2020/21 will be years to remember, but could such memory go well beyond archived blog posts, and celluloid story-telling? Could ‘memory’ of the past twelve-months be directly inherited by future generations via DNA?
Prior to the pandemic, an experiment by a team of researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine, in the USA, showed that mice trained to avoid a particular smell passed their aversion on to their ‘grandchildren’. In other words, the experience of the mice prior to conceiving was essentially encoded into their DNA and made subsequent generations of mice extremely sensitive to the same smell. Or to put it another way, experience can be inherited.
Professor Marcus Pembury from UCL, in the UK, commented that the US study on mice was “highly relevant to phobias, anxiety, and PTSD disorders” and said that the study provided solid evidence that a type of memory could be passed on to future generations.
One implication here is that the current levels of anxiety related to Covid-19, especially among younger people, could linger far longer than most people might imagine.
Freaky
Using AI to make dead relatives come to life. Video gravestones next? I guess this is just the start of various applications of Deep Fakes, some fun, some sinister and some dangerous. Deep Revenge Porn is probably next – totally fake videos of people having sex (makes that bit of tape across your laptop camera somewhat redundant). Thanks to Matt D as always!
A Considered View on the Prospects for AI
There’s a lot of hype and nonsense surrunding AI, especially broad or general AI. This is one of the better lectures on the subject. The video is quite long, so if you’re pressed for time just watch the first 30-minutes. Click here or below.
Five Scenarios for the Future of AI
It’s a few years old, but worth a read…
Things are brewing…
T-Shirt of the Month
OMG, more merch! I made this myself to lift the mood a little. If you want one, feel free to steal it straight off my back (just copy it). If you live in London, there’s a lovely man called Jim at the Lewes Print Centre (lewesprint.com) that will make you one for almost no money or my son has done a different version, along with zoom mugs at teespring
As Fat Larry’s Band once said: “Oh Zoom you chased away the day.”
I’m entering my blue period….
But I thought I had the moral high ground?
Map of the USA by Grayson Perry.
Using AI to Predict Future AI
Having an interesting conversation yesterday about whether you could use AI to predict future developments in AI. The answer is almost certainty yes. We’ve already got self-writing software, 3D printers that print 3D printers and we are on the cusp of automated scientific discovery. One rather wonders where this would leave humans?
Best Ever Interview Questions
I’ve just been asked by a friend what question he might ask in an interview. A few days earlier i was asked the kinds of question someone might be asked in an interview at Oxbridge. Here are a few shots for both situations (probably less so for the job interview, but I like the idea of turning the tables and interviewing them).
- Do you think you are smart?
- What’s the worst question I could ask you?
- What failure are you most proud of?
- What’s more important; intelligence, ambition or luck?
- What are you good at?
- What are you curious about?
- What have you been wrong about?
- What are the limits to your compassion?
- What do you regret the most?
- What is influence?
- What is courage?
- What is the purpose of life?
- What is the purpose of death?
- How is your reality different to mine?
- What would you remove from a burning house?
- If you met an alien what’s the first question you would ask?
- What did you learn last year?
- What are you sure about?
- What are you unsure about?
- Tell me what I’m wrong about.