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Everyone seems to be talking about AI these days. Should we be afraid – very afraid – or is it just the focus du jour for the latest round of media hysteria?

As I write this I have just read a piece from investigative journalist David Farrier, responsible for the documentaries ‘Tickled' and ‘Mister Organ'.

It is entitled ‘Why AI is Arguably Less Conscious Than a Fruit Fly'.

I'm going to dive right in, though I should mention we are eventually heading in the direction of music videos.

Much of the piece is an article by Joshua Drummond who talks to Lee Reid (PhD), an expert in brain imaging and complex statistical models, including some of the language models that we think of (incorrectly, as it turns out) as AI.

As Joshua highlights, one of the things everyone needs to know is that AI might be artificial, but it's not intelligent. It's less smart than a pig, or a fly, or even a TERF. The problem with allegations of AI sentience, Dr Reid reckons, is that they're based on a false premise.

'Mainstream computer science has, for many decades, considered intelligence to be displaying behaviour that seems human-like,” says Dr Reid. 'So many people assume if behaviour appears human, consciousness must be underneath.”

But that isn't the case. Chat GPT, even though it can answer your exam questions, is arguably less conscious than a fruit fly.

'Language models like Chat GPT don't have a real understanding of anything, and they certainly don't have intent. If they had belief (which they don't) it would be that they are trying to replicate a conversation that has already happened. They just are trained to guess the next (or a missing) word in a sentence, based on millions of other sentences.”

Terminator

Which sounds a lot less scary than the real-life rerun of ‘Terminator 2' that many have been predicting. And on to music videos, because Tauranga bands have been happily using AI without a lot of controversy or problem. The main band I'm thinking of is Stunt Clown, a bunch of veteran punks who have produced at least two videos using AI technology. You may want to open YouTube while reading this as I have several referrals: all the videos I'm about to mention are there.

Stunt Clown's first fully AI video was ‘Home Is Where The Hate Is', which isn't in the greatest quality, but things get noticeably better for their second AI outing, ‘This Statistician', which is really very impressive.

Both use an AI method that is common on music videos which is sort of a ‘Fractal Cam', with the POV camera continually closing in on an image and revealing more and more hidden images as you see more detail. It's hard to describe here but only takes a couple of seconds to understand if you see it.

The wild threatening imagery suits the no-holds-barred attack of the music.

The message under the video says: 'Once again made in AI cos its way easier then actually filming stuff (sic)”.

Rehaab

Which is true. And why it is so good to see a video like the one I mentioned a couple of weeks ago by Rehaab for their song ‘Fat Boy (State Highway Queen)', which was made by Ricardo Borgo from 81 Productions and looks very flash. Despite the novelty of AI it's great to see a band actually doing their thing.

The local band that impress me most with its videos is actually Threat.Meet.Protocol. Their video a couple of years ago for ‘The Witch Trials', directed by Edward Gains, is a masterpiece of ‘Living Dead'-style shenanigans. But best of all is the ‘live' video they shot in the little chapel at the Historic Village – a popular spot for music videos: see Grant Haua, Spork, etc – for the song ‘Why', advertising an All Hallows Eve gig. It is two minutes of the wildest musical insanity you're likely to witness this year.

Damn fine!

Of course, AI can be used in all sorts of ways. Currently on YouTube is ‘Like A Rolling Stone', altered to sound like John Lennon is singing. Whoopee. Dumber than a fruit fly but it can still comprehensively waste your time.