If the algorithms are designed to maximize engagement, then the opposite is true from a certain point of view. The result is an _undistorted_ reflection of our nature.
'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
31–40 of 43 posts
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#32The fact that we’re all so easily influenced in ways we don’t even realize makes me believe AI deities are only a matter of time. I’m legit terrified of a future where some programmer creates a cult AI figure that will direct people to either harm themselves or others.
It's already begun.
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#33> An ex-YouTube insider reveals how its recommendation algorithm promotes divisive clips and conspiracy videos. Did they harm Hillary Clinton’s bid for the presidency?
So the reason people didn't vote for Hillary was that they were fooled by videos they saw on the Internet? Is this what people who are upset their candidate didn't win believe, even one year after the election?
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#34It's not a given that social media had anything to do with the result of the election, the few scientifically researched reports out there suggest that good ol’ mainstream media was by far the prime channel of influence:
https://cyber.harvard.edu/publications/2017/08/mediacloud
That aside, so what if “fiction was outperforming reality”? it’s a marketplace of ideas and people choose to spend their time watching what they may, stop infantilizing them.
I realise that the media has been under “attack” lately (if you really consider name calling as serious attack) but they would benefit from some introspection, not only are they scapegoating social media and calling for it to be regulated - freedom of speech be damned - they also keep advancing the invented notion of a “backlash against tech firms” projecting their own aversions onto the rest of the world.
See: no real evidence of any such backlash:
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#35I put on some science video and walked away recently... came back latter and the autoplay had navigated itself deep into k00ky flat earther stuff. People raising concerns about superhuman AI grey-gooing the planet have their priorities wrong. Incompetent narrow AI will happily navigate man kind into a wall when the pattern of bricks by chance happens to look like a tunnel. Don't be evil... we have automation for that…
pro tip: never fall asleep to youtube without disabling autoplay. conspiracy nut vids make for some interesting dreams.
Or suddenly the volume jumps.
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#36I put on some science video and walked away recently... came back latter and the autoplay had navigated itself deep into k00ky flat earther stuff. People raising concerns about superhuman AI grey-gooing the planet have their priorities wrong. Incompetent narrow AI will happily navigate man kind into a wall when the pattern of bricks by chance happens to look like a tunnel. Don't be evil... we have automation for that…
> I put on some science video and walked away recently... came back latter and the autoplay had navigated itself deep into k00ky flat earther stuff. That's the point of youtube autoplay. You leave it running long enough it'll go through all the videos. That's what makes youtube interesting. At least that's what made youtube deep diving interesting before all the censorship. You go through enough books in the library…
> That's the point of youtube autoplay. You leave it running long enough it'll go through all the videos. That's what makes youtube interesting. At least that's what made youtube deep diving interesting before all the censorship.
> You go through enough books in the library and you will eventually find books on alchemy.
This might be true if there were only a finite number of videos _before_ getting to the kooky ones, but YouTube tends to get to them disturbingly fast.
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#37I put on some science video and walked away recently... came back latter and the autoplay had navigated itself deep into k00ky flat earther stuff. People raising concerns about superhuman AI grey-gooing the planet have their priorities wrong. Incompetent narrow AI will happily navigate man kind into a wall when the pattern of bricks by chance happens to look like a tunnel. Don't be evil... we have automation for that…
pro tip: never fall asleep to youtube without disabling autoplay. conspiracy nut vids make for some interesting dreams.
Not as interesting as in-depth documentaries on the Donner Party.
(source: personal experience. yikes!)
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#38The fact that we’re all so easily influenced in ways we don’t even realize makes me believe AI deities are only a matter of time. I’m legit terrified of a future where some programmer creates a cult AI figure that will direct people to either harm themselves or others.
All the needles suffering would call for an AI to save us from ourselves.
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#39If the algorithms are designed to maximize engagement, then the opposite is true from a certain point of view. The result is an _undistorted_ reflection of our nature.
Can't follow you
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
the stereotypical grey goo is usually an example of the kind of narrow AI you are talking about
Grey goo doesn’t require intelligence of any sort tho just the ability to consume resources and replicate. And it doesn’t even have to be nano machines, HzD is effectively a grey goo scenario with drones that can replicate and can produce essentially biodiesel.
Replication takes some kind of programming, perhaps not a statistical/machine learning type algorithm; but the example of a "navigation ai" also doesn't seem like it would be employing those techniques.