AI advances increasingly resemble science fiction movies – DiarioBitcoin
By Hannah Perez
These recent AI developments gave nods to science fiction stories. OpenAI is inspired by the movie “Her,” as Microsoft pursues a darker “Black Mirror” tone.
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- These two recent AI developments gave nods to science fiction storytelling
- OpenAI seems to be inspired by the feature film “Her” while Microsoft imitates “Black Mirror”
- Scarlett Johansson seeks answers from OpenAI to find out how she got Sky’s voice
- Meanwhile, Microsoft introduced a feature reminiscent of an episode of “Black Mirror”
Our current world looks more and more like a science fiction story every day, with companies developing artificial intelligence (AI) with one foot on the accelerator closely imitating the stories of the big screen.
Two AI industry news stories that broke this week were reminiscent of sci-fi movies and TV shows, delving into the nuances, concerns and debates about how the fast-growing technology could transform our society.
Several days have passed since OpenAI presented the updated version of its AI model. Called GTP-4o, the system displays advanced functions that integrate voice, images and text. The live demonstration of the model, nicknamed Sky, seemed to recall the iconic AI character from the film “Her” (2013), starring the talented Scarlett Johansson.
But the similarity that many observed between the new GPT and Spike Jonze’s science fiction feature film may not be a conjecture, since the ChatGPT company could have copied Johansson’s voice for its product.
In Jonze’s acclaimed film, Johansson voices Samantha, an advanced operating system powered by artificial intelligence that, among its vast super capabilities, develops emotions and forges emotional bonds with humans. The story closely follows Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) in his complex relationship, first instrumental and then romantic, with Samantha, outlining some of the challenges that the widespread use of such technology in our society could pose.
During the recent public presentation of GTP-4o, Sky showed off some capabilities reminiscent of Jonze’s character. The new GPT was able to interpret images, provide emotional support to its human interlocutor, recognize their facial expressions on the other side of the screen and even express their affection, managing to sound almost indistinguishable from a real person.
Interestingly, Sky also sounded quite similar to Samantha, aka Johansson.
GPT-40 sounds just like Samantha from “Her”
In a statement earlier this week, the Hollywood actress, known for her roles in both films indie as within the Marvel cinematic universe, he hinted that OpenAI He could have used his voice to give his new AI model sonic personality.
“Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system.“Johansson wrote in a letter that was first picked up by the media. NPR.
After Altman’s failed efforts to seduce the actress, the company reportedly made a last-ditch bid a few days before ChatGPT’s first public voice demonstration, Johansson said.. Now she is looking for a clear explanation from the company about how the voice of the new system was developed.
“In a time when we are all dealing with deepfakes and protecting our own image, our own work, our own identities, I think these are questions that deserve absolute clarity.“he said, quoted the coverage.
In response to the celebrity’s allegations, OpenAI has assured that Sky does not have the same voice as Johansson, —although he has still decided to stop using his current voice, just in case.
“Sky’s voice is not Scarlett Johansson’s and was never intended to sound like hers. We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before contacting Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have stopped using Sky’s voice in our products. We are very sorry, Ms. Johansson, that we have not communicated better“, said OpenAI to the newspapers.
It is not clear whether the company actually copied or was inspired by the actress’s voice for its system, but the truth is that Sam Altman, the CEO, has publicly expressed his admiration for Johansson’s work. Additionally, he has identified “Her” as her favorite movie and also posted the word “Her” in an apparent reference to the film on the day of GPT-40’s release. Coincidence?
Microsoft and its new “Black Mirror” feature
In a separate development, Microsoft introduced a new AI feature this week that gave a nod to the popular series of Netflix, “Black Mirror”. At least this was the impression that billionaire Elon Musk had after learning about the advance.
In particular, Microsoft said Tuesday that the new computers enabled Copilot “they will remember” anything displayed on the screen, including emails, websites and apps, as part of a new recovery feature that stores local snapshot screenshots of everything the user does.
“With Recall, you can virtually access what you’ve seen or done on your PC in a way that feels like having photographic memory“, said Microsoft. “This helps you remember things you may have forgotten so you can find what you’re looking for quickly and intuitively simply by using the cues you remember.“.
While some observers praised the development, others called it dangerous. Among the skeptics, Musk felt motivated to convey his distrust to followers on social networks. “This is an episode of Black Mirror. Definitely disabling this “feature”“he wrote along with a link to the product presentation.
The trailer could certainly remind you of the episode’s plot.”The Entire History of You“, from the first season of the acclaimed series Netflix, which tells of a world where citizens record their entire lives on video. Every daily event is recorded by a small chip implanted in people’s brains, —a concept that Musk is familiar with through his company Neuralink—, which allows you to create an archive of everything you see, do and hear on a daily basis.
Reality imitates fiction, or is it the other way around?
Similar to Altman, Musk has also previously demonstrated his fanaticism for science fiction storytelling, from films to classic literature of the genre. The tycoon, who for years has been building self-driving vehicles, runs an AI development company that promotes Groka chatbot that has also made notable progress recently.
Musk shared this week his bold projection of the future, anticipating that AI will manage to surpass us in intelligence, managing to replace us in our jobs as humanity conquers space; a vision that is undoubtedly reminiscent of countless science fiction films, programs and stories.
Sci-fi narrative has shaped our ideas about technology and the future of humanity, and now that sci-fi fanatic entrepreneurs dominate the companies leading advances in AI and other emerging technologies, it makes sense that reality would resemble increasingly to the genre.
Article by Hannah Estefanía Pérez / DailyBitcoin
Picture of Unsplash
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