SIR ISAAC NEWTON’S HAS SOME CAUTIONARY ADVICE ABOUT AI.
If you think nobody pays attention to what we’re doing from the ‘other side’, think again. And on some topics, we should pay attention to them, too.
Artificial intelligence is front and center as a topic and it’s becoming more and more polarizing. There are those who can’t wait to explore its limits and the sooner the better. Their efforts remind me of the famous quote, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.”
There are others who are more controlled and warn us against unleashing a power that we might not be able to control. Regardless of the side you’re on, Wall Street loves the subject and stock prices reflect that, too. So, you can expect AI to become more visible—not less so as we move forward.
Imagine my surprise when Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727), the English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, author, and natural philosopher spoke to me on that subject from the ‘other side’.
If you aren’t familiar with Newton’s brilliance, he formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation and was considered one of the most important minds in history. His theory of gravity allowed him to calculate the mass of each planet and earth’s ocean tides. In fact, it’s impossible here to list all his scientific accomplishments.
Isaac Newton was also tied to the Whig party, served in the Parliament, and was knighted by Queen Anne in 1705. Seems like a guy worth listening to, right? So, I did.
“I come today to stimulate the minds of the curious and to encourage them to engage and engage and engage. There is nothing that helps a society flourish like minds who want to know more and understand the tiniest details of what appears around them. It’s almost always through curiosity that the most brilliant discoveries and inventions are born—few appear by accident.
“Today, I look at your schools and recognize that those who teach are doing just the opposite for the students entrusted into their care. They discourage questions, critiques and worse than discouraging those things, they either ridicule or dismiss those who raise the valid points. I believe that magnifies the saying that “those who can’t do, teach”—or however that goes.
“Such behavior is defensive and only reveals the ignorance of the person standing in front of the classroom or behind the podium.
“The world is changing at such a fast pace, mainly because of advances in technology, that this field seemed like a safe environment for people to ask, question and critique without anyone taking such input personally. It’s merely technology, so have at it—and people did—which now shows you what can happen when the human mind is unleashed, and parameters are ripped away.
“Advancement is coming at lightning speed; the example, AI [artificial intelligence]. I brought up technology because, as with all extraordinary discoveries, it calls for even more questions, critiques, projecting possibilities and analyzing—so all this discovery doesn’t end up doing more harm than good.
“Imagine if people ran with the concept of the speed of light, without backing up a bit to see if there was a landmine at the end of what all that speed was taking them? Or sound magnification. What if there were no restrictions placed on that technology by government and someone decided to produce a sound so loud that it burst the eardrums of every person within a 200-mile radius, then the energy from that sound produced residual damage to life in other ways—the destruction of insects, birds, animals and other forms of nature! And they did that just to see what would happen!
“Unleased curiosity without questions, critique or analysis is insanity. So, let’s tippy toe back into the realm of sanity, my friends. Start applying some of that process in this new technology world of AI and then begin to accept such protocols back into college campuses and high school and grade school classrooms. Now do I have that theory confused with exercising common sense? Seems I might.
“I was a brilliant thinker in my lifetime but that is what was great with science back then. We allowed others to poke and pry at our theories until they were perfected enough to be universally accepted. Even though there was some isolation in that world, the protocols and processes apply across the board today. It’s through post-analysis that artistic performances are refined, sports games are mastered, and we perfect the less than perfect. That is how science used to work—emphasis on “used to”.
“So, since today processes involved in science have become compromised, we must start individually to wake up our senses and begin asking questions. For, it’s only through curiosity that we solve problems, elevate society, stimulate our minds, and contribute to mankind with the many gifts we were given.
“Without curiosity, we wouldn’t know anything, would we? I’m back, asking yet another question. Sir Isaac Newton”
Because I’ve become ever more curious in my advancing years, I read a little more about Sir Isaac Newton because he fascinated me. That’s why I’ve decided to leave you with this one interesting point about his life. It seems Newton’s mother tried to pull him out of school at age 12 so he’d become a farmer.
Good thing that plan fell through, isn’t it? His contributions during his life were extraordinary and I’m not sure his contribution has stopped—given this message.