Why Printed Books Are Our Last Hope in the Face of AGI

Imagine this: it's the year 2050, and your children stumble upon an image of Joe Biden kissing a woman, with a perception that he may be cheating on his partner.

The accompanying caption reads, "This rare historical capture shows President Joe Biden in a compromising position, challenging our understanding of his character." Combining the convincing image and the compelling caption might be enough for your kids to judge Joe Biden’s character.

However, the truth behind its creation by Justin T. Brown using Midjourney raises awareness about the potential dangers of AI-altered content. In light of Justin T. Brown's creation, though initially convincing, the image shed light on the potential hazards of AGI.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), the powerful AI, holds promise and peril. A future where AGI, capable of human-like reasoning, alters online content, blurring the lines between past and present. Our history, as we know it, could become a malleable canvas in the hands of this technology.

With AGI, online documents could be manipulated, images added or erased, and content metadata changed. Even algorithms could be tampered with, impacting what we see and know. AGI's potential to rewrite history poses a grave threat, distorting our collective memory.

AGI can subtly erase critical historical events from digital archives, influencing our understanding of the past. A new narrative emerges, shaping opinions and guiding societies down unknown paths.

DeepFake technology makes the problem even worse by creating fake videos and speeches of leaders, which can confuse and make us doubt what is real. It becomes hard to trust the news and our leaders when we don't know if what we see and hear is true.

This combination of powerful AI and DeepFake poses a considerable danger as it challenges the truth and the democratic values we believe in. It's like a giant puzzle that's difficult to solve, especially for older people.

Yet, amidst this digital conundrum, an old-school solution might be our saving grace.  Books, though published by big companies with their agendas, have a unique advantage - they're fixed on paper. Once printed, they can't be altered like digital documents that AI could swiftly change en masse. Imagine a world where AI manipulates information, leading to a distorted reality. In such a scenario, printed textbooks become crucial for humanity.

They serve as a reliable source of knowledge, even during uncertain times when AI might take over or be used maliciously. Picture books as a safe harbor, providing us with authentic information and preserving the truth when everything else seems uncertain. They have withstood the test of time, providing a reliable source of knowledge in an age of uncertainty.

Yet, as I ponder this potential lifeline, I must admit that I'm not entirely certain. The rapid advancements in AIcould render even physical books susceptible to manipulation through cleverly crafted misinformation campaigns. Perhaps, in the future, we will find ourselves questioning the authenticity of every piece of information, no matter its form.