AI’s silver lining?
There may be a silver lining to the warning not to trust artificial intelligence (Tribune-Herald, July 23).
We are already in a state where social media allows people to live behind masks of text relationships. These masks cultivate emotional dishonesty, not just with others, but with oneself.
Friends have told me they use the ChatGPT AI to craft conversation on dating websites. As AI becomes more sophisticated, social media and the internet generally will be flooded with it.
People can realistically expect their messages, sent and received, to go to and come from AI robots, computer programs with no real feelings or emotions. None. Zero. Only a fake simulation of emotion by text message.
Internet information will be more and more suspect of fakery and manipulation until you cannot believe in any of it.
Where is the silver lining? As people feel more and more isolated and alone on their computers and phones, perhaps they will rebel. They will massively withdraw from social media and the internet in favor of real relationships with real people in their local community centers.
The tech industry and their advertisers, uncareful about what they wished for, can stew in their own toxic juices with lost revenue.
As an old expression now revised goes: “Turn off your computer, tune out of social media, and drop in to real human relationships.”
William Mautz
Kurtistown
Finish the bridge
A few years ago, the Kolekole Bridge was deemed unsafe.
Initially, a weight limit of 10 tons was placed, which limited trucking and allowed only passenger cars, which are usually in the 2- to 3-ton range, to traverse the bridge and eliminated all heavy trucks, which had to be routed to either Saddle Road or the highway beyond Kolekole to get to the north and west side of the island.
A few years later, the weight limit was raised to 25 tons and, at the present time, there is no limit on tonnage at all.
Strengthening “trusses” were manufactured a few years ago and have been left sitting on the sides of the highway but inside the existing “walls” of the bridge. This narrows the highway.
Fortunately, the bridge is still standing and has not crumbled into the ocean yet!
Are we ever going to see the project completed? I see no effort being made to finish the project.
Pradeepta Chowdhury
Hilo