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Polluting the AIrwaves: AI

Tools enhanced through artificial intelligence equip charlatans and sophists, and laymen alike, with the occasional talking points to sound compelling and impressive (and maybe even erudite or scientific), to the extent that opportunists and useful idiots are likely to grow ever more certain of themselves and ever more capable of refining and expanding their cons; and, through these kinds of technological advances aiding their schemes, they will continue to take advantage of their contemporaries (in the relative minority) more predisposed to integrity, and others (in the majority) more predisposed to indolence or plain obedience. 

However, only so much can be done to continue the charade by those lacking enough nuance and perspective to elaborate on each point, let alone to coherently stitch together the information in a way that actually consistently makes sense, reconciles contradictions, admits any unknowns (or unknowables), and acknowledges any plausible counterarguments or critical objections. 

For these reasons alone, it is important for every individual to exercise caution when considering new ideas or new information, to resist the temptation to submit to those (individuals or programs) so certain in tone and temper, so confident in what they say or repeat, so privileged and deceitful in exploiting the information so conveniently provided to them through technologies that precious few even remotely understand; technologies capable of merely imitating human intelligence, whose reliance on keywords and pre-programmed pattern recognition subject them to cleverly-disguised biases, and whose backend programming is either too esoteric for the layman to grasp, hidden behind a layer of mystery or secrecy in need of careful scrutiny, or so cleverly disguised behind the cladding of impressive language and apparent sophistication that the reader’s confusion or prejudice lends to blind faith or acceptance. It is in this way that artificial intelligence pollutes the airwaves — at the hands of people lacking wisdom and curiosity or seeking power and influence. It is in this way that society gradually descends into a hive of Nurse Ratcheds (from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), managing and manipulating people through plain cunning and confidence from behind dead eyes devoid of interest, intrigue, compassion, or curiosity.

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