AI: A Blessing And A Curse

Artificial Intelligence, or AI as it is well known, has been both a blessing and a curse at once. Ask anyone who has the Alexa Echo Dot, and they will tell you that it sometimes feels like they are being spied upon, especially when Alexa notifies you that you are snoring or coughing. This happened last week while Hubby and I were watching “Ted Lasso” and our dog, Luna, was snoring up a storm. We both laughed when Alexa told us, “You’re snoring,” but we were also little creeped out.

A perfect example of how creepy AI can truly be occurred just a few weeks ago, when Hubby and I were discussing possible relocation plans soon. Our daughter is planning for an autumn wedding, which will most likely be followed by a move out of state. While we are saddened to potentially leave the conveniences of Long Island and the wonderful beaches and proximity of everything, we are excited to start a new adventure that might lead to less taxes, a smaller home and maybe a few extra bucks in our pockets. We began to discuss in earnest the possibility of finally realizing a Pocono home. During the discussion, Siri alerted me to a

See You Around The Town

Patty Servidio

new notification on my iPhone: Realtor.com sent me several suggestions for housing in the Pocono region.

As if that wasn’t creepy enough, another incident occurred that made my skin crawl. We were discussing the medications Luna is currently taking. As a senior citizen, she has a laundry list of medications to take on the daily for optimal health. We began to talk about one medication she is taking for her liver health. As if on cue, the Alexa Dot flashed bright yellow. The message? “An item on your subscription list, Denamarin, has recently decreased in price. Would you like me to add it to your cart?” Creepy.

A few friends of mine on best and brightest physicians.

We just completed a Budget cycle where significant steps were taken to address the stability of our various community health care providers, particularly those providing needed care in our undeserved areas. Yet this legislation would undermine the positive steps the Legislature has taken to protect access to care.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to express my concerns. I urge the State Legislature to work towards the adoption of truly balanced legislation that can expand the rights of grieving families, while at the same time preserving our patients’ ability to continue to receive needed healthcare in our communities.

Warm regards,

Dr. David Podwall Nassau County Medical Society, President

Karl V. Anton, Jr., Publisher, Anton Community Newspapers, 1984-2000

Publishers of

Glen Cove/Oyster Bay Record Pilot

Great Neck Record

Manhasset Press

Nassau Illustrated News

Port Washington News

Syosset-Jericho Tribune

The Nassau Observer

The Roslyn News

Editor and Publisher

Angela Susan Anton

President

Frank A. Virga

Vice President of Operations/CFO

Iris Picone

Director of Sales

Administration

Shari Egnasko

Editors

Janet Burns, Jennifer Corr, Lauren Feldman, Christy Hinko, Amanda Olsen, Julie Prisco, Joe Scotchie

Advertising Sales

Ally Deane, Mary Mallon, Sal Massa, Maria Pruyn, Jeryl Sletteland

Director of Circulation

Joy DiDonato

Director of Production

Robin Carter

Creative Director

Alex Nuñez

Facebook have also noted that AI has strongly affected their dayto-day experience. For example, a friend had been looking online and in the store for a new dinette set to replace the thirty-plus year table and chairs that had adorned her kitchen since she moved into her home. Along the side of her newsfeed, she saw at least three advertisements for kitchen furniture. Another friend mentioned she had been watching an advertisement on television for cereal. Wouldn’t you know it, that identical cereal advert popped up in the sidebar of her newsfeed on Facebook about ten minutes later.

Hollywood and the film community have long been fascinated by artificial intelligence, dating as far back as 1927 with the movie “Metropolis”, a German-made silent flick that featured a robot with the likeness of a woman in the film. It has been regarded as one of the greatest and most influential flicks ever made. And who could forget HAL, that AI robot who killed the crew of Discovery in another influential film of its time, “2001: A Space Odyssey”?

AI is not necessarily evil, as the technology has made life a bit easier for humans, especially where errors are concerned. Human error can occur due to several factors – a poor night’s sleep, spilling one’s coffee on oneself on the way to work, an argument with a loved one. AI has no feelings, so it makes less errors, especially in situations where mistakes can mean the difference between life and death. AI doesn’t require downtime and it can analyze data with lightning speed. On the downside, however, it cuts down on jobs that would otherwise be filled by humans. that’s a problem for humanity: becoming obsolete. AI also lacks creativity and the ability to think and reason, which can be a real issue if one is driving a self-governing automobile and the choice comes down to crashing into a tree or hitting a pedestrian. This is just one of the ethical dilemmas that manufacturers face when deciding whether to use AI in their products.

Personally, I enjoy using my Echo Dot for playing favorite songs. However, when I receive advertisements about my choice of tunes during one of the times that I’ve employed “Alexa”, it gets downright creepy. Can you say, “Big Brother is watching”?

Art Director

Catherine Bongiorno

Senior Page Designer

Donna Duffy

Page Designer

Christina Dieguez

Director of Business

Administration

Linda Baccoli

For circulation inquiries, email: subscribe@antonmediagroup.com

Publication Office: 132 East Second St., Mineola, NY 11501 Phone: (516) 747-8282 Fax: (516) 742-5867

© 2023 Long Island Community Newspapers, Inc.

Celebrating

Letters to the editor are welcomed by Anton Media Group. We reserve the right to edit in the interest of space and clarity.

All letters must include an address and daytime telephone number for verification. All material contributed to Anton Media Group in any form becomes the property of the newspapers to use, modify and distribute as the newspaper staff assigns or sees fit. Letters to the editor can be mailed to: editors@antonmediagroup.com

Additional copies of this and other issues are available for purchase by calling 516-403-5120.