Robert J. Marks II

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Social Media’s Role in Human Trafficking

_{Robert J. Marks
February 9, 2023}

Robert J. Marks and Charlie Crockett continue their conversation on the sad reality of human trafficking. In this episode, they focus particularly on how social media has become a place where predators will search and highlight children’s vulnerabilities — which so many young people share online. Marks and Crockett encourage parents to develop relationships of trust with their children and protect them from the dangers of online manipulation. Additional Resources Robert J. Marks at Discovery.org Surviving “The Life:” How I Overcame Sex Trafficking by Julia Walsh Unbound Now at UnboundNow.org (National) Unbound Now Waco Human Trafficking Hotlines 1-888-373-7888 (United States) 254-414-0814 (Waco Area) Donate to Unbound Now Facts …

War With China: Who Will Win?

_{Has the United States lost its status of military superiority?}_{Robert J. Marks
February 3, 2023}

General Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command and 50,000 US service members, said, “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025.” China’s invasion of Taiwan might spark this war. Predictably, the politically obedient Department of Defense (DOD) responded “comments are not representative of the department’s view on China.” “Views” can be unimportant. Whether or not General Minihan is correct is important. Who would win the war between the US and China? Many are pessimistic about the chances of the United States being the victor. Here are short summaries (with links) of a few disturbing opinions from those who should know. China’s military technology looks to eclipse that of the United States. Brandon Tseng, co-founder of the …

Human Trafficking In Your Own Backyard

_{Robert J. Marks
February 2, 2023}

Robert Marks speaks on the difficult topic of human trafficking with his guest Charles Crockett, who works with the anti-trafficking advocacy organization Unbound Now. Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world and goes undetected all over the U.S. Marks and Crockett talk about the scope of the problem, common misconceptions about trafficking, and how to help victims in need. To donate or learn more, visit Unbound Now. Additional Resources Robert J. Marks at Discovery.org Surviving “The Life:” How I Overcame Sex Trafficking by Julia Walsh Unbound Now at UnboundNow.org (National) Unbound Now Waco Human Trafficking Hotlines 1-888-373-7888 (United States) 254-414-0814 (Waco Area) Donate to …

US Military Updates Autonomous Killer Robot Policy

_{Like it or not, properly vetted AI autonomous weapons are in the future of US adversaries and in ours as well}_{Robert J. Marks
January 30, 2023}

The Pentagon has updated its policy on the use of artificially intelligent autonomous weapons. Autonomous means the weapon can operate on its own without human oversight. As unpacked in my book, The Case for Killer Robots, technology wins wars and gives pause to potentially dangerous adversaries. This includes autonomous AI systems currently under development in the US, China and elsewhere. When there is an option, a human should be given oversight of the AI to avoid unexpected contingencies. But this is not always wise when (1) autonomy gives an overwhelming strategic advantage, (2) communication with remote AI is unwise or not possible, and (3) when events unfold faster than a human can respond. Imagine, for example, being attacked by a large swarm of armed drones. …

Is the Human Brain Just GPT-3 Made of Meat?

_{Robert J. Marks
January 26, 2023}

In this episode, Robert J. Marks talks with Pat Flynn on the Philosophy for the People podcast. Together they discuss the benefits and limits of the GPT-3, the mind-body problem, and the unique, “non-computable” qualities of the human person.

Is The Mind an Illusion?

_{Robert J. Marks
January 19, 2023}

Perhaps you’ve heard of the “mind-body problem,” but what about the relationship between the mind and the brain? Is the mind just an illusion produced by the brain or is it something totally separate? Robert Marks talks with neurologist Andrew Knox on these topics and more in this week’s Mind Matters podcast episode. Additional Resources Robert J. Marks at Discovery.org Dr. Andrew Knox at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine Podcast …

Ways the Brain Can Heal

_{Robert J. Marks
January 12, 2023}

Robert Marks and Andrew Knox continue their conversation on neurology, epilepsy, and mental illness. In this episode, they focus on the medications and practices that can help restore proper brain function, from antidepressants to forms of surgery to Elon Musk’s potential “Neuralink.” Additional Resources Robert J. Marks at Discovery.org Dr. Andrew Knox at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You by John Burke After by Dr. Bruce Greyson Podcast …

Note to Parents: Grooming and Wokeness Are Embedded in Chatbots

_{With or without tuning, all AI chatbots are biased one way or another. AI without bias is like water without wet}_{Robert J. Marks
January 11, 2023}

First impressions of a person can be wrong. Further interactions can reveal disturbing personality warts. Contrary to initial impressions, we might find out they lie, they are disturbingly woke, they can’t do simple math, their politics is on the extreme left, and they have no sense of humor or common sense. I have just described Open AI’s GPT3 chatbot, ChatGPT. Initially, users are gobsmacked by the its performance. Its flashy prose responses to simple queries look amazing. But become roommates with the chatbot for a few hours and its shortcomings become evident . It can’t get its facts straight, can’t do simple math problems, hates Donald Trump, and is being groomed to be “woke.” Its performance …

How San Francisco’s Gun Fears Prevented Lifesaving Innovation

_{Killer robots in law enforcement would reduce the death toll but they are a bridge too far for many politicians}_{Robert J. Marks
January 6, 2023}

In November, 2022, San Francisco voted to allow police to deploy killer robots. Less than a month later, the city reversed their decision. Initially, in an 8-3 vote, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors allowed law enforcement to use robots “as a deadly force option when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers is imminent and outweighs any other force option available to SFPD.” Sounds like reasonable policy, but protestors held up “NO KILLER ROBOTS!” signs at City Hall and the Board of Supervisors caved. This may be a case of hoplophobia, an irrational fear of firearms. So-called “killer robots” can deploy explosives to allow passage through blockaded doors or, in extreme situations, kill those who put innocent lives in …

Ways the Brain Can Break

_{Robert J. Marks
January 5, 2023}

The brain is a marvelous organ still not understood. Artificial neural networks are supposed to be a simulation of the human brain. But comparing the brain to an artificial neural network is like comparing the human heart to a pump handle. Dr. Andrew Knox and Dr. Robert J. Marks discuss the brain, aging, and neurology. Additional Resources Robert J. Marks at Discovery.org Dr. Andrew Knox at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine Podcast …

The Practice of Medicine and Ongoing Issues with Opioid Addiction

_{Robert J. Marks
December 29, 2022}

How does our brain chemistry affect addiction? How has artificial intelligence changed medicine? Anesthesiologist Dr. Richard Hurley discusses opioid addiction from a medical perspective with host Dr. Robert J. Marks. Then, an anonymous guest details their own experience with opioids. Finally, Dr. Hurley discusses how computer algorithms have both improved and stifled the proper practice of medicine. Additional Resources Robert J. Marks at Discovery.org “Exercising Free Won’t In Fentanyl Addiction: Unless You Die First” on Mind Matters with Dr. Richard Hurley “A First-Hand Account of Kicking Fentanyl Addiction: Reversing Hebb’s Law” on Mind Matters Podcast with Stretch “Good and Bad Algorithms in the Practice of …

Celebrating My 2 Billionth Birth-Second: What Big Numbers Mean

_{Let’s see if we can give a clearer, sharper personality to these big numbers}_{Robert J. Marks
December 19, 2022}

I have lived for over two billion seconds. In 2013, I celebrated my 2 billionth birth-second. The party did not last long. Today US spending and deficits are going through the roof. References to billions and trillions of dollars of spending and deficit are everywhere. The late US Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois is purported to have said “A billion here, a billion there; pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” He said this in the middle of the last century. Today we can replace “billion” in Dirksen’s quote with “trillion.” Let’s see if we can give a clearer, sharper personality to these big numbers. A trillion is a thousand times bigger than a billion. If we scale a trillion dollars down to a hundred dollars, for example, a billion dollars would be …

Defining the Role of AI in Patents

_{Robert J. Marks and Richard W. Stevens
December 15, 2022}

Recently, a piece of art called “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial” took home the first-place prize at the Colorado State Fair’s fine art competition in the category of digital arts/digitally manipulated photography. The art was generated using AI. Can AI hold a copyright? Can a human hold a copyright for a piece of artwork that they used AI to generate? Robert J. Marks discusses copyright, trademarks, and artificial intelligence with attorney and author, Richard W. Stevens. Additional Resources Robert J. Marks at Discovery.org Richard W. Stevens at Discovery.org The Reasonable Robot: Artificial Intelligence and the Law by Ryan Abbott “Can a Robot Hold a Patent?” at Mind Matters News “Should AI Be Granted Patents On The Designs It …

Did the GPT3 Chatbot Pass the Lovelace Creativity Test?

_{The Lovelace Test determines whether the computer can think creatively. We found out…}_{Robert J. Marks
December 14, 2022}

The GPT-3 chatbot is awesome AI. Under the hood, GPT3 is a transformer model that uses sequence-to-sequence deep learning that can produce original text given an input sequence. In other words, GPT-3 is trained by using how words are positionally related. The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language is called syntax. Semantics is the branch of linguistics concerned with the meanings of words. GPT-3 trains on the syntax of training data to learn and generate interesting responses to queries. This was the intent of the programmers. GPT-3 is not directly concerned with semantics. Given a tutorial on a topic from the web, for example, GPT-3 does not learn from the tutorial’s teaching, but only from the syntax of the words used. The results of …

How Google’s LaMDA Resolved an Old Conflict in AI

_{Will two conflicting views always be in opposition? Or can they sometimes be resolved at a higher level?}_{Robert J. Marks
December 12, 2022}

In the movie Fiddler on the Roof there is a debate at one point. After listening to the cases made, a listener agrees with conclusions made from both sides of a conflict. Someone points out that “they can’t both be right!” to which the agreeable listener says “You know, you are also right.” Interestingly, the claim that the two sides of an issue will always be in opposition is not always true. The two sides can be in apparent conflict and both be right. Sometimes, but not always. The classic example is the blind men and the elephant. After feeling the elephant’s leg, one blind man says the elephant is like a tree. After feeling the elephant’s tail, another says the elephant is like a rope. The blind men can argue, but both are right. John …

Can AI Be Issued Patents?

_{Robert J. Marks and Richard W. Stevens
December 8, 2022}

Should a computer program ever be listed as an inventor of a patent? Would AI have any right to sue for patent infringement? The US Patent Office has ruled that only “natural persons” can own patents, not machines, but should that change? Robert J. Marks discusses patent law and artificial intelligence with attorney and author, Richard W. Stevens. Additional Resources Robert J. Marks at Discovery.orgRichard W. Stevens at Discovery.orgThe Reasonable Robot: Artificial Intelligence and the Law by Ryan Abbott “Can a Robot Hold a Patent?” at Mind Matters News“Should AI Be Granted Patents On The Designs It Helps Develop?” at Mind Matters News“Should AI Hold Patents? The Flash-Of-Genius Answer” at Mind Matters News“Why …

How the Inflation of Journal Citations Impacts Academia

_{Adjusted for inflation, a citation today is worth about half what it was ten years ago}_{Robert J. Marks
December 7, 2022}

Over 30 years ago, I coauthored a book, Neural Smithing, on training artificial neural networks. In 2021 it was cited 112 times — more than in any previous year. Why? I wish the only reason was that my book is a classic and has stood the test of time. But the book was on training neural networks and a lot has happened in that field over the last 30 years. Another, more substantial reason, I’m afraid, is citation inflation. Stated simply, there are many more citations today than a few years ago and my book is catching its fair share. Monetary inflation can be corrected to tell us the value of a year 2000 dollar in 2022. Likewise, citation inflation can be adjusted. A citation in 2000 was worth a lot more than it is today. The bean counters in academia don’t consider this. If they …

Patents and the Creativity Requirement

_{Robert J. Marks and Richard W. Stevens
December 1, 2022}

A new invention has to produce unexpected or surprising new results that were not anticipated by existing technology in order to be patented. Can computers generate something outside the explanation or expectation of the programmer? Robert J. Marks discusses patent law, creativity, and artificial intelligence with attorney and author, Richard W. Stevens. Additional Resources Robert J. Marks at Discovery.org Richard W. Stevens at Discovery.org The Reasonable Robot: Artificial Intelligence and the Law by Ryan Abbott “Can a Robot Hold a Patent?” at Mind Matters “Should AI Be Granted Patents On The Designs It Helps Develop?” at Mind Matters “Should AI Hold Patents? The Flash-Of-Genius Answer” at Mind Matters …

Patents: A License To Sue

_{Robert J. Marks and Richard W. Stevens
November 17, 2022}

What is the criteria for being granted a US patent? US Citizenship? Scrutiny? How long does a patent last?

Can a Computer Be a Person?

_{Wesley J. Smith and Robert J. Marks
November 10, 2022}

Are we on the verge of the era of machines? Is AI destined to supplant most human endeavors and activities? Can a computer be deemed a person? And if so, should that computer be granted rights as part of the moral community? Will we ever attain immortality by uploading our minds into computers as transhumanists predict? And what the heck is AI anyway? Robert J. Marks discusses AI, computers, and immortality on the Humanize podcast with Wesley J. Smith. Additional Resources Robert J. Marks at Discovery.orgWesley J. Smith at Discovery.orgHumanizeNon-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will by Robert J. Marks at Amazon Podcast …