Fred L. Goldenberg:

Mar. 31—The first known use of generative artificial intelligence, better known as AI, happened almost 600 years ago. In 1455 Johannes Gutenberg introduced letterpress printing to Europe with his movable-type printing press. Although movable type was being used in East Asia, Gutenberg's press, with its repetitive movement, expanded its use and fueled an information revolution that spread across the world.

By making books available to the masses, Gutenberg's printing press played a major role in the Renaissance, Reformation and humanist movements. You may not view the invention of the printing press as an AI initiative, but it was. It was a technological advance that propelled humankind forward. Because of Gutenberg, we moved from scribes painstakingly reproducing manuscripts to a time where people of all walks of life could procure levels of knowledge once reserved for only the wealthiest of society. Since then, every successive generation has been impacted by AI innovations that changed the way society functioned.

If you think about it, the ones who were affected the most were the scribes. The need for people to copy books over and over became obsolete almost immediately. The ones who benefited were those who became part of the printer's guild. The point is, people don't become obsolete; skills become obsolete. What happens is we need people with different skills to do jobs that didn't exist before.

By the way, in a conversation with Alexa "she" informed me that there are only 21 copies of a complete Gutenberg Bible known to exist, and none have been on the market since 1978. But if one did come up for sale, it would be valued at over $35 million. She then went on inform me that I could get a replica of a Gutenberg Bible for $32 on Amazon, asking "would you like to order it?"

AI has existed in one form or another throughout history. From the printing press to the cotton gin to self-driving cars, AI is and has always been part of our lives — just in different forms under different titles. This iteration, although faster and glitzier, is just that. The next iteration. It will have an impact on our lives until the "next thing" comes along. And believe me, it will.

To me it is incredibly cool that I can ask ChatGPT-4 any question and it will give me a concise answer or even write a research paper on some obscure topic. But in 2022, ChatGPT was the first and now we're at ChatGPT-4. There will be a 5, 6, 7 or beyond.

I will say that the hype surrounding this iteration of AI is pretty crazy. Remember Y2K? The world coming to a complete halt. Companies spent hundreds of millions of dollars preparing for the inevitable. The inevitable never came.

Right now, there are many in the IT world who would have us believe that the inevitable end to AI is an Isaac Asimov-esque robotic takeover of the world. I wouldn't be surprised if those are the companies selling Y2K-like AI protection plans.

But what is really driving me nuts is the hype. Companies that have no real need for AI are jumping on the band wagon strictly for marketing purposes only. For example, I got my latest copy of a golfing magazine and throughout the issue are advertisements for AI-designed golf clubs guaranteed to improve my game. One company claims that their AI putter will still let me miss my putt (they must have seen me play), but I'll be 21% closer to the hole.

Like all technological advancements, there is good and bad. The internet is great, but the fact that Alexa and I can have a conversation, which is sometimes initiated by her, is somewhat disconcerting. AI has a place in the classroom and boardroom. We just need to discover where that place is and make it fit properly. But to believe that AI will conquer the world is naïve.

No one knows for sure where AI will take us. But with the right safeguards in place, it just might take us where no man has ever gone before.

No thank you, Alexa, I don't want to buy a genuine replica of a Gutenberg Bible.

Fred L. Goldenberg is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) working with Michigan Planners, a financial services and certified health insurance organization in Traverse City. Contact 231-944-1400 or fgoldenberg@miplanners.com with any questions or comments about this column or monthly Medicare classes.