'My AI' will be a game changer
Readers of the column know, I am a sci-fi geek. I voraciously consume any movies or TV shows about the technological future of humanity. At the same time, I am also a dabbling student of the "apocalypse". Working for 30 plus years in a field which utilizes global financial markets to deliver solutions to clients, I maintain a grasp of the complexity, durability and corresponding fragility of the systems which serve as the foundations of modern life. I admittedly find it healthy and sometimes mentally fun to explore the possibility of collapse in the things we have all come to take for granted in society. Combine sci-fi and the apocalypse and now things are getting interesting for me.
I am certainly not alone; it seems American consumers cannot get enough of these two topics melded together as well. Each decade has its own version of dominant pop culture vision of our dystopian future. In the 80's it was the Terminator, the 90's the Matrix, more recently the Hunger Games series, and hundreds of other titles fill the years.
A common trend in apocalyptic future fiction is the all-powerful, and of course corrupt and evil "AI". In these stories the AI has taken over the world, and enslaved or attempted to exterminate humanity. In these narratives reference is often made to the "singularity", which is the moment computers become self-aware or conscious, and seconds later decided to wage a first strike on their human creators. There are some who follow such things that believe the real life "singularity" is close and may have already happened in some Silicon Valley laboratory.
Candidly, the concept of an all-encompassing non-human intelligence connected and operating everything from our doorbell cameras to our cars to our pockets and wrists through our smart gadgets is disconcerting. What could be done with such power? How can this new form of "being" be trusted with such access and control?
What if however, we simply change the term "the AI", to the term "My AI"? "The AI" watches and commands everything from a perspective of centralized planning, and as we know from all forms of central political and economic planning in the human world, "the AI" would therefore also be highly likely to become self-serving and focused more on preservation of itself than service to others.
"My AI" on the other hand is not focused on watching and commanding all things from a central point of view, but rather on monitoring and assisting each of us from a decentralized, personal perspective. "My AI" wants to help us make sure our kids get their homework done, it wants to make sure we don't forget a birthday or anniversary, it wants to watch our bodies health signals to identify sickness or disease as early as possible, it wants to make sure the home never runs out of toilet paper.
"My AI" exists to make us a better version of ourselves, it exists to serve, not unlike a super smart, highly aware, hypoallergenic techno border collie living in each family's own individualized cloud. Instead of being an omnipotent villain, "My AI" is a loyal customized hero.
So, which model is likely to come to fruition? Well, in my opinion there is no doubt some will attempt to harness the power inherent in artificial intelligence to increase the ability to monitor and analyze mass amounts of data generated by human beings around the world every day. Those who seek control, even under the best intentions, will always seek more control, and this version of the "the AI" is likely to be infected by the underlying flaws of its human masters.
There is however the possibility that in a peaceful, decentralized world, using AI for this type of purpose is just simply not that interesting, or even productive. Sure, watch what I buy, see where I travel to, monitor what I look at online. Yawn. Bad actors will likely develop counter measures to AI, just like they have to human beings, new flash to the rest of us, someone is already tracking all these metrics on us already.
"My AI" on the other hand is a game changer. It exists to make us more productive, more organized, more healthy. My AI is something I am interested in investing in, My AI will require a technological infrastructure build out unrivaled since perhaps the beginning of industrialization. My AI may eliminate the need for some human jobs, but it also creates the opportunity for all new human jobs not yet conceived.
I believe the concept of My AI is inspiring investors and in large part powering the current stock market rally. When I think about the possibilities, I can't remember a more exciting time to be an investor.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. Stock investing includes risks, including fluctuating prices and loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or preserve against loss. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Marc Ruiz is a wealth advisor and partner with Oak Partners and registered representative of LPL Financial. Contact Marc at marc.ruiz@oakpartners.com. Securities offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC.
