As the world gets more complex, we have to find a way to remain rooted in common sense.
Artificial intelligence, for example, is touted as both good and evil, and it is up to us to figure out which we are seeing. I have wondered many times what my grandmother would have to say about this and other things, as we plod toward a nonsensical, futuristic existence.
I was only half listening to a radio broadcast as I worked at a flower bed that suddenly looked more like a weed patch. The gist of the story being told by the radio show host was of a man who had created his dream woman through artificial intelligence.
This fellow would carry on long conversations with this AI creature and began to make plans for his future with her in it. His family noticed he had shown signs of rapid change, in the way he talked and the way he dressed. He suddenly seemed happier.
Oh, I have questions. Many, many questions. I tend to live my life in the “live and let live” frame of mind, and this guy is not my concern, obviously. Far flung from reality, my greater concern is how this type of hooey is being used to trick and scam vulnerable people.
We had to step in and change my mother’s phone number when she began receiving calls from scammers looking to separate a little old lady from her money. It is a full-time operation among the underbelly of this world, and it starts with pretending to be a friend.
People who have spent their life working hard while also helping others because they have a big heart to do so suddenly are the most vulnerable. Manipulation of technology has even allowed perpetrators to make a phone call look as though it is coming from a known phone number, asking “grandma” for money.
The radio show went on to happier subjects, but one good thing did come of this. Those weeds were yanked with a burst of fury. My job here is done!
