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Articles by Ben Backus
Is AI as Dangerous as It Seems?
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Are Georgia’s youth being manipulated by Big Tech?
Cellphones in schools aren’t just distractions, they are quietly fueling anxiety and isolation during the very years kids are supposed to be building connection. It’s like they’re carrying a 24/7 highlight reel in their pockets. Giving them a break from the noise during school hours helps their real-life relationships- not “social” media. — Pam McNall, founder of RespectfulWays.com Have you been to a high school lately? We have, and were disturbed by what we saw.
Georgia Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence
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Is artificial intelligence a threat to humanity? Original
“West Virginia University recognizes the transformative potential of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Bard, DALL-E, and Otter.AI; however, it is of utmost importance to use these tools in a manner that is beneficial, ethical, and aligned with the core values and regulatory frameworks of WVU.” — Use of Generative AI for Administrative Purposes at WVU In a state so heavily dependent on coal, expansion into artificial intelligence could be a means of diversification.
How West Virginians can avoid scammers
“Be aware of scammers who often target those facing hardships.” — West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey (Feb. 18, 2025) You need something or something is not right — making you anxious, perplexed or annoyed. Thus, you are looking for help. There are many scammers out there who are very willing to “help” you. With the aid of artificial intelligence, these scammers are becoming more sophisticated and cunning.
Health care, our government must do more to protect sensitive information
“ATTENTION!!! This is to inform you that Memorial Hospital and Manor is experiencing a ransomware incident. This impacts access to our Electronic Health Record system. While we believe this issue will not impact either the level or the quality of care we provide to our patients, we want to be fully transparent regarding this situation.” — Memorial Hospital and Manor (Bainbridge, Georgia), Nov. 3, 2024.
Bernard, Backus: AI isn't coming to get you, it's already here (Opinion)
“It would be catastrophic if [AI] replaced humans, replaced journalists. ChatGPT can’t have local relationships. ChatGPT can’t interview sources. ChatGPT can’t ... know the right person to call when you need a quote. It’ll just make all that stuff up, right? That’s bad, we don’t want that.” — Amy Cyphert, lecturer in law at West Virginia University. ••• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is defined as the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to learn and think like humans.
Bernard, Backus: AI is out of the box (Opinion)
“I’m increasingly inclined to think that there should be some regulatory oversight, maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we don’t do something very foolish. I mean, with artificial intelligence, we’re summoning the demon.” — Elon Musk ••• The Artificial Intelligence demon (Pandora?) is out of the box. We have a society which has divided into silos. However, AI should not be a partisan issue. Musk has a good point. Business and government are increasingly utilizing AI.
Bombs away?
“Atomic weapons are a peril which affects everyone in the world… I think that in order to handle this common problem there must be a complete sense of community responsibility.”- Robert Oppenheimer, November 1945 Oppenheimer was correct. In his lifetime, the Nazis were completely evil, a clear and present danger to the US. In addition, they were already slaughtering Jews (like Oppenheimer) by the millions. They had to be stopped at all costs.
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