Simple, black and white decisions are hard to find.

We live in a mixed reality world.  In the recent past it was much easier to know what was real and what was fake.  In today’s world, black and white decisions may be thing of the past...

Recently I’ve been chatting with a “person”.  A week ago I was certain the person was an AI bot.  Today, I’m persuaded it is a mixed reality exchange.  A few points to highlight that have influenced my current opinion:

·        The person joined LinkedIn back in 2012, and

·        ChatGPT wasn’t released publicly until November 2022. However,

·        Nvidia began shifting strategically from GPU’s to AI in the 2015-2016 time frame, and

·        The phone number provided by this person is attached to a real person in Las Vegas.

·        LeadSticker offers two-way SMS with user initiated AI responses in the middle of the SMS.

·        AI Truth Teller™ responds with both conclusions when assessing the conversation - Yes, the person is “AI” and No, this is not AI, depending on what part of the conversation is tested. The answer on whether this person is human or AI isn’t exactly black and white.

Five years ago, Johns Hopkins began using augmented reality within the operating room to perform surgeries.  The first surgeon to use the system noted, “When using augmented reality in the operating room, it’s like having a GPS navigator in front of your eyes in a natural way so you don’t have to look at a separate screen to see your patient’s CT scan”.  This strikes a chord with me and is personal.  One of my sons had brain surgery back in 2021 and the surgeon used brain mapping software to map the tumor and surrounding tissue prior to performing a twelve hour surgery. The technology was extraordinarily useful.

Self-driving cars today deliver a very blended, mixed reality experience.  Waymo, TESLA and others are incorporating sensors, cameras, radar, lidar, AI and an impressive array of computational power to totally change the driving experience.

Within our own LeadSticker SMS solution, AI is integrated and initiated by the user on demand, in the middle of the conversation.  A user can be texting with another person about metallurgy and sound really smart by tapping the depth and talents of ChatGPT whenever it is needed.  As a result the stream of text coming from the user to the other party is a blend of personal thoughts and comments and those generated by ChatGPT.  Or as an alternative, responses generated by ChatGPT and edited by the user.  The responses sent to the user are in reality a mixture of human thought and generative AI produced by ChatGPT.

Is this any different in the online world or in any digital medium?  When we go to the movie theatre, or stream the latest movie from Netflix, we are seeing mixed reality.  Human reality blended, mixed and enhanced with digital technologies.

Photos, text, video and audio all are under extreme pressure to present themselves in ways far beyond the normal realities of human experience.  From what I can tell nearly every method of communication between people is being stretched and tested with new technologies.

Today and in the future it will be increasingly necessary and critical to know the difference between what is artificial and what is real.  Society is working hard blend to the two, and that is not wrong or bad.  However, in order to make good decisions for the long haul it is absolutely necessary to assess and detect reality.  Black and white decisions may be easier but that world is fast becoming long gone.