By Greg Walters Before ChatGPT, Ai Ethics and deep fakes. Ted Talk, from February, 2023. "T.E. Lawrence, eponymously of Arabia, but very much an Englishman, favored pinching a burning match between his fingers to put it out. When asked by his colleague, William Potter, to reveal his trick -- how is it he so effectively extinguished the flame without hurting himself whatsoever -- Lawrence just smiled and said, "The trick, Potter, is not minding it hurts." The fire that danced at the end of that match was a gift from the Titan, Prometheus, a gift that he stole from the gods, who were terrified of what we might do with it were it to fall into our hairy little paws. When Prometheus was caught and brought to justice for his theft, the gods, well, you might say they overreacted a little. The poor man was tied to a rock as an eagle ripped through his belly and ate his liver over and over, day after day, ad infinitum. All because he gave us fire, our first true piece of technology. Fire. Such a very long time ago. Which begs the question: What have we done with?
We are now three months into the year of our Lord, 2023. At this moment in our civilization, we are on the verge of terraforming planets undiscovered just a decade ago. We have identified the genetic chain of events behind 98% of cancers -- a chain we have broken, effectively curing them. We can create cybernetic individuals who, in just a few short years, will be completely indistinguishable from us. Which leads to an obvious conclusion: We are the gods now. I haven't been struck down. I take that to mean I'm right. We wield incredible power -- the power to transform, to destroy and to create again. The question, of course, before us is, "What the hell are we supposed to do with this power?" Or, more importantly, one should ask, "What are we allowed to do with this power? The answer to that, my friends, is nothing. Rules, restrictions, laws, ethical guidelines -- all but forbidding us from moving forwards. Well, where were the ethics during the Arabian conflicts? Why are rules preventing us from feeding impoverished cultures? How is there a law which states, "If we build a man from wires and metal -- a man who will never grow old, a man who will never feel the heat of a star or the cold of the moon -- how is the creation of such an incredible individual considered unnatural?" The answer to all these questions is simple: These rules exist because the people who created them were afraid of what would happen if they didn't. Well I am not afraid! For those of you who know me, you will be aware by now that my ambition is unlimited. You know that I will settle for nothing short of greatness, or I will die trying. For those of you who do not yet know me, allow me to introduce myself: My name is Peter Weyland. And if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to change the world." What is going on? Is the Universe converging? The year was 2012. February 22. Regarding a soon to be released movie, Prometheus, the sequel to a great Sci Fi movie, Aliens. Here is a caption from a movie announcement: "The teaser trailer for Ridley Scott's Prometheus — his return to the narrative landscape of his 1979 film Alien — was one of the best teasers we've seen in a long time. We have no idea if the script, heavily revised by Damon Lindelof from John Spaihts' original draft, is any good, or if the picture will hold a candle to Alien. But damn, it looks beautiful. Here's something that will give you a slightly better idea of what's going on in Prometheus, however. It isn't a trailer, and it isn't footage from the film. Rather, it is something that plays right into the rumor that surfaced yesterday about the character played by Guy Pearce. What we've got is a TED Talk... from 2023." Listen to this speech. There is no possibility that the writers knew back in 2012 what it would be like in 2o23, let alone 2024. Tell me this oration, this fictitious TED Talk is not more relevant this very day, that is was then, and most likely will ever be.
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