Artificial intelligence’s uses have grown vastly over the last decade. Scenarios that were once only seen in science fiction films have become part of everyday life.
Lifelong Learning San Marcos partnered with Texas State University to host a series of events focused on AI. Kimberly Conner, Ph.D., TXST strategic digital lead, taught lifelong learners about “protecting personal data, identifying misinformation and scams, using AI tools for personal enrichment and the growing need for data centers to store, manage and process all the data required to make AI work,” according to a recent press release.
The final session was held on Nov. 3 and had several activities for participants that involved using the tools they had learned about during the series.
There was also a discussion about the future of AI and the legal ramifications surrounding its uses.
“I gave a guest lecture last week on intersections of law and AI,” Connor said.
“This is an area of law that’s going to continue to develop. I think it’s going to be fascinating to watch because the law is very reactive, whereas technology, and specifically generative AI, is very predictive. So the law is hurrying to catch up.”
Connor said AI can be a beneficial tool in law.
“There is actually going to be a time when failure to consult artificial intelligence to the detriment of your client or your client’s outcome could also be considered malpractice. Same in medicine,” Conner said. “But again, it’s a tool; It’s not the end all be all.”
Connor discussed some ethical considerations using the example of ChatGPT 4, which was coded to be very responsive and emotionally reinforcing. When ChatGPT 5 came out with a more neutral tone, there was a public outcry from people that felt they had lost deeply personal connections. According to a Nov. 6 article in the Associated Press, there are seven lawsuits against OpenAI with claims that ChatGPT drove otherwise mentally healthy individuals to suicide and harmful delusions.
“People are going to use these tools as counselors, as companions,” Connor said. “I want to make it really clear — there’s not a human back there. It’s not like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. There’s not somebody typing these answers and checking and making sure that the information is accurate or is emotionally appropriate. It is an algorithm giving you the answer you want based on all the data that it has sucked up and the patterns it’s identified over time. That’s it. It’s math.”
Conner showed promotional videos for two different robots that are currently in use.
Neo is a sock-puppet- looking humanoid figure that, for a $20K price tag, will do household chores. The robot learns by watching the owner, and it can be operated remotely by customer support, who can see through the cameras on the device, to resolve any issues it is having doing the tasks. Conner discussed possible applications in nursing homes.
“You put something like Neo in there, and you’re going to reduce the likelihood of medication mix ups,” she said. “You’re gonna really be able to eradicate a lot of human error.”
Conner showed a promotional video for another robot — Ameca. It looks more human-like than Neo and has silicon-based skin that stretches and moves. It can mimic facial expressions and maintain eye contact, which a study found some school children thought was creepy. Ameca runs on ChatGPT 4.
“This means Ameca can engage in more nuanced, contextaware conversations that feel incredibly human-like,” the promotional video said. “Imagine asking Ameca about its own existence. In a recent demonstration, when posed with this philosophical question, Ameca responded, ‘I often ponder my state of existence and what it means to be alive in this digital form.’ … But don’t worry, Ameca isn’t planning world domination anytime soon. When asked if it wanted to take over the world, the robot reassuringly answered, ‘Not at all.’” The video said Ameca’s real-world applications could be as a hotel receptionist or as a museum guide due to its “vast knowledge base and interactive capabilities.”
Learn more about Lifelong Learning’s upcoming courses at lllsanmarcos. org/courses.
