NOBEL PRIZE WINNER ISSUES DIRE WARNING ON AI

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Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield were awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics on October 8th, 2024.

Hinton was awarded the prize for his work on “foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.” It’s why he’s known as the “Godfather of AI.” Hinton is responsible for laying the groundwork for how AI functions today.

Since May 2023, he’s been warning folks about the dangers posed by this burgeoning technology. In fact, he publicly resigned from Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) to be able to speak out more freely about it.

And last Tuesday, when asked about the effect that AI would have on our society, he said:

“It will be comparable with the industrial revolution. But instead of exceeding people in physical strength, it’s going to exceed people in intellectual ability. We have no experience of what it’s like to have things smarter than us.“

Thanks to AI, we will soon ride in Robotaxis, have personalized treatment plans for major diseases, and much more… totally transforming the way we work, live, and play.

However, some things will change for the worse…

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the dockworker’s strike and how one of their aims was a total ban on further automation at the nation’s ports. I believed that this was a hopelessly futile endeavor – that AI-driven automation was eventually coming whether they liked it or not. Just as Amazon and Walmart warehouses are becoming totally robotic. They can function 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no people, no mistakes, no meal breaks, no sickies, and no holidays.

But it’s not just the dockworkers that should be worried. AI is coming for tech jobs, too. In fact, TechCrunch reported that Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft laid off roughly 94,400 people in 2023! And so far this year, the total for tech layoffs is about 141,076! Some of these layoffs are due to workers who were reluctant to return to the office. But many of these layoffs are related to AI as companies rely on software, rather than people, to become more efficient.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. We will see layoffs in law enforcement, customer service, medicine, mining, transportation, and much more. Up to 800 million global workers could lose their jobs by 2030, according to a McKinsey study, and 70% of all existing occupations could see a pay cut, according to Wired magazine. We’re talking about a massive wave of economic and societal change.

City-sanctioned safe sleeping site on Fulton Street between Hyde and Larkin Streets in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, June 12, 2020. Four years later it is much worse.

Governments that have jettisoned God and His commandments are already unable to cope with the consequences. Lawlessness, even anarchy will abound exactly as Scripture prophecies for the last day before Jesus returns to Earth.

Government debt levels are already astronomical so they will not be able to provide relief for AI-induced unemployment. The stage is being set for the Antichrist and a one-world government.

Jesus warns us that increasing persecution is ahead for Christians and we need to trust God no matter the circumstances confident that He will see us through it.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

THE IMPACT OF AI & ROBOTICS ON JOBS

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Amazon, the online retailer behemoth, is the second-largest private employer in the U.S. – 1.5 million people. It’s also one of the largest investors in AI. It’s building out fully autonomous warehouses… It’s working to automate the delivery process with self-driving vans and delivery drones… and 30% of its “workforce” are already robots.

Robots don’t sleep. They don’t take vacations. They never need a break. So, let me ask you this: How much longer until Amazon decides these robots are ready to take on the full workload of its 1.5 million remaining workers? And what do you think will happen when 1.5 million hardworking Americans are suddenly out of a job?

Amazon is far from the only giant that has done this. Walmart Inc. (WMT), the largest private employer in the U.S., is rolling out fully automated distribution centers using a combination of AI and robots. The company’s distribution centers come with one big catch: No people.

Finding good critical thinkers is one of the most difficult things in business. I’m talking about “knowledge workers” – i.e., accountants, business strategists, lawyers, and doctors – who make optimal decisions, are good at problem-solving, can strategize, and always act in the business’s best interests.

The only thing more difficult than finding one good knowledge worker… is finding multiple. For most of the modern era, knowledge work was difficult to scale. These professions typically require years of education, on-the-job training, and experience. That adds up to lots of time and money.

But now, ChatGPT and other forms of AI are killing that paradigm. It makes it so that businesses can scale critical thinking and knowledge work. It doesn’t matter if you have a blue or white collar: AI could threaten your job.

The Quantum Leap

AI is more of a threat now than it was when ChatGPT made its debut in 2022 because of quantum computing.

In classical computing, data is encoded in binary bits. Transistors are like tiny switches that can either be in the on or off position – represented by ones and zeroes.

Every app you use, website you go to, and photo you take is made up of millions of combinations of ones and zeroes. However, a new kind of computing power surpasses the binary limitations of classical computers.

Quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously due to a concept called superposition. If this all sounds a little confusing, don’t worry. Here’s the critical thing you need to know… Quantum computers allow for multiple computational pathways to be explored at the same time, opening new avenues and speeds for solving complex problems.

Imagine you have a large library and you’re trying to find a specific book. In classical computing, you would search for the book by examining each bookshelf and book one at a time until you find the right one. This approach can be time-consuming, especially if the book you’re looking for is in the back of the library. But imagine a computer so powerful it can explore all the books at once… That’s quantum computing.

It’s been said that the differences between quantum computers and classical computers are even more vast than those between classical computers and pen and paper. That may be an understatement.

We’re talking about machines so advanced that they can instantly execute calculations that would take the world’s most advanced supercomputers nearly half a century to process. It’s not like the transition from the horse and buggy to the automobile. It’s more like horse and buggy to the SR-71 Blackbird… the fastest jet ever made. The difference is utterly mind-blowing.

Quantum computing is real and it’s here. You can think of it as the turbocharger for artificial intelligence. It makes AI faster, more efficient, and more precise.

Quantum computing will give us the ability to solve intractable problems that take so long to tackle using today’s computers that no one even bothers trying. We’re talking about the ability to create, replicate, and commercialize complex analytical thinking and precise physical movement on a scale never seen before… This is the next huge leap forward for the digital elite… the people who have been getting rich while most Americans have been getting left behind.

With quantum computing, the digital elite will have AI that is not constrained by computational speed. Quantum-powered AI will drive efficiencies by getting rid of human workers and driving up corporate profits. No matter the job, robots, software and AI – powered by a new breed of computer – will be able to do it better and cheaper.

I expect that in the quantum era, we will see more technological progress in one month than we are seeing in three years from now. This is the societal and economic equivalent of a 10,000-foot mega-tsunami. It’s about to slam into our world and alter the trajectory of our country forever.

Governments that already have a debt problem that is out of control will be unable to address this unemployment problem and anarchy and lawlessness will be the outcome. The scene is being set for the Biblical prophesied rise of the Antichrist and a one-world government. The recent UN Pact for the Future where world leaders made a landmark declaration pledging concrete actions towards a safer, more peaceful, sustainable, and inclusive world for tomorrow’s generations is a significant move towards a one-world government. My next post will give more detail on the Pact for the Future.

A WORLD IN CRISIS: GOVERNMENT DEBT OUT OF CONTROL AND WORKPLACE CHAOS IMMINENT

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One week from tomorrow, Elon Musk and Tesla will hold its “We, Robot” event

It’s expected that the company will reveal its first dedicated robotaxi. This is being heralded as a “game changer” for the future of autonomous transportation.

“We, Robot” is expected to be a watershed moment for Tesla wherein the company introduces its first dedicated robotaxi, tentatively called the “Cybercab.” Tesla is also expected to showcase groundbreaking advancements in Full Self-Driving (FSD) software and artificial intelligence as the company pushes toward a future where human drivers are obsolete.

At the heart of this transportation revolution is a convenient, driverless ride at a fraction of the cost of traditional services. If it’s everything it’s cracked up to be, this will send ripples throughout the automotive, technology, and investment sectors.

Consider what a rollout of Tesla’s robotaxi would mean… With the tap of a button, you can have a car at your disposal, 24/7, at a much lower all-in cost than owning a car (or purportedly, calling an Uber).

Today, car ownership can be a major financial burden. AAA reports that last year, the average annual cost to own and operate a car in the U.S. was about $10,000. A fully autonomous, reliable, ever-present robotaxi would enable consumers to save thousands of dollars by eliminating the need for car ownership.

Yes, there will be plenty of Americans who will still want their own. But if you’re one of the 66.2% of Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck today (according to MarketWatch in August), are you not going to seriously consider letting go of your car to free up thousands of dollars per year?

According to a 2022 study by McKinsey & Co., 25% to 30% of urban dwellers would consider using shared autonomous vehicles as their main transportation mode if it were widely available. And if 25% to 30% of Americans decide to stop buying cars, get ready for a financial earthquake.

First and obviously, we have the major car manufacturers that would be rocked by this size of a reduction in auto demand. We’re talking unprecedented disruption that would require a business-model pivot, and potentially, enormous layoffs.

Cars are parked 95% of the time. If you’re merely “renting” your car, when you’re done with it, it speeds away to service someone else. Such collective ownership of cars will radically explode car efficiency, reducing how many are needed, which would impact how many workers are required. Also, you do not need a garage at home or at work.

Now, consider the knock-on effects… With 25% to 30% fewer drivers (at the beginning – expect this percentage to grow), what happens to the auto insurance industry? According to Benzinga, U.S. auto insurance premiums amount to more than $308 billion per year. So, what happens with far fewer car owners? Do we lose loads of related insurance jobs? Or does the insurance model switch from vehicle coverage to some sort of ride-based individual coverage? What would be the impact on business models?

Next, what about car mechanics and chain repair shops?

What happens when autonomous driving hits our trucking industry? In the U.S., that’s a $216 billion market with roughly 3.5 million drivers. Think “robotrucks” might be disruptive there?

Now, consider the investment implications, good and bad… What will be the impact of all this on the share prices of not just Tesla, but Ford… Alphabet (which owns Waymo, another autonomous driving company)… Uber… Insurance companies… Auto parts manufacturers, and retailers, the list goes on and on… And what about the stocks of the companies that make the components for Tesla’s fleet or robotaxis? All the sensors and semiconductor chips? The plastics? The electronic circuitry?

It is all about technology replacing the need for humans. In 2013, Amazon used about 1,000 robots in its warehouses. Last year, that number clocked in at 750,000 and the savings have been incredible. The warehouses work 24 hours a day non-stop and seven days a week.

Think about the coming impact of AI and automation on, well, everything… It’s already affecting jobs for customer service agents… paralegals and legal assistants… accountants… medical diagnosticians… radiologists… financial analysts… journalists… recruiters… insurance underwriters… and marketing specialists… to name a few. Should we expect it to stop?

It will lead to a chaotic workplace as shown by the International Longshoremen’s Association strike that began yesterday, with dockworkers demanding assurances that the United States Maritime Alliance will never replace human workers with automation? As well, the Screen Actors Guild/Writers Guild of America strikes in 2023, wherein Hollywood workers demanded protection from the rising capabilities of artificial intelligence. Unions will not stop the use of AI and robots and lawlessness and chaos will erupt across cities.

In Matthew 24:12, Jesus told his disciples what will unfold in the end times before He returns to Earth. He says, “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold”. Christians know what is coming and we need to use Biblical end-times prophecies to evangelize the lost. As these end times prophecies are fulfilled, people will realise God is real and the Bible is God’s word.

AS THE BIBLE TELLS US WE ARE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE

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Scientists at Harvard University, working with Google AI/machine learning experts, have published an amazing study of a one cubic millimetre piece of human brain. (The piece was excised during a medical procedure).

Sliver of brain tissue

The sliver of tissue, ~3 mm long, was sliced into over 5,000 thin sections and each one was scanned with an electron microscope. The images were then analyzed with Google’s machine learning programs (AI) to piece together a detailed 3-dimensional picture of the cells and their connections.

The tiny fragment contained 57,000 cells and 230 mm (9 in) of fine blood vessels. It had thousands of neurons and nearly 150 million synapses (the major connections between neurons).

The electron microscope images alone occupied 1,400 terabytes of computer memory. To put this in perspective, a typical large external hard drive today stores 20 terabytes. It would take 70 of these hard drives to store the data. But the whole brain is one million times this volume. Scaling up, we would need 70 million hard drives. At just $US300 each, this would cost 21 billion dollars, quite aside from the power to run them. And that’s just for one copy.

The researchers found things that have not been seen before. As one of the co-authors who helped lead the research, Jeff Lichtman, remarked to the Guardian,

“We found many things in this dataset that are not in the textbooks. We don’t understand those things, but I can tell you they suggest there’s a chasm between what we already know and what we need to know.“

We have a long way to go before we understand how the brain works. Indeed, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

It is getting harder and harder for biological scientists to cling to evolution and random chance and deny intelligent design for what they can now observe. Since the discovery of DNA and the electron microscope that revealed complex machinery even in the simplest cell, the demise of evolution as the cause of life on this planet was sealed.

“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” Romans 1:20-23

Sample, I., Scientists find 57,000 cells and 150m neural connections in tiny sample of human brain, theguardian.com, 10 May 2024.

Shapson-Coe, A. et al., A petavoxel fragment of human cerebral cortex reconstructed at nanoscale resolution, Science 384(6696):2024.

This article appeared in the latest issue of Creation Magazine

CREATIVITY IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM PART 1

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What does the Bible say about our ability to create? First of all, it says we are made in the image of the greatest creator of all things, God our Father. We are then told that Adam’s rebellious son Cain built at least one city.

“Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch” Genesis 4:17

Just seven generations down Cain’s line we then learn that Jabal was a farmer who raised livestock, his brother Jubal’s family played musical instruments (lyre and pipe) and Tubal-Cain forged instruments of bronze and iron.

What does this say about evolution and stone age people?

“Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. Zillah also bore Tubal-Cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron.” Genesis 4:20-22

Despite the dreadful judgement of God with the worldwide flood of Noah’s day resulting in eight survivors, just a few generations on we learn that God judges the world again with the confusion of their language at the Tower of Babel. With just one language God says that nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. What does that say about our creative ability? Hence God creates the nations each with its own language.

“Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Once God had decided to establish His own nation, Israel, we learn that God gifted and called Bezalel to be a skilled laborer, a master craftsman, and a God-glorifying artist. Bezalel and Oholiab were not only to create works of art but also to train apprentices to do so. The gifting and calling were from God:

“He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them master craftsmen and designers” Exodus 35:35

What about today: with the development of the internet, the communication problem that God initiated at Babel is now largely overcome and new technology is being developed at lightning speed in energy, healthcare, agriculture, communication, transport, and in fact every area of activity.

I believe there is no reason why this will not continue during Jesus’ reign in the Millennium. However, its development will be controlled by Jesus and the Saints who the Bible says will be ruling in this transition era with a rod of iron.

“The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron,” Revelation 2:26

“She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron,” Revelation 12:5

“From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.” Revelation 19:15

In this post let us look briefly at ENERGY and TRANSPORT

ENERGY: NUCLEAR FUSION

A UK-based company called First Light Fusion came up with an idea to build a nuclear fusion reactor that hits nuclear fuel pack with a projectile, having a speed 200 times more than that of sound and releases enormous heat, which gets absorbed by lithium that transfers heat to water through the heat exchanger. The reactor will repeat the process of hitting the fuel pack with the projectile every 30 seconds, resulting in generating a pulse of energy that could generate 5800kWh of electric energy. They plan to put the first commercial nuclear fusion technology power plant within a budget of $1 billion, generating 150MW power.

A major group of American scientists has agreed to work toward opening a nuclear fusion plant by the 2040s. The timeframe is intentional, letting scientists work on and learn from giant projects like Europe’s ITER and China’s EAST before designing a prototype of a fusion plant for the United States.

TRANSPORT: FUEL CELLS

Like batteries, fuel cells generate electricity, meaning that any car that runs off a fuel cell is actually an electric car. Also, like batteries, fuel cells mix two chemicals that react to produce an electric current. However, the important difference with fuel cells is that, unlike batteries, they do not store energy internally. Rather, they have their “fuel” fed directly into the battery “cell”, thus the term fuel cell.

The most likely fuel cell is the Hydrogen Fuel Cell. There are others in development. In the case of the hydrogen fuel cell, the two chemicals that react together are stored hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen. When reacted together they produce water. So if you have a hydrogen car, you can drink its exhaust. Also, fuel cells aren’t limited to smaller vehicles, they can power buses and, even, tractors. Whilst many fuel cells are under development the Polymer Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMF) is one of the big favourites.

The Einride Pod driverless truck will begin operating for the first time on a U.S. public highway. The vehicles will have to stick to a defined route during a limited test program.

MILLENNIAL KINGDOM – POWER AND TRANSPORTATION

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Flying Motorcycles, Better E-Bikes, and More Personal Transportation to Come
Solar-Powered Electric Vehicles Are Almost Ready to Hit the Road

Imagine what it will be like ruling and reigning with Jesus on this earth during His prophesied Millennial Kingdom. All the amazing technology under development today will be fully utilised.

British Scientists In World-First Fusion Power Breakthrough. The long-held dream of pollution and radiation-free electricity derived from nuclear fusion could be a step closer to reality thanks to a major breakthrough by a team of British scientists.

“We built MAST Upgrade to solve the exhaust problem for compact fusion power plants, and the signs are that we’ve succeeded. Super-X reduces the heat on the exhaust system from a blowtorch level down to more like you’d find in a car engine. This could mean it would only have to be replaced once during the lifetime of a power plant. It’s a pivotal development for the UK’s plan to put a fusion power plant on the grid by the early 2040s – and for bringing low-carbon energy from fusion to the world.”

Imagine the green cities of the future. Plants will be grown in high-rise buildings using solar power and water drip technology. The people living in those cities will have fresh fruit and vegetables available all year round. Electric and solar-powered self-driving vehicles of the optimum size for the number of people and the length of the journey to be undertaken will be requested as required.

FUTURISTIC GREEN CITY

I am presently developing a website http://www.millennialkingdom.net where you will be able to find out all about what God has revealed in His Word, the Bible about His coming Millennial Kingdom. There are some 2000 prophecies about Jesus’ second coming to earth to rule and reign over the nations from a new Jerusalem and Israel. Did you know that new Jerusalem will be on the highest mountain in the world at that time? All nations will go up to Jerusalem in the Millennium.

“And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.” Ezekiel 36:35-36

“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,” Isaiah 2:2 & Micah 4:1\

Millennial Jerusalem – A new name – The Lord is There