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Richard Feynman and the Connection Machine (1989)

longnow.org

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Re: Richard Feynman and the Connection Machine (1989)

#21

Post by MSKJ »

ryandvm wrote: post #8

I'm a huge fan of Feynman and his autobiographies - some of my favorite books. There are a number of YouTube videos that purport to be Feynman's audio lectures, but they're actually AI generated readings of his script. Against my better instincts I listened to a couple and it was surreal experience. On one hand, they were actually pretty decent simulacra and I loved hearing Feynman's voice and mannerisms; but on the…

There's this stigma towards AI in certain things that I find interesting. In your case was the weirdness (the uncanny valley area) due to the AI using Feynman's voice? Would it still be weird if it used a different voice?

The AI generation in this case is a tool to convert text to voice, one of the best use cases of this technology IMO

Re: Richard Feynman and the Connection Machine (1989)

#22

Post by ryandvm »

MSKJ wrote: post #21
ryandvm wrote: post #8

I'm a huge fan of Feynman and his autobiographies - some of my favorite books. There are a number of YouTube videos that purport to be Feynman's audio lectures, but they're actually AI generated readings of his script. Against my better instincts I listened to a couple and it was surreal experience. On one hand, they were actually pretty decent simulacra and I loved hearing Feynman's voice and mannerisms; but on the…

There's this stigma towards AI in certain things that I find interesting. In your case was the weirdness (the uncanny valley area) due to the AI using Feynman's voice? Would it still be weird if it used a different voice? The AI generation in this case is a tool to convert text to voice, one of the best use cases of this technology IMO

It was weird because it seemed authentic, but was not. There was nothing technically uncanny about it - the illusion was complete. Ten years ago I would have absolutely thought that it must have been Feynman's own voice.

I find it weird in the same way that I feel about AI services that will let you chat with deceased relatives. It's the principle of the thing that is unsettling. Perhaps future generations will find these objections quaint.

Re: Richard Feynman and the Connection Machine (1989)

#25

Post by quirkot »

aftbit wrote: post #10
quirkot wrote: post #2

banging on the door like a madman where's the clock? where's the clock we all donated money for? tell us about the clock you cowards!

Yeah.... that was a cool idea. Too bad it'll never be built. (Supposedly they're building it in West Texas - last update in 2024)

I cannot express how much I drank this kool-aid. When there were still updates every 2-3 years I would scour google maps to try and find the site. Based on Long Now promo images and local newspaper photos, this is my leading contender. The dirt roads were all gradually expanded and construction equipment was visible here in the 2009-2013 time frame. https://maps.app.goo.gl/3QWhyYGu7DrD8jQWA
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