Word Play

[Cynique]

In a world that has become increasingly computerized, artificial intelligence (A.I.) occupies a prominent place in the technology equation. It also poses an ominous threat. How so?  Because it makes humans dispensable, and does so in some of the most unlikely areas of every day life; such as card games.

 

I  read somewhere that with all of their high-tech programming, robots do not make especially good bridge payers.  Something l can attest to. I am a fan of this  game which i have been playing since i entered college 70 yeas ago.  Back in the 1950s before the advent of television, and the Internet, Bridge was a very popular past time among campus denizens. Today its popularity has waned what with how so many of its faithful fans are dying off, or becoming victims of Alzheimers.  Consequently, Bridge is not a game widely embraced by younger generations. Among Blacks, Bid Whist and Spades have supplanted Bridge the way Rap has has kicked Jazz to the curb. 

 

But, all is not lost for those of us still lucid enough to remain devoted to this compelling game. For the computer literate among us senior citizens, there are on-line sites where we can go play bridge with robot players. And it's true.  Robots are not great bridge players. 

 

One of the many compelling things about the game of Bridge is how nuanced it is.  So many factors figure into being a savvy player.  A good memory, the ability to scope out your opponents as well as your partner who you have to have a special rapport with while discerning the style and temperament of your opponents. Being good at doing these things is what will  enable you to disarm your opponents.  Embodying these subtleties is such an inherent part of the way good card players approach the game, that they don't realize that they are doing what comes naturally to humans in mastering the game of life!  And that's the key. 

 

Dealt a decent hand, I am frequently victorious against these tin hats that are programmed to beat me. That's because they are predictable in their play, never bending the rules, never taking chances, never discerning visual cues from their partners, always instead going with the odds and doing what's expected.  Because they do not possess the instincts, judgment, and gut feelings that humans rely on, they are the outplayed victims of their inflexibility. . 

 

So much for robots.  Maybe Mankind stands a chance after all. Maybe.

 

Back to music.  Stay tuned. 

  

 

[ProfD]

IMO, Artificial intelligence (A.I.) will never be able to replace and/or mimic that which makes us human.

 

Technology will always be tool that makes certain tasks easier which in turn will make humans lazier and more expendable in the workplace.

 

AI will be able to entertain humans on some level  but it will never provide comaraderie or companionship. No amount of programming and algorithms can produce genuine emotion and spontaneous action.

 

My dad taught me how to play Chess and card games in my youth. In those days, we  played Casino, Koomkang, Spades, Tonk, Rummy and Whist. However, Bridge wasn't on the table.

 

Like everything else, from farming and music and books, new technology has supplanted the  way we get things done. 

 

Because they're already being groomed with it, the current generation and future of humanity will be perfectly fine with AI in whatever form it takes up to a point.

 

Social media has already created a society of people who seem perfectly comfortable interacting through a computer.

 

But again, computers (AI) will never replace that which makes us human. Eventually, folks have to emerge from their digital cocoons and press flesh.

 

It's just a matter of time before folks will rediscover how to work with their hands and entertain each other in person.

 

Folks might even get back to having card parties and playing Bridge again.

 

I know musicians realize the importance of playing together versus using computers.  

 

I wouldn't count Mankind out just yet. In the meantime, music is the ultimate opiate. 

 

[Delano]

IBM has a division devoted to AI called Watson. One of the projects was to teach AI how to become an Astrologer.  
 

 

Some Astrologers believe that AI will usher in a New Age in Astrology. And that computing power will result in a wedding of AI and Astrology. Not until AI becomes intuitive or we learn what is consciousness. So probably not.