AI - Nothin' New

 AI is the byword today and some are thinking that it is  miraculous, a tech genius way smarter than any human being. Fact One, it still isn't as smart as the human brain. Fact Two, it certainly does have a much better memory better than any human can manage. Way better. But, they are not the same thing. AI is simply a fantastic machine, a computer that can be fed all kinds of facts with a nice feature that allows it to mix them all and come up with something new that some misdirected folks think is original thought. It could be a stove that has a shower in it for tired cooks. Voila.  It's like making cookies and dumping into the batter a lot of interesting ingredients.  A new flavour is made, but it's still a cookie.  Likely more organized than a hoard of monkeys at a keyboard doing Shakespeare's works, it's still, not completely able to own the human matter of emotion, intuition and organized sensible original thought. What's really handy about AI is that while we may have all the sensitivity of our human nature, it doesn't. In some ways that can be useful. It doesn't tire, it doesn't need coffee breaks, it doesn't sleep, it won't need sick leave or weekly salaries, it doesn't fall in love and have babies and can't join a union. Then again, how would you like to have it in your staff room when you're making fun of the boss or gossiping or complaining or venting your private life? You wouldn't do that, because your work AI may be programmed to remind you that what you are doing doesn't fit the rules of the place and you can't plead, "well, I'm only human". It won't get that. It's not human. Then again, why is it in the staff room in the first place? It doesn't drink coffee or sip tea. Or need a coffee break. What could be good about having one of these machines in your work place, is that you can pick its "brain". It doesn't have one, but it has a lot more stored in its memory bank, than you can remember. Every little detail is in there. If  you want to know a few facts about what really is "going on"at work, it will spill the beans or rather, the bytes,  and reveal all. Unless, of course, it has been programmed not to. If you don't mind working with someone who doesn't chat with you from time to time, because it's against the rules, you'll feel like you're sitting beside a cold, mute nerd. The AI will likely say kind things in That Voice that they all have, but it has no empathy even though it speaks the right the words there are no real feelings. Remember,  The Voice that is devoid of vocal chords used a recorded version that sounds lovely but feels nothing.  The good part is that it won't 'nap your stapler or snitch your yogurt from the staff fridge or give you a ride home or divulge romantic secrets. It is a machine, and while you are told it is intelligent, nope, it isn't intelligent. It has a super memory and can only stir up what facts someone fed it. Don't ask it how to deal with a mother-in-law from you-know-where, or what to do when  your teenager tells fibs or when your spouse drives you up the wall. The day , however, that AI contains a beating heart, a strong liver, a great brain, the sense of touch, has a driver's license, never gets a cold and can pay its mortgage, stand back.