Housekeeping First:
At the request of the group and with the support of the U3A committee, I am pleased to confirm that the 2025 Demystifying Discussion Group will be held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. A big thank you to everyone involved!
.
However, I understand that this schedule may not work for everyone. If that’s the case, perhaps the "Perceptions of Difficulty" course group, which meets on the 3rd Thursday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, might appeal to you.
This Month's Discussion:
Our latest discussion was sparked by a recent media report about cursing robotic vacuum cleaners (link 1 below). This led us to delve into artificial intelligence (AI)—our experiences with it, the concerns we have, and how it may shape our lives in the future.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, few members have fully embraced AI, and many were cautious.
There was a shared curiosity about the role AI already plays in our daily lives. We asked ourselves: What other household tools could be crude, rude, and even spy on us?
As we examined this further, it became clear that we have been living with and integrating AI into our lifestyles for many years. For example, mobile phones have become extensions of ourselves, Netflix keeps us binge-watching on cold winter days, and our cars talk to us—although sometimes they direct us through paddocks or even waterholes! One neighbour even sets a robotic mower in motion regularly. There are countless examples of AI in our daily routines, yet the introduction of AI apps like ChatGPT often evokes fears of robots taking over the world.
Further Reading:
The University of Adelaide hosted an intriguing conference on Responsible AI (date to be confirmed). Link 2 will take you to one of the presentations, which highlights 10 examples of AI that are already part of our daily lives and explores key questions like "What do we need to be talking about now?" and "What are the next steps?"
For those looking to dive deeper, there are also several insightful essays on this topic. Simply paste the essay title into a search engine for more information. Link 3 will take you to the essay titled "A Unique Opportunity for Australia: Bridging the Divide Between Fundamental AI Research and Usable, Embodied AI."
Plenty of food for thought here!
Link 1 - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-11/robot-vacuum-yells-racial-slurs-at-family-after-being-hacked/104445408
Link 2 - https://www.atse.org.au/media/eslffd02/2-13-solar-10-examples-of-ai-that-are-here-now-and-have-been-embraced-by-the-general-public.pdf
Link 3 - https://www.atse.org.au/media/cfbp0xow/3-13-milford-a-unique-opportunity-for-australia-bridging-the-divide-between-fundamental-ai-research-and-usable-embodied-ai.pdf
Disclosure: I wrote this report then asked ChatGPT to "Refine" it. You have just read the result.
Next meeting: Thursday 21st November
Location: Ruby Blue Cafe Nunn Street.
Jane Rushworth
At the request of the group and with the support of the U3A committee, I am pleased to confirm that the 2025 Demystifying Discussion Group will be held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. A big thank you to everyone involved!
.
However, I understand that this schedule may not work for everyone. If that’s the case, perhaps the "Perceptions of Difficulty" course group, which meets on the 3rd Thursday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, might appeal to you.
This Month's Discussion:
Our latest discussion was sparked by a recent media report about cursing robotic vacuum cleaners (link 1 below). This led us to delve into artificial intelligence (AI)—our experiences with it, the concerns we have, and how it may shape our lives in the future.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, few members have fully embraced AI, and many were cautious.
There was a shared curiosity about the role AI already plays in our daily lives. We asked ourselves: What other household tools could be crude, rude, and even spy on us?
As we examined this further, it became clear that we have been living with and integrating AI into our lifestyles for many years. For example, mobile phones have become extensions of ourselves, Netflix keeps us binge-watching on cold winter days, and our cars talk to us—although sometimes they direct us through paddocks or even waterholes! One neighbour even sets a robotic mower in motion regularly. There are countless examples of AI in our daily routines, yet the introduction of AI apps like ChatGPT often evokes fears of robots taking over the world.
Further Reading:
The University of Adelaide hosted an intriguing conference on Responsible AI (date to be confirmed). Link 2 will take you to one of the presentations, which highlights 10 examples of AI that are already part of our daily lives and explores key questions like "What do we need to be talking about now?" and "What are the next steps?"
For those looking to dive deeper, there are also several insightful essays on this topic. Simply paste the essay title into a search engine for more information. Link 3 will take you to the essay titled "A Unique Opportunity for Australia: Bridging the Divide Between Fundamental AI Research and Usable, Embodied AI."
Plenty of food for thought here!
Link 1 - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-11/robot-vacuum-yells-racial-slurs-at-family-after-being-hacked/104445408
Link 2 - https://www.atse.org.au/media/eslffd02/2-13-solar-10-examples-of-ai-that-are-here-now-and-have-been-embraced-by-the-general-public.pdf
Link 3 - https://www.atse.org.au/media/cfbp0xow/3-13-milford-a-unique-opportunity-for-australia-bridging-the-divide-between-fundamental-ai-research-and-usable-embodied-ai.pdf
Disclosure: I wrote this report then asked ChatGPT to "Refine" it. You have just read the result.
Next meeting: Thursday 21st November
Location: Ruby Blue Cafe Nunn Street.
Jane Rushworth
RSS Feed
