Can Artificial Intelligence (AI) cure the common cold? Nope. Can it fix the loo? Nosir - still need a plumber, or some tools and a strong composition... Oh, but wait, it can surely clear the snow - right? Ah no, no it cannot. Fine fine, but AI has the wu-tang grip on dropping the transmission out of my '04 Lincoln - ya? Nah. But it IS purportedly on track to achieve general or super intelligence, gain agency, first unemploy and then kill us all, right? Well.... yeah, piece-'o-cake, no worries there.
The above was my reaction to a fun read of a recent NYT bestseller 'If Anyone Builds it, Everyone Dies'. Interesting synopsis here in case you are interested: https://ai-frontiers.org/articles/summary-of-if-anyone-builds-it-everyone-dies
My further contemplation on the AI matter gives me hope that positive and real in-person human-to-human interaction, already tamped down somewhat by the rise of social media, the not-too-long-ago era of lockdowns and the general polarization of opinions these days, will become more treasured and valued. Then I thought to myself... self... aren't we inadvertent stewards of heartfelt and soulful human-to-human connection, namely: live music? I'll admit, the J Ryan Trio often falls short of even 'regular intelligence', but if you had to choose between a humanoid robot butler that might buttle daily chores before going haywire causing havoc and the J Ryan Trio - I gotta believe at least 3 out of 5 would choose the J Ryan Trio. OK 2 outta 5, but that's still a solid double digit percentage.
Thus I humbly recommend braving the cold to support real people making real music in real time at the storied and venerable Jazz Gallery this Saturday, Dec 13 (music 7pm to 9-ish). Every penny raised will benefit the Gallery's ongoing commitment to real-human community connections and music. Details in the handsome, hand crafted non-AI-generated poster below.