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No, the Singularity Isn't Coming: A Look at AI in 2023
No, the Singularity Isn't Coming: A Look at AI in 2023
George Lyden Y12B
This year, we saw innovation in AI as we have never seen it before. Text prompt websites such as ChatGPT have grown in popularity due to their uncanny ability to reproduce even obscure text formats perfectly. Image creation programmes such as Midjourney have left artists wondering about their place in the world, and many people philosophising at length about the current and future implications of integrating this kind of technology into our daily lives.
But perhaps not all philosophy must tread the well-worn paths of nihilism. This year AI has seen significant developments in the medical field, especially concerning the evaluation of medical conditions and development of new drugs. The tech startup PathAI’s system has increased the rates at which we can detect cancer by decoding pathology images that previously were incredibly susceptible to human error, and engines like Atomwise use technology similar to image recognition to look at atoms and group them based on function so they can “find small molecule hits for more undruggable targets than any other AI drug discovery platform.”, according to their website. Obviously both of these programmes have exciting potential, and many similar technologies are currently in development for other fields. Climate modelling programmes have been able to construct predictive models to demonstrate and inspire climate change mitigation programmes. ClimateAi looks at preparing industries to build climate resilience in the long and short term, while something like Verdigris provides options to optimise energy consumption.
Far too often we all philosophise ourselves into a corner, or read too much Iain M. Banks before bed and begin to fear a future where humanity becomes unnecessary to humans. We can choose to shiver under the covers at night, concerned that our loved ones will all eventually be replaced by silicone versions of themselves, but that fear isn’t productive. Not when there are real practical issues with AI. Don’t hate generative AI because what it produces is “ugly” or “feels inhuman”, because there’s an implication there that you will “come around” once these issues are resolved. And they certainly will be. Hate it because engines are stealing data to feed their programmes through web scraping tools and APIs. We have seen in the SAG-AFTRA strikes the effects of employers attempting to cut costs by leveraging automation against actors and writers, firing writers and then hiring them again with lower wages to make AI generated scripts coherent. Perpetrating the fantasy of AI machines going rogue is a distraction from the real harm many corporations are doing. Policy building needs to regulate the data being fed to algorithms, to consider the energy cost of machine learning, to push against algorithmic profiling of Black and Indigenous families.
I don’t have to (nor do you care to read) my ultimate opinions on whether the AI movement is a positive or negative development. While we can be optimistic about what AI does for medicine, we can grieve for the writers struggling to prove their worth in the eyes of money-hungry employers. Or better still, we can educate ourselves and help them in their fight.
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Keeping Your New Year's Resolutions
Keeping Your New Year's Resolutions
Aemilia Rice-Mileto, Y10
New year’s resolutions are notoriously hard to keep. It’s no surprise that, in New York for instance, only 9% of adults stick to their goals all year round. 80% have forgotten them in a few months, while 23% have already given up after the first week.
Let’s say Becky, as our imaginary example, wants to start going to the gym everyday (the most common resolution) and eat healthier. Becky makes this decision while drunk at a New Year’s Eve party. As fireworks explode and Becky downs another glass of champagne, she is certain that tomorrow, she’ll make herself into a newer, better version of herself. However, after less than a week, Becky has cancelled the gym membership she bought on an impulse and is telling Google to order pepperoni pizza from Dough Bros.
How can this be? Becky’s main problem isn’t just lack of motivation or overeaching; it’s coming from her brain. Modern society tells us that we are unique human beings, each one with our personal stories and undeniable value.
In reality, Science says we are ‘dividuals’. You likely have heard of the left and right parts of your brain. The right hemisphere of your brain controls the ‘experiencing self’, the you in the moment. For instance, when Becky stubs her toe, she immediately screams, feels pain and checks for any damage. However, the left hemisphere of her brain, the ‘narrating self’, rationalises the event, attributing it to clumsiness after an exhausting day at work. The experiencing self remembers nothing, while the narrating self controls memories and interprets real life to make it into a logical story for ourselves.
To put things simply, Becky’s rash decision last week has been remembered by the ‘narrating self’, but is being overruled by the experiencing self. It is likely that the ‘narrating self’ will chalk the failure up to feeling depressed on that particular day. We’ll try again tomorrow. But tomorrow Becky is feeling down again. And thus the cycle continues.
How are we supposed to change ourselves if our minds are working against us? Your mind isn’t your enemy. You just have to give it something feasible. For example, start small, but in the right mindset. Becky can go to the gym once a week to start with, and for every two pizzas, eat a salad.
Make an actual plan, and find something to monitor you. Humans usually do their work if it’s part of their schedule, or if someone is watching them. Becky could download a fitness app and clear out her Monday evenings to workout.
The hardest part is making sure that you are ready to make those sacrifices. Any change requires you to change. This may seem obvious, but it’s easier said than done. In the end, only Becky can create that healthier, happier Becky that we’re all waiting for.
Sources:
Morin, A. (2021, December 28). 5 reasons why most New Year’s resolutions don’t stick, according to a psychotherapist. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/reasons-why-most-new-years-resolutions-dont-stick
Allen, L. (n.d.). New Year’s Resolutions Statistics and Trends [2023]. https://www.driveresearch.com/market-research-company-blog/new-years-resolutions-statistics/#:~:text=Just%209%25%20of%20adults%20keep,first%20week%20of%20the%20year.
Davis, S. (2023, December 18). New Year’s Resolutions Statistics 2024. Forbes Health. https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/new-years-resolutions-statistics/
Harari, Y. N. (2015). Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. http://cds.cern.ch/record/2319925
Micro-trends - The Fast Fashion Phenomenon
Micro-trends - The Fast Fashion Phenomenon
Sanjana Singh, Y10
Micro-trends are cycles of short lived trends that gain a high amount of attention in a short period of time before quickly losing relevance and popularity. These trends are fueled by a multitude of factors, including: social media (like TikTok or Instagram), celebrities and influencers, and popular fast fashion brands that sell and produce clothing which are easily disposable and breakable. This promotes a wasteful trend cycle.
2023 was home to many micro-trends, labelled with niche and bizarre names typically ending with the suffix “core” or the noun “girl” which spread through the internet like wildfire - incredibly quickly while gaining an immense amount of views.
Micro-trends have become impressively well known and prominent all over the internet. Examples of these unique aesthetics include:
Mermaid-core
Mermaid-core
A subculture of ethereal style that emulates a mermaid through clothing, makeup and hairstyles
Tomato-core
Tomato-core
Inspired by the Mediterranean coast and tomato-based dishes, the style is based on red and neutrals.
Bloke-ette
Bloke-ette
A combination of the words bloke and coquette (another aesthetic popularised during the 2010s). A look that originated from the tomboyish and laid back casual wearing of sports jerseys, with a feminine twist to it by adding bows, ribbons, long maxi skirts, etc.
A behavioural psychologist, Carolyn Mair, says that: “The desire to buy trend after trend isn’t about attention span—it’s about habituation. When we experience something for the first time, it excites us and gives us pleasure, but with repetition over time, the pleasure dissipates because we habituate to the experience.” People who become accustomed to the feeling have the desire to make new purchases in an attempt to revive the thrill they received. Mair states that: “When we follow a trend, we show our belonging to others who follow [...]and dissociate ourselves from those who do not.” Wearers who experience this connection feel complete and that they belong, which are qualities that are recognised to be desirable.
Because of these short cycles of trends, there is a production of a huge amount of fashion waste and the increased consumption of clothing to fit these micro-trends is at the cost of the environment. It causes a horrific size of excess water usage, the release of micro-fibres (plastic-based thread) and harmful materials as well as landfills overflowing with abandoned clothing.
Micro-trends aren’t inherently bad, but when brands make their workers produce clothing under exploitative conditions and additionally cause harm towards the environment, it begins to be problematic. An individual may be less attracted to styles they think are trending on their social media by creating a personal style - a style that fits exactly what they like and feel comfortable with. It makes the consumption of clothing slower and more thoughtful, when you know what you like, rather than buying everything you think is “trending”.
Stand up to fast fashion!
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