Latest news with #TheArtificialHuman
Telegraph
27-04-2025
- Telegraph
Don't forget to say ‘thank you' the next time AI helps you out
'Good manners cost nothing,' as the more ferocious type of old-fashioned nanny was fond of saying. But old-fashioned nannies had yet to encounter artificial intelligence (I'm sure the current generation of trainee Norland nannies are all over it), where good manners are anything but free. Last week, Aleks Krotoski, the social psychologist and co-presenter of Radio 4's The Artificial Human, discussed the response from Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, to a question posted on X, wondering how much money the company lost in electricity costs from people saying 'please' and 'thank you' on ChatGPT. The answer, Altman suggested, was: 'Tens of millions of dollars well spent – you never know.' The response was tongue-in-cheek, but the dilemma real. On the one hand, a simple exchange of courtesies with a chatbot, such as one has countless times a day with fellow humans – 'thanks', 'you're welcome' – uses processing power, and thus electricity and water. The cost – not to mention the impact on the environment – of all those momentary courtesies to a non-sentient being is eye-watering. But so, too, is the impact on our emotional environment of eschewing politeness. Krotoski had previously studied what happened when people were rude to their virtual assistants – and it wasn't good news. Potential friends and partners, witnessing an individual's boorish interaction with their smart speaker, assumed that they'd eventually come in for the same treatment and tended not to stick around. Across society, courtesy has become a currency with a very low value. In politics, in classrooms, and in sport both professional and amateur, the mostly consequence-free social-media pile-ons of spite and rage have leached into everyday discourse, tainting it with snark and aggression. The problem can feel overwhelming – in gloomy moments, it can seem that the Yahoos have already inherited the earth. But, happily, the solution is in our own hands. In challenging times, courtesy is often the first casualty of anxiety. But politeness, like measles, is catching; and it takes only a modest effort to start a local epidemic. As for the immense cost in energy, water and emissions of AI data centres – that's something that we should raise with the tech bros of Silicon Valley. Politely, of course. We should appreciate the skill and artistry required to prune fruit trees The pruning of fruit trees is a difficult matter. Any larrikin with a chainsaw and an extendable lopper can mangle (or, as in the egregious recent case of the ancient Enfield oak, all-but eliminate) an overgrown tree. But fruit trees are different. Last summer, I moved to a new garden in Kentish orchard country, complete with unruly apple and pear trees. In late winter, I attended a pruning course at the heart of British fruit-growing: the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm, near Faversham. There, I learnt that pruning is an art as well as a science. And that a one-day course didn't qualify me to start hacking away at my trees. The search for someone to undertake the pruning proved harder than I expected. There are plenty of local tree surgeons, but a distinct shortage of people willing to tackle fruit trees. Eventually, I asked Brogdale for advice and in due course a brace of experts appeared. They set about my wormy Bramley, scabby Conference pear and a row of overgrown espaliers with the concentrated tenderness of the Repair Shop artisans restoring a beloved but decrepit heirloom. I overheard them debating which limbs to take off the apple tree, the better to improve its 'flow'. The overgrown espaliers turned out to be a random run of different trees. Out came several adolescent plums, leaving a lone apple, pruned to an elegant open-centred goblet shape. Watching them work was fascinating, in the way that watching anyone highly skilled, from the stonemason-restorers of Notre-Dame to expert hedge-layers, is fascinating. Part of you thinks, 'I could learn to do that,'while another part knows that you should have started several decades ago. I am left with three beautifully pruned fruit trees, a neat pile of trimmings that will provide pea sticks and firewood for several years to come, and a glimpse into a world of practical artistry that it might, even now, not be too late to explore.
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC Learning English - 6 Minute English / Can AI solve crime?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Download a free 6 Minute English worksheet and transcript! Try our free interactive quiz! ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Try more episodes of 6 Minute English: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction How can artificial intelligence be used to help police solve crime? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. This week's question In 2020, a magazine called the Radio Times asked readers who their favourite TV detective was. Who was the most popular? a) Sherlock Holmes b) Hercule Poirot c) Miss Marple Listen to the programme to hear the answer. Vocabulary where (someone) is coming from someone's opinion or perspective background the area that someone has most experience in what can (something) do for me? how can (something) help or improve things? renaissance new interest or activity in a subject out of favour less popular or appealing real-time information is presented as it is happening TRANSCRIPT Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript. Beth Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Beth. Neil And I'm Neil. Don't forget that you can find a transcript and a quiz for this episode on our website, Beth Now today, Neil, we're talking all about solving crime. Do you think you'd be a good detective? Neil Actually, no, Beth. I think my brain's not very good with details! Today, we'll be talking about how artificial intelligence might help detectives and the police investigate crimes. But first, I have a question for you, Beth – in the UK, lots of people enjoy watching fictional detectives on TV. These programmes are called murder mysteries and tell the story of a detective solving a crime. In 2020, a magazine called the Radio Times asked readers who their favourite TV detective was. So, who do you think was the most popular? Was it: a) Sherlock Holmes b) Hercule Poirot c) Miss Marple Beth Surely it's Sherlock Holmes? Neil Well, you sound very sure, but I will reveal the answer at the end of the programme. Now, when the police are investigating crimes in the real world, their techniques are often quite different from what we see on television. Beth Yes. Solving crimes involves collecting and reviewing lots of evidence, like DNA, fingerprints, or CCTV. Neil All of this work takes a lot of time. So, can AI help police speed up the work and even solve crimes? That's the question listener Alastair had for BBC Radio 4 programme The Artificial Human. And host Aleks Krotoski wanted to know more… Aleks Krotoski So, Alastair, why are you asking this question? Tell us a little bit more about yourself and where you're coming from? Alastair So, my name's Alastair and I'm a serving police officer. My background is with investigation. I'm looking at artificial intelligence and thinking, "What can it do for me?" Beth Alex asks Alastair to explain where he's coming from. This means explain his perspective or point of view. In informal English, we'll often ask someone, "Do you get where I'm coming from?" And we're asking whether they understand our opinion or perspective. Neil Alastair explains that he's interested in how artificial intelligence could help solve crimes, because he's a police officer with a background in investigations. If you have a background in something, it means most of your previous work or experience was related to something. For example, I work as a producer at BBC Learning English now, making programmes, but my background is in classroom teaching. Beth Alastair talks about using artificial intelligence for training and asks, "What can it do for me?" This means, "How can artificial intelligence help or improve something?" Neil When a crime happens, police officers have to collect and review a lot of information to find evidence. When you have a lot of information to review, it can be difficult to know what's important and find patterns which might be relevant to the crime. Beth But Professor Ruth Morgan, an expert in crime and forensic science, thinks AI could help speed up police work, as she told BBC Radio 4's The Artificial Human. Ruth Morgan I think we're seeing a renaissance in the pattern-recognition forms of evidence, so finger marks, footwear marks. There's been lots of challenges with those forms of evidence over the last ten years, probably going a little bit out of favour. And yet what we're beginning to see now with AI is that you can take a photo of a mark with your phone, compare that mark to the database and get real-time insight. Neil Ruth says that there is a renaissance in looking at patterns in evidence, such as finger marks or footwear marks. Renaissance means new interest or activity in a particular topic or area. Beth This kind of evidence went a little bit out of favour over recent years because of the excitement around DNA evidence. If something is out of favour, it is less popular or appealing. Neil But AI could mean that patterns in finger marks or footwear marks are useful in solving crimes again. This is because AI can be used to compare a picture of a mark with a database of pictures from other crimes and get real-time insight. The adjective real-time means the information is presented at the same time that it's happening. Beth Yes, AI can compare lots of information very quickly, which makes finding patterns in evidence much easier and more reliable. Neil There are some problems with using AI to solve crimes though. Beth To find these patterns, lots of private information would need to be collected, and police usually have to give clear reasons why they need access to certain information in their investigations. Neil It's unlikely an AI-powered robot would ever replace a detective anytime soon! Beth Yes, and that reminds me of your question, Neil. I said that Sherlock Holmes was maybe the most popular detective. Was I right? Neil You were absolutely right. And I think people should try the quiz on our website to find out how much they know as well. It's at OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with the expression where you're coming from, which means your opinion or perspective on something. Beth Your background is the area that you have the most work experience in. Neil The question 'what can this do for me?' means 'how can this help or improve things?' Beth Renaissance means new interest or activity in something Neil If something is out of favour, it has become less popular or appealing. Beth And the adjective real-time means information is presented as it is happening. Neil Once again, our six minutes are up. Head to our website to find more episodes of 6 Minute English at Bye for now! Beth Bye!
