Have you read Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", a truly perceptive novel? It sure shows the tragic consequences of abrogating to mankind the creative powers, of acting as God. I have yet another take on the novel. I think, the novel deals with acting responsibly while floating a new idea, an invention.
Frankenstein creates the monster, is repelled by his own creation, and thus irresponsibly lets it loose on the unsuspecting world, resulting in unforeseen havoc. In a way, in my opinion, the novel deals with the ethics of originality, of novelty.
Why am I talking about a novel (published in 1818) which is more than two hundred years old? Is that your question? Well, let me answer it in some detail.
Let me begin with a video available on the YouTube. The two creators are gleeful about the 'joke' which has gone viral, it seems. The video shows transformations of a leading Bollywood actress, Kareena Kapoor. She is shown as a young boy, as a huge, fat lady with enormous 'love handles' and triple chins, as an old woman in her nineties, and so on.
Such 'effects' were available earlier as well for sure. Now, however, with the AI, there is a sophistication, a finesse the earlier versions lacked. The titter of the makers (almost like adolescents drawing a moustache and a beard on the roadside poster of an actress or in the doodle of the most hated teacher) and the viral reach of the video without any backlash show how desensitised the society has become.
The video has elements of body shaming, of ageism, of manufactured images as mo(u)lds, as modes of perception. None, absolutely no one, comments on such 'vision', highly problematic, quite heartless because if a celebrity can be thus demeaned, imagine the plight of the common (wo)men!
Now, listen to this announcement. The Apple company has added 'Apple Intelligence' to all its products, lappie to mobile. Check this recent most bot to realise how effective and efficient it is, and how potently it can be used to harass, ill-treat all, but especially women, in the most vicious and irresponsible way.
Now, given the fact that there are very many satanic sick fools with oodles of time on hand, and with the mobile as addiction, imagine the 'reel'ing possibilities! Honestly, it is terrorising and tough. Why?
Well, involved in such 'inventiveness' is the total breakdown of faith in/about each other which should be the bedrock of the public space. Instead, now fears of/about the perverse misuse underline the public sphere which would interfere with, which would invade the personal realm as an ever present threat looming large.
In '1984', George Orwell says that freedom is the liberty to assert that 'two plus two is four'. With the current AI sophistication, 'two plus two' can be made to appear anything, minus four, inverse zero, and so on, as infinite are the possibilities. Such permutations and combinations are the absolute loss of fraternity and equality. That is the real tragedy!
Pratima@ How is the irresponsibility of the end user answerable at the creation level? That is a valid question. May be, the solution would be strict and clearly defined laws, and fast track courts to implement them. That sure would check-n-control the weird whisper-mongers' goofy gossips!
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