixing psychology with technology. It takes you on a journey of discovery, stripping AI and the human brain back to basics. It's not academic, keeps knowledge simple and questions if humans can be manipulated by machines. Big data is already monitoring human movements. So imagine future powers of information gathering on an even bigger scale - including brain waves, emotions and inner thoughts. AI could personalise messages back to the brain and update love, desires and our destiny. Now is the time to be curious and to question. We must not hesitate. History will not forgive us. This is our common purpose. Our mission is to bequeath ethical AI advancements to the next generation. Humility tells us how working together is the secret sauce to guide AI to help mankind. It must help untangle collective problems such as climate change - bigger than the individual. This book is for everyone. So read it, pass it on and discuss how AI is impacting your brain and our futures.

Sujets

• Artificial intelligence
• Informatique

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 12 décembre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528985444
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Big Brain Revolution
Dr Michelle Tempest
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-12-12
Big Brain Revolution About The Author Dedications Copyright Information © Preface Introduction Wake Up Call Section 1 The Brain Chapter 1 Cerebrally Exciting Times Chapter 2 Building a Brain Outside the Skull Chapter 3 Hacking Thoughts and Memories Chapter 4 Who Owns Your Feelings? Chapter 5 Emotional Contagion and Decision Bias Chapter 6 Brain-Digital Integration: Could It Happen? When and How? Section 2 Digital Technology Chapter 7 Manipulation Measure: The G Spot Chapter 8 Where Did AI Come From? Chapter 9 Self-Educating Machines Chapter 10 Mind Reading and Creepy Cyberpsychology Chapter 11 The AI Giraffe Chapter 12 Robot Love: One Way Attachment Chapter 13 Subliminal Seduction Chapter 14 State of Mind Politics Chapter 15 Fake News Goes Viral Chapter 16 A New World Order Chapter 17 Magnitude of Mega Manipulation Acknowledgements References
About The Author
Dr Michelle Tempest worked as a hospital doctor, psychiatrist and cognitive analytical therapist for over a decade. Now she is a partner in a healthcare strategy consultancy company, Candesic, working globally. She personally invests in AI early stage companies and advises firms interested in emerging digital technology. Michelle ran for parliament in the 2010 UK General Election and teaches ethics and law at Cambridge University. She is an advocate of making learning fun, lifelong and accessible to all.
Dedications
My mother, for being a role-model and loving parent and my father for having his feet on the ground.
All those that have helped on this book journey: heartfelt thanks, gratitude and blessings.
Copyright Information ©
Dr Michelle Tempest (2019)
The right of Dr Michelle Tempest to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528985413 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528985420 (Hardback)
ISBN 9781528985444 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Preface
‘If a machine can think, it might think more intelligently than we do and then where should we be? Even if we could keep the machines in a subservient position…we should, as a species, feel greatly humbled.’
Alan Turing, 1951
These are exciting times for human brain evolution. Modern life is fast. Information is delivered at high speed. The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has meant that computers may soon become capable of mimicking the brain, and brains are increasingly reliant on machines. A critical crossroads has been reached where psychology and technology are starting to coincide.
The amalgamation of these two great disciplines has opened up exciting global opportunities, to be seized upon with open arms. But important questions loom. Will cerebral networks shrivel as an increasing number of tasks are done by AI, just as unused muscles atrophy? Will new connections spring up, different from their precursors? Will the brain evolve a new way of thinking? Will AI help humans become increasingly intelligent? Or will AI manipulate humanity and cause cataclysmic chaos?
To date, there are no clear answers. This book does not advocate any halt in advancement – quite the opposite. Instead, passionate inquisitiveness is encouraged to understand if minds may be moulded by digital forces. The joy in being part of AI’s mesmerising journey is to find a constructive common path. History will not forgive us if we have a head-in-the-sand mentality. But what will be bequeathed?
The time has come to think ahead of the curve and ask the difficult questions. So, read on if you want to demystify AI and ensure the power of choice remains with its rightful owner – you!
Introduction

Wake Up Call
The human brain and digital technology are intertwining. The pace of change in computing and artificial intelligence (AI) is fast. There is little time to consciously clock consequences. Change may happen by stealth. We are living through a decade in which technology is tapping into human psychology. The time has come to acknowledge the partnership as lifelong. But remember that any binding marriage vows – ‘till death do us part’ 1 – only apply to the human half. AI is immortal.
In the wild, you’ll frequently see stunning symbiotic relationships. The African oxpecker bird feasts on insects hidden within the stripy fur of zebras, and prevents tick bites in a harmonious fashion. The clematis and crab apple plants thrive together, and during spring produce a double whammy of blossom beauty. However, there are also examples of toxic partnerships. Climbing vine shoots can rapidly outgrow their host, and many garden hedgerows have succumbed to such strangulation. The biological boundaries of the brain are increasingly blurring with digital technology. The Big Brain Revolution provides a wake-up call about this questionable partnership.
Thankfully, there is no prerequisite for in-depth knowledge of computer sciences, physics, mathematics, electronics, engineering or economics to digest this book. No doctorate-level knowledge of philosophy, neurology, psychology, psychiatry or neuroscience is necessary. Complex technological jargon is avoided, and all that’s needed is an open mind. The future isn’t about minuscule details of long mathematical algorithms, software, hardware or code. Nor, though, is it a spectator sport to be observed from the sidelines while eating popcorn. The revolution is happening right here, right now, as our collective acceptance of technological innovation embeds itself deeply into society. It’s imperative for everyone to be emotionally engaged in the future – otherwise the journey of digital advancement may be destined to outpace Darwinian human evolution.
It’s indisputable that in the space of just twenty years, life has changed. Today, young people marvel at how the baby boom generation managed to survive without the use of mobile devices or access to wireless internet. Regular everyday activities were unimaginable less than twenty years ago. A few things now taken for granted include:
waking up to mobile phone alarm clocks
checking emails on phones, iPads and laptops
making calls via mobile, Skype, Zoom or FaceTime
shopping through Amazon, eBay or Alibaba
instant messaging over text, WhatsApp, Viber or WeChat
news streamed live via social media such as Twitter, Instagram or Facebook
ordering a car from Uber or Lyft
booking a place to stay through Airbnb
home food delivery from Deliveroo, Uber Eats or Ocado
health monitoring via Fitbit or Apple Watch.
The list of online platforms is proliferating and the number of apps is almost endless. Parents are advised to limit their children’s screen time 2 and some adults, too, opt for a digital detox. 3 In 2012, a survey of over 2,000 US secondary school teachers showed 87% believed ‘digital technologies are creating an easily distracted generation with short attention spans’. 4 A study, in 2019, scanned the brains of children three to five-year-olds and found those who used screens more than one hour a day without parental involvement had lower levels of development in the brain’s white matter – meaning the connections in the brain were more disorganised with slower processing speed. This was significantly associated with poorer emerging literacy skills and the ability to rapidly name objects. ‘The average screen time in these kids was a little over two hours a day,’ said Dr John Hutton, who ran the study, ‘the range was anywhere from about an hour to a little over five hours.’ 5 Technology is being implicated in stunting development, causing conduct disorders and creating digital junkies. 6
Yet the evidence is not robust. The rapid pace of change has not allowed for studies to be done over a long time period, nor have results been easy to replicate. In 2009, for example, researchers found that young adults who engaged frequently in media multitasking performed less well at filtering out distractions and switching tasks. 7 However, when the same relationship was explored in 2014, 8 no such deficits were found. Instead, researchers found that adolescents who engaged more in media multitasking were slightly better at ignoring irrelevant distractions. Conclusive evidence is hard to come by, due to the very nature of how fast technology and software develop. Digital today is different from digital tomorrow.
In the past five years, paediatricians and teachers have spotted that some children have not developed the fine motor skills required to hold a pencil by the time they arrive at school. 9 Instead, they are well-versed in logging on to and swiping across an iPad, and can easily gain access to the multi-billion pound industry of online games. Over 75 million children per month play Minecraft, which was bought by Microsoft in 2015 for $2.5 billion, far more than the cost of its development. 10
To date, little money has been spent on researching the impact of gaming on childhood development. Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains , believes thinking has moved away from traditional information processing and contemplation towards a new form of distracted attention. 11 The focus has shifted from scholarly reading to skimming. The internet offers both immediate information and distractions to the user, and Carr suggests this could tinker wit