CE Pro May 2023 - 4

From the Editor
by Jason Knott
AI Fear Factor Is Taking Hold
Before
we think
everyone has
gone all Ted
Kaczynski/
Unabomber
on us in
relation to the
advancement
of technology,
the custom
electronics
industry needs
to conduct
an unbiased,
truthful analysis
on the potential
insidious
applications of AI.
Jason Knott is editor
of CE Pro. He can be
reached at jason.knott@
emeraldx.com and
@JasonWKnott
THE ADVANCEMENT of Artificial Intelligence
(AI) progressing at an amazingly rapid
pace - and the world appears to be getting
scared. It should scare you too, because it
is already starting to unleash fears in your client
base about smart home technology that
could swell into an unprecedented backlash.
You might be wondering, " What is the
genesis of these irrational fears? Is this just
another nutjob conclusion? " Perhaps, but
before we think everyone has gone all Ted
Kaczynski/Unabomber/anti-technology on
us, the custom electronics industry needs
to conduct an unbiased, truthful analysis on
the potential insidious applications of AI.
That analysis cannot be not skewed by our
own embrace of technology or our desire to
profit from the technology.
Nearly all the recent increased negative
rumblings coincide with the unveiling of
ChatGPT. This singular AI application has
people shaking in their collective boots... for
real. According to Cryptomaniaks, a crypto
education platform, the number of Google
searches for " Is ChatGPT safe?' skyrocketed
614% in the last two weeks of March alone.
Indeed, more than 1,000 scientists and
business leaders recently called for a sixmonth
pause on further development of
AI technology until boundaries can be put
in place to rein in potentially rogue technologists.
Elon Musk, who has labeled AI
as a " profound risk, " recently even tweeted
out an old film clip from the early 1960s
of author Arthur C. Clarke of " 2001 " fame
describing how humans will be driven into
extinction by machines, just like we replaced
Neanderthals as the top species. Of course,
Hollywood has picked up on the fear
factor with movies like " Her, " " M3gan " and
" Margaux " all depicting evil tech becoming
sentient and running amok. Yikes!
Will those calls for caution be heeded or
fall on deaf ears? There are already some
4 | CE Pro May 2023
ChatGPT applications that show promising
results, including voice control from Josh.
ai and IP video from Axis Communictions.
At the recent ISC West trade show in Las
Vegas, Axis Communications demoed a
prototype video analytics technology in
partnership with Microsoft Azure Viudeo
Analyzer technology with built-in ChatGPT.
As the camera records the images,
ChatGPT displays real-time analysis of
what is being displayed in isolated frames
with extreme detail. The demo video used
a recorded clip from an African safari with
a cheetah sitting in the foreground of the
frame as an SUV pulls up in the background.
The AI performs instantaneous analysis of
the video in the cloud, where ChatGPT then
accurately describes everything happening in
individual frames, such as " cheetah sitting on
rock " and " woman wearing sunglasses drives
up. " (Yes, the AI describrf the gender of the
individuals in the video.) It was very cool.
Thomas Soemo, principal project manager
at Microsoft, explains the next step will have
large language models enable specific actions
to be initiated that previously required
software to be written. Indeed, AI has the
potential to speed up security response and
make things safer.
Soemo noted, " Microsoft takes AI very
seriously, " adding that companies must apply
and be approved before they will be allowed
to utilize the technology. (Axis has been a
trusted Microsoft partner for 20 years.)
It's only a matter of time before we see
sensor-based AI taking smart home to another
level. Dealers should anticipate more
questions from clients about the power of AI
and be prepared to offer reassurance.
I am the last person in the world who
would ever call for government intervention,
but I think it is an inevitability unless the
tech community self-polices this fast-moving
situation. Am I wrong?
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CE Pro May 2023

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