All posts by Pol Pinoy

Dateline Zürich: The Essence Of WAWAT

by Maria Bratikova

I’ve been occupying my scheds with doing (or, more properly,  going to a fiesta) Wawat since the day after the local elections. I like this tradition – it is a combi of celebrating, giving thanks and re-acquainting one’s self with the folks. It is a baranggay people thing, camaraderie, oneness, community. Going to the head of a line to get your portion of the blessings – age doesn’ t matter, nor does gender. Nor appearance. You get to chow, on a piece of banana bark. . . Or you can take it home with you. I got a portion of pancit, caldereta, adobo and bone-soup and steamed rice today. . .

The contest leading to the election is a matter of yesterday. There are no more speeches that can make a cemetary crave double sleep. No promises that are being broken as they are uttered.The succeeding days are days of re-friending the enemy, unblocking, re-frq, planning, visualising the next future. 

Every one is involved. The consensus is promising. 

It’s a good thing.

The Irony Of The Human Creation Called AI

The Bletchley Declaration, signed by world leaders  during the recent AI Safety Summit, has left us all in stitches, though not the kind of stitches you’d expect from a conference addressing the future of AI. 

In this document, countries resolve to ensure “human-centric, trustworthy, and responsible AI that is safe.” It’s like a group of foxes convening to discuss how to make henhouses more secure!

The irony is that the lack of trustworthiness and responsibility among humans is precisely what has led us to this AI safety summit. 

We’re looking to AI for solutions to problems caused by our own shortcomings, like a thief asking the lock-picking community for a safer lock. It’s a bit like trying to teach a toddler to behave responsibly by handing them a loaded bazooka.

Furthermore, AI is just a natural progression of human intelligence, or lack thereof. We invented mathematics, only to later rely on calculators and computers to do the heavy lifting. It’s like outsourcing our brainpower to machines while we twiddle our thumbs.

So, while the Bletchley Declaration is all well and good, it’s hard not to chuckle at the absurdity of it all. Maybe next time we can draft a “Human Behavior Declaration” instead.