Guest Post: A Bridge To Sliema And Aerial Warfare? I Asked AI To Predict Valletta’s Future
Recently, everyone became increasingly interested in the use of AI technology and the text-based ChatGPT kept making headlines.
To explore what this fuss is all about, I decided to tap into the powerful OpenAI’s API to generate images and not just text. An API is a set of procedures allowing for the creation of applications that access the features of a particular service (in this case the OpenAI system).
After tinkering with the parameters for a bit I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing first results. Since this weekend was so cold and rainy, I decided to ask the AI to generate a photorealistic image showing Valletta after it snowed.
Wow what a start!
Empowered and amazed with the result, I then decided to ask the AI to imagine how Valletta would look in 2100. The image presented to me showed ultra-modern yachts, and even hovercrafts flying above our capital.
However, when I asked the AI to create an image of what Valletta would look like further in the future, in 2200, the results scared me a bit. The utopian image presented before turned into a dystopia.
The AI presented me with an image of what appeared like a futuristic air battle going on over Valletta’s airspace.
A second image showed total devastation. It’s like the AI was thinking that some sort of war is going to occur around 2200, whether it be against an alien invasion or a foreign enemy is unclear.
Finally, I asked the AI to generate an image of Valletta in 2250 and the image presented to me showed a completely rebuilt capital with ultra-modern architecture and what appeared to be a bridge connecting Valletta with Sliema.
I was unsure and somewhat nervous of what the AI might present me with if I asked what Valletta would look like further in the future, and so I did not explore the matter any further.
Don’t worry – the AI system is still in its early stages of development and cannot be used to accurately predict the future. It is merely ‘imagining’ or perhaps ‘dreaming’ about the future, much like an artist would.
Finally I decided to ask the openAI system itself to write a paragraph about how it sees AI developing in the future; by its own admission there is still a long way for AI to reach human-like level of comprehension.
This final paragraph was generated by AI: “We can expect to see AI systems become increasingly more common as they are integrated into more applications. AI-assisted learning and virtual assistance will, gradually, become more and more commonplace.”
“Additionally, it is highly likely that AI-based systems will become more and more sophisticated in their comprehension and adaptation to a wide range of environments, tasks, and domains. We are still a long way from having AI capabilities that can replicate a human’s cognitive capabilities.”
Ian Vella is a tech-enthusiast – you can follow his blog on www.ianvella.com.
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