• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Skip to footer navigation

  • Calendar of events
  • 687 Larch Av, Teaneck NJ
  • 201-836-5187
  • Contact Us
  • DONATE
Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County NJ

Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County NJ

  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Leader
      • Leader Curt Collier
      • Leader’s Talks
      • Joe Chuman, Retired Leader
        • Talks by Dr Joseph Chuman
        • Speaking of Ethics: Living a Humanist Life
        • Wedding Officiant
    • Gatherings
    • FAQ
      • How does Ethical Culture make a difference in society?
      • What social life is there in Ethical Culture?
      • How is Ethical Culture religious?
    • Ethical Brew
    • Ceremonies
    • Philosophy
    • Constitution & Bylaws
    • Contact Us
  • Sunday School
    • About Our Sunday School
    • Primary Class
    • Elementary Class
    • Junior Class
    • Senior Class
    • Sunday school FAQ
    • Sunday School News
  • Social Action
    • History of Our Social Action
    • All Social Action Articles
    • Battling Racism
    • Environmental Action
    • Healthcare
  • Adult Education
    • About Our Adult Ed Programs
    • Open Mic
    • Conversemos
    • Job Club
    • Accountability Circle
      • Anti-racism
      • Gender Explorations
    • Mindfulness Mediation
    • Socrates Cafe
    • Ethical Culture Review of Books
  • News
    • All News
    • President Column
    • UN Report
    • Gathering Addresses
    • Member News
    • Sunday School News
  • EVENTS

As I See It: Trying to Find the ‘Art’ in Artificial Intelligence

December 26, 2022

By Jim Norman

The more the news of the day leaves me bereft of any hope that intelligent life on this Earth will prevail, the more I find myself wondering if artificial intelligence, or AI, would be any better.

As a sometime artist, I was deeply interested in a presentation at a recent Ethical Culture Gathering by member Paulo Ribeiro on the use of AI applications like DALL-E to produce original art.

Would it be ethical?

I was also troubled. I wondered: Would it be ethical to produce art in this way? Would it be forgery, or plagiarism? Would it be a social benefit to interfere with the ability of real artists to make a living, by using an application like DALL-E to generate publishable art at no cost?

I had no trouble at all coming to a quick conclusion: It may be inevitable, but it’s terrible! Bordering on evil, I thought, and possibly even over the line!

I put it to the test

But wait: Let me first check this out. Is it really possible for an AI program to replace a real artist? So I signed up for DALL-E (thanks, Paulo!) and put it to work. I ordered it to produce a watercolor in the style of Winslow Homer, depicting sun rays breaking through lifting storm clouds in coastal Maine.

The sun’s rays on the coast of Maine, according to DALL-E.

At right is what DALL-E came up with.

I am relieved to report that it is premature to think there’s anything to worry about, for now.

No sooner than I was able to ease my mind over this application of AI, along comes something called ChatGPT, an AI invention that promises to produce original content that reads like it came from the mind and keyboard of a flesh-and-blood writer — in complete sentences and well-constructed paragraphs, no less!

A Reddit user ordered ChatGPT to solve the problem of a peanut butter sandwich stuck in a VCR player, written as a verse in the King James version of the Bible:

“And it came to pass that a man was troubled by a peanut butter sandwich, for it had been placed within his VCR, and he knew not how to remove it,” ChatGPT responded. “And he cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘Oh, Lord, how can I remove this sandwich from my VCR, for it is stuck fast and will not budge?’ And the Lord spoke unto him, saying, ‘Fear not, my child, for I shall guide thy hand and show thee the way.’”

Authoritative biblical instruction

Finally, after authoritative biblical instruction, the application issued a lordly command: “Verily I say unto thee, seek not to put thy peanut butter sandwiches in thy VCR, for it is not a suitable place for such things. Rather, keep thy sandwiches in thy refrigerator or on thy plate, where they belong. And the man heeded the Lord’s words, and from that day forth, he kept his sandwiches in their proper place, and was saved from trouble and woe. Amen.”

So, I thought, what if I were to order ChatGPT to save me the trouble of writing my monthly column in Ethical Focus?

“Write a 400-word essay for Ethical Focus, a publication of the Ethical Culture Society, exploring the ethical considerations of using a chatbot like ChatGPT to write an essay for publication,” I wrote.

‘Something seems to have gone wrong’

In due course, this is what I got back: “Hmm…something seems to have gone wrong. Maybe try me again in a little bit.”

So, I did, and I received this: “An error occurred. If this issue persists please contact us through our help center at help.openai.com.” A third attempt brought this: “Request timed out.”

Now, don’t get me wrong: I still feel that AI represents a grave potential threat to real thinking human beings, but for the next few minutes, anyway, we don’t have much to worry about.

Do we have enough ‘real thinking human beings’?

On reflection, however, I realize that the premise of my optimism is based on the continued existence of real thinking human beings. And along comes the news that a disgraced former president has offered to sell digital files of photoshopped images depicting himself in superhero poses and costumes, for $99 a pop, payable in cryptocurrency. Worse, the offering has sold out, and a secondary market has developed in which some buyers have been willing to spend as much as $12,000 for a single image!

I do wonder about that “real thinking human being” thing.

Jim Norman is president of the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County.

Primary Sidebar

Ethical Brew is Back!

Ethical Brew Coffeehouse

Recent News

  • You’re Invited: Humanist for the Holidays
  • Join our Celebration of Human Rights
  • Our Research Highlights the Need to Connect Local Residents and Public Spaces
  • We Must Continue to Work Toward the Conditions of Peace
  • Let’s Join Forces Against Disinformation

Sign up for our newsletter.

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

We believe in ethics. We believe in people.

Please believe in us.

    Donate    

About Us

Ethical Culture was founded to focus on community and good works, rather than personal salvation. Read more…

Archives

Footer

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Connect with Us

Address: 687 Larch Ave, Teaneck, NJ 07666
Phone: 201-836-5187
Email: [email protected]

Sign up for our newsletter.

 

Recent Posts

  • You’re Invited: Humanist for the Holidays November 30, 2023
  • Join our Celebration of Human Rights November 30, 2023
  • Our Research Highlights the Need to Connect Local Residents and Public Spaces November 30, 2023
  • We Must Continue to Work Toward the Conditions of Peace November 29, 2023
  • Let’s Join Forces Against Disinformation November 9, 2023
Our Society’s Covid-19 Guidelines

We believe in ethics. We believe in people.

Please believe in us.

Topics

atheism atheist church book review children civil rights climate change community compassion death democracy Doris Friedensohn education Elizabeth Warren environment environmentalism Ethical Brew Ethical Culture ethical education ethics family Felix Adler gender global warming happiness healthcare humanism humanist humanists human rights Israel Joseph Chuman Middle East politics racism religion Secular Humanism social action Socrates Cafe Sunday School technology transgender Trump unemployment world health youth

What We Do For Fun….

There's always time for play: celebrations, discussions (some in Spanish -- find Conversemos on our calendar), hikes, picnics, cultural outings, and more. Come join us!
Kids get into the act
Diane running the show

Important Links

  • Member of the American Ethical Union
  • Ethical Brew
  • Sanctuary Committee
  • BC Gun Violence Prevention
  • NJ Website Designer
© 2023 | The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County NJ

Copyright © 2023 · Kreativ Pro On Genesis Framework · The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County · Log in

  • Calendar of events
  • 687 Larch Av, Teaneck NJ
  • 201-836-5187
  • Contact Us
  • DONATE