Weird Science.
OpenAI introduced GPT-4o yesterday. On friction, dating, and collaborative A.I.
I’ve yet to dedicate a Substack entry to A.I. because the technology is moving so damn fast, that there isn’t a pause long enough to hop into the Double Dutch. And that’s okay. Slow to judgment, remember? For the past year and a half, I’ve been happily entertained as an interested observer. Watching the torrential river pass as I rest high up on the banks.
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Yesterday, OpenAI introduced their most breathtaking update: GPT-4o. Their new flagship model reasons “across audio, vision, and text in real time.” Amongst many disruptive innovations, GPT-4o is like a Siri assistant on steroids. Not only can it identify you by what you’re wearing, it makes assumptions about your context by what it sees through the camera lens. It translates languages in real time. And it also speaks to you as a sociable, if not affectionate, companion.
As I was explaining these latest advancements to my wife in the kitchen, my older son was simultaneously asking our Amazon Echo for scores on the night’s NBA games. “Asking” is putting it nicely. “Demanding” is more like it.
“Alexa. Alexa!”
“The Boston Celt—”
“No! Stop. I said the Oklahoma City game.”
“Got you. Tonight, the Oklahoma City Thu—”
“Alexa! Just give me the score.”
“The Ok—”
“ALEXA!”
He walked off laughing at how inept the robot was. And sure, Amazon’s technology is fast becoming outdated. But, over the years, it has been somewhat disconcerting to watch my children order around a personal assistant. Especially when there is no social contract to employ etiquette. There are no human consequences if they neglect a “Please” or “Thank you.” The technology is in place to serve them, to facilitate their lives, to fix their shortcomings…