AI for Retail

CHAPTER 4Level‐Setting the AI Doomsday‐ism

“Phil, flush all of the Progresso, they are going to soup it!”

SNL

I am very worried about both overselling and underselling the power of our current AI systems. At this point, I am afraid I may have not given enough attention to the limitations of modern AI, which are just as important to understand as it’s power. Unfortunately, the media tends to focus on the latter.

One of my favorite Saturday Night Live (SNL) skits is called “WXPD Channel 9 News: Frightening Teen Trends” (see Figure 4.1). Bill Hader, the reporter, starts the segment with:

“They call it Souping. Teenagers are drinking expired soup cans to get high. Every teenager is doing it, and it will kill them. Parents are powerless to protect their kids, because shockingly… . soup is legal!”

When people don't understand something, they are easily swayed to believe the worst, and the media loves it. Whether it is frightening parents about made‐up high school trends or how AI is going to cause mass unemployment or worse, kill you, the media will do what it takes to keep you clicking, reading, and watching. Fearmongering is a lucrative business.

FIGURE 4.1 Mother panicking in Saturday Night Live skit.

Source: Google LLC.

Many in the deep learning community find these doomsday fallacies comical. There are a few common ones to be wary of. Let's discuss each in depth.

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