Colm O'Regan: Time to recognise good tech and show dodgy AI the red card

Young Scientist winner Aoibheann Daly from Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School with the trophy for her brain cancer diagnosis tool which uses AI at the Stripe Young Scientist Exhibition in the RDS last week. If a 15-year-old can make AI for good only, it’s time certain other people grew up. Photo: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

REMEMBER when new tech was exciting? Now, when you hear of a new technology you think: “What are they up to with that?” or “But the one we had was fine!”

The benefits don’t transpire or the consequences are dire. The first AI chatbot sparked excitement — “finally a way of writing essays!” or “Yeah! I never have to write a press release about my show again!”

But it turns out that in one piece of new tech there are no safeguards and it’s the same technology that normalises the abuse of women and children by creating images of them in bikinis and underwear against their will.

It’s often presented as a fait accompli of new tech: “If you want this new thing (do we?) you’ll have to take the consequences.” If you want tough-tackling Roy Keane, you’ll get some red cards. But even Roy only got sent off 13 times. (He says 12). 

But not all tech does that. Sometimes you get benefits without it turning you into a monster or a depressive or both. Here are my top four.

Bluetooth earphones and speakers

The backbone of house parties, children’s entertainers, gymnastic classes, runners, walkers, people stuck in traffic everywhere. If you google (remember Google? 

It is apparently still there) there is internet ‘chatter’ that will tell you there are radiation risks, but lookit, I’m going with data over ‘I know someone who’ at the moment.

So being able to walk and talk without getting a crick in my neck or finding myself trapped around a cable. So I’m happy taking that risk.

Google Maps (other providers are available)

Yes the old skills of seeing the big picture and the satisfaction of folding a map correctly are nice, but I have never gone into a traffic jam I didn’t expect. 

I’m mostly on time for things and it would not happen with an AA road atlas. Will it sometimes lead me up to the wrong side of Musheramore in Cork? Yes. 

But it’s moving billions of people a trillion kilometers a year. I can tolerate the odd mistake.

Wikipedia

It’s not perfect. But if you have even the absolute basic level of critical thinking to use Wikipedia as the first source and then find a back-up search for one other source then it is magical. 

I do get sick of being asked for €2 every time I open it but that’s no different to walking down any street in Dublin.

Yes, there have been some mistakes. But you know what the comforting thing is? Wikipedia has a page called Wikipedia Controversies. A long list of places they effed up. 

The tech that publishes its mistakes — rather than paywalling its child abuse factory — is one I trust more.

Podcasts and audiobooks

Of course we really should be confiscating microphones from some people. And if they come for me I’ll come out with my headphones up. 

But for the good ones — the sheer wall of great voices and great knowledge far outweighs. (The problem now is everyone is listening to the same stuff so when we all meet we’re just replaying the episode. We should really start a Patreon.)

But anyway, the good podcasts are great. The shit ones you can just avoid. The algorithm hasn’t found a way of going into your ear yet.

Colm O'Regan: 'Wikipedia has a page called Wikipedia Controversies. A long list of places they effed up. The tech that publishes its mistakes — rather than paywalling its child abuse factory — is one I trust more.' File picture: Chani Anderson

Tech doesn’t have to have a sting. It doesn’t have to invent infinite scroll, rage-baiting social media, or steal artists’ work. We’re perfectly capable of making good things. Even in AI. 

For fecks sake, there’s a 15-year-old Tralee girl who won the Young Scientist competition for using AI to help detect brain cancer. If a 15-year-old can make AI for good only, it’s time certain other people grew the feck up.