THE UNCHARTED WATERS OF AI BY W.E. BROWER JR.

Artificial Intelligence has become the talking point of nearly every water cooler and company boardrooms these days. Modern technology is often a late addition to my household as generally I’m of the opinion don’t fix it if it’s not broken.? Like Mark Harmon’s Gibbs from NCIS, my cell phone model was discontinued thirteen years ago but, it still lets me make calls and surf online when I’m not writing. I’m familiar with some of the programs and in my line of experience both as an author and screenwriter, I’m responsible for keeping track of what’s being used and to ensure I’m familiar with said program should a project I’m hired for use it as an added measure etc.? As a historian, I’m more accustomed to taking meetings personally, present material or research then leave with a firm handshake.? The concept of relying on AI and algorithms to make heavily swayed decisions is alien to me and admittedly seeing results first hand is prime example that more work should be invested to improve the concept further before we place our absolute faith into it.

Like many people, I have my resume circulating through Indeed and other job search engines. It’s built and geared towards a company who is in need of a writer, podcaster, or filmmakers working on period pieces in need of a historical consultant. ?The offers that arrive not only prove that this is still too new of a concept, but also make for a deep belly laugh at times! This isn’t a whiny post from an author and historian mind you, but instead a learning tool for how some of the keywords are working across the board.? Here’s a selection from today’s emails that were waiting for me when I opened my office two hours ago:

·???????? With four plus decades of researching the Titanic, I’m invited to apply as a research physicist at the local nuclear plant as long as I have midlevel clearance plus a PHD in Physics.

·???????? My psychological horror book Killer Journal gives me the opportunity to be a Professor of Abnormal Psychology for a major university.

·???????? My optioned film, The Message provides me the experience to teach ballet for a studio.

·???????? My other optioned film No Credit, Big Problem! Qualifies me to apply as a social worker for underdeveloped neighborhoods in the Midwest.

These are only a few of the examples. To really put things to the test, Ms. Jackie Chin, host of The Indie Files ran my name through the new Microsoft Helper program. ?While the program initially quoted three lines from my author bio, things went downhill from there.

Apparently instead of being born on March 17th as on my birth certificate, I was born on October 26, 1929. While I was named after my late father, William E. Brower, according to Microsoft, my father’s name was Frank and I also have a sister named Gertrude who was born in 1931!

With hiccups such as these, we’re still safe from Hal-9000 taking over the internet while factories begin producing Terminators. That at least is a blessing in itself!

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