How close to sci-fi fears is AI ‘reality’?

Business and economics

By Steve Brawner, © 2023 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

In the movie “The Terminator,” released in 1984, director James Cameron and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger introduced the idea that mankind might invent a computer network so intelligent – “Skynet,” it was called – that it would decide humanity is a threat that must be destroyed.

It’s looking less and less like science fiction and more and more like a warning.

According to a New York Times report, Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called “godfather of artificial intelligence” who recently retired from Google, is warning of the increasingly imminent dangers of the technology he helped develop. 

“I thought it was 30 to 50 years or even longer away,” he told the Times. “Obviously, I no longer think that.”

Continue reading How close to sci-fi fears is AI ‘reality’? →

‘Middle Mom’ fights for zero waiting foster kids

Inspirational

By Steve Brawner, © 2023 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Christie Erwin has hugged a lot of foster kids, but never while they were in the middle of being interviewed for a short film in hopes of being adopted.

That changed last year when a 15-year-old was asked on camera what was hoped for in a family, responded by saying, “I want to be able to hug somebody,” and then started crying.

Tatum had not been hugged in four years. Erwin, filmmaker Nathan Willis, and the photographer immediately stopped filming and fulfilled the wish, if only for that moment.

Erwin is the founder of Project Zero, which promotes adoptions of foster kids in Arkansas through events where kids mingle with prospective parents, and through those roughly four-minute films. You can watch them at theprojectzero.org. Continue reading ‘Middle Mom’ fights for zero waiting foster kids →

Westerman, Womack both right about McCarthy vote

U.S. Congress

By Steve Brawner, © 2023 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

There are two ways of looking at last week’s speaker of the House election in Washington – Rep. Bruce Westerman’s way, and Rep. Steve Womack’s way. Both are valid.

Westerman and Womack along with Arkansas’ other representatives, Reps. French Hill and Rick Crawford, were strong supporters of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bid. They all stuck with him through 15 votes over four days until he finally was elected over the strong opposition of about 20 conservatives. 

Westerman, a close ally of McCarthy, gave the nominating speech on the 15th vote that finally settled the matter. Afterwards, his office released one of those statements that generally belongs at the end of a news story, but it’s worth repeating in part here. Continue reading Westerman, Womack both right about McCarthy vote →

Arkansans of the Year: The two governors

Politics

By Steve Brawner

© 2022 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

When you write a syndicated column that annually declares someone the “Arkansan of the Year,” one of the finalists must be the person who becomes the state’s first female elected governor with 63% of the vote, gives voice to the concerns of her supporters, and shatters the glass ceiling for women of all political persuasions – and does it all at the age of 40.

The only problem with naming Sarah Huckabee Sanders was that 2022 really wasn’t her year.  Continue reading Arkansans of the Year: The two governors →