The Deep North

Can AI replace human software developers?Yes. Not today, but soon. I have been a software developer longer than most people talking about this have been alive. Most developers are weak enough that much of their activity will be better done by AI automation. One of the things holding up AI in development is that the human-created code they have trained on is terrible. They have learned to reproduce sloppy, bug-inviting code because that is mostly what is available out there. That will change. Lots of jobs exist because they are required to support fragile, poorly written systems. As those get replaced, the jobs surrounding them will disappear. That’s good news, though. Maintaining and patching together buggy legacy code is a horrible job I would not wish on anybody. Depending on the environment, I would say anywhere from 10% to 50% or more of developers will be replaceable in about five years, probably sooner. Maybe the top 10% of developers will still be needed because they have a high...

Below is an edited copy of a post I made on Quora years ago.    Has the Existence of Fake Fossils Led Us to Many Wrong Conclusions in the Theory of Evolution? By Bob Trower The question of whether fake fossils have significantly misled our understanding of evolutionary theory is a complex one, but the answer is essentially "no." To fully appreciate this, it's important to understand both the robustness of evolutionary theory and the motivations behind the attacks on it. Understanding the Theory of Evolution The Theory of Evolution, often described as "the most thoroughly authenticated fact in the whole history of science" by anthropologist Ashley Montagu (Montagu, 1984), is a comprehensive and well-supported framework for understanding the diversity of life on Earth. It is not just a single idea but a collection of interconnected concepts supported by an immense volume of evidence from various scientific disciplines, including genet...

As far as I know, people charged with 'Alignment' at AI companies are not convinced things are safe enough and some have quit because of it.**  A recent post about an AI company's safety and alignment moved me to drill down a bit to see how things are going. It's worrisome. Things are not going well. It seems as if companies are saying "Trust us, we are working hard to detect any oil spill, and clean it up when it happens", rather than "we are working hard to ensure an oil spill *cannot happen*" The Imperative of Robust AI Security and Alignment In a recent comment to an AI executive, I raised concerns about the apparent lack of sophisticated security measures within AI companies. This is particularly troubling given the potential risks associated with advanced AI systems. Here, I would like to expand on these concerns and suggest mechanisms to ensure AI safety and alignment. The Uncertainty of Controlling Out-of-Control AI Systems One of the graves...

Consider... The scenery on the information highway is being choked out by billboards. Consider: If the entity behind that click is going to start out lying to you right from the start, what are the odds they will do right by you? Advertisers do everything they can to get your attention. Recognize the signs of manipulative hooks and avoid.  Choose Your Bait You Won't Believe What Happens Next! Actually, you probably will believe it. It's not that surprising. This One Simple Trick Will Change Your Life! If by "change your life" you mean "waste your time," then sure. Shocking Truth Revealed! The only shock here is that people still fall for this. What They Discovered Will Leav...

Introduction AI advances have brought us to a time where much data can be examined by AI systems to 'Find What We Missed'. I have a feeling this is already being done in areas like medical X-Rays, Sports data, Astronomy, materials science, etc. If it is not being done, it should be. Below is a concrete example of this principle as an experimental protocol for the analysis of Cloud Chamber Data to find new particles or new principles of particle behavior and to identify experimental areas that have been missed. Program Structure for AI-Based Analysis of Cloud Chamber Traces The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized numerous scientific fields, and particle physics is no exception. One of the most promising applications of AI in this domain is the analysis of cloud chamber traces. Cloud chambers, which detect ionizing particles by the trails they leave behind, have been instrumental in many pivotal discoveries in physics. However, the manual identification and ...