Is Artificial Intelligence the Electric Guitar of Natural Stupidity?

I've been thinking about artificial intelligence a lot lately, and how it relates to natural stupidity. So I asked ChatGPT, “What happened when Bob Dylan started playing electric guitar?” I remembered reading somewhere that this act was controversial. Here's what ChatGPT had to say:

“When Bob Dylan began playing the electric guitar, it marked a significant shift in his musical style and caused controversy among his fans and the folk music community. In 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, Dylan's decision to perform with an electric band, rather than his traditional acoustic folk sound, surprised and divided the audience. Some embraced his new direction, while others felt he had abandoned his roots and criticized the move. This pivotal moment in Dylan's career symbolized his artistic evolution and set the stage for the development of folk rock and the broader fusion of genres in popular music.”

Full disclosure, I'm a fan of electric AND acoustic Dylan. How I would've come down on the topic in 1965 is anybody's guess. I was too busy protesting tomato juice and tuna sandwiches at preschool to notice the world outside my orbit.

I’m also not convinced that ChatGPT isn’t just playing both sides of the field to avoid hurting anyone's feelies. I suspect tomatoes were thrown in response to Dylan's move to electric. We all know what folk music fans are like when they're out in the wild. Any fans of electric Dylan at that moment were most likely in hiding, waiting for the mob to subside.

I decided to probe further. “Is artificial intelligence the electric guitar of natural stupidity?” ChatGPT insisted that “it’s essential to recognize the distinct nature of the two domains.”

“While both AI and the electric guitar are products of human ingenuity and can have transformative effects, their purposes and functions are fundamentally different. AI is a tool for data analysis and decision-making, while the electric guitar is an instrument for artistic expression through music.”

Brighter minds than mine are worried that AI will destroy the world. I think the greater risk is that by trying not to offend anyone, AI is going to bore us to death.

I've got nothing against AI. I'm amazed that I can ask it questions about Bob Dylan and get a halfway decent answer. And many of the illustrations here on The Courage Run are straight out of the AI Art Machine.

As of right now, I'm more scared of idiot humans, especially the ones who think they're smarter than the rest of us. I’d rather take a chance on my own stupidity.

Is artificial intelligence the electric guitar of natural stupidity? It's that and so much more. Regardless, it's here, and the old rules still apply: trust but verify. Use your common sense. Ask questions. Demand answers. Don't let the bastards grind you down.