Learning new skills can be difficult. That difficulty only compounds when you try to teach yourself. I know it’s cliché, but anything worth learning tends to be difficult. When it’s part of a genuine passion, however, it can even more rewarding. You just have to be ready to endure some setbacks and frustration.
I bring this up because recently, I announced that I had purchased a new PC with my stimulus check. Alongside that purchase, I also bought a new video editing software, Adobe Premier Elements 2021. While getting the new PC up and running was mostly a formality, learning to use this new software was bound to be challenging. I just didn’t expect it to be this challenging.
The thing is I knew I had to get new video editing the second I decided to buy a new PC. The software I’d been using on my old PC, Movie Maker 2012, wasn’t just limited. It had been discontinued. When it came to getting my YouTube channel, Jack’s World, off the ground, it got the job done. However, if you’ve seen some of my early videos, you can tell the quality was not that great.
I did what I could to make up for the software’s limitations. That included purchasing a new microphone and modifying a few images. The plan was always to upgrade to something better and, having done some research on what other successful YouTubers use, I went all in on Adobe Premier Elements 2021.
Now, after spending an entire weekend, plus a few days, just learning the basics of the system, I now realize I have a long way to go. To be perfectly honest, I overestimated the complexity of basic video editing. Everything from making proper transitions to inserting the right text to adjusting music volume has proven incredibly challenging.
I got stuck on several major issues. Most of them involved panning around certain images and getting the right text graphics in place. It took nearly an entire afternoon just to figure out how properly time each image or video. I eventually figured it out, but only after messing up at least a dozen times.
I’d hoped I could get by with the basics for a while before moving onto more complex features. I now know that was hoping for too much. My goal was to use this software to make one 20-mintue video, just to get a feel for how long it would take. I managed to complete that video, but it’s taking me a lot longer and I’m still getting the hang of numerous features.
As a result, I’m going to use the old software to complete a batch of videos that were already in progress before I bought my new PC. You’ll be able to tell by the graphics and panning which videos were made with the old software. This one video I made with Premier, though, will look different. It won’t be completely obvious, but the signs will be there. If it looks a little messy, then assume it’s due to me struggling with certain functions.
I hope to post that video soon, as it covers a fairly timely topic. Yes, that topic involves superhero movies and X-Men. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. After that, any new video that I didn’t start with the old software will use Premier. In time, I hope it makes a difference in terms of quality and visuals. If you’re not seeing that improvement, please let me know so I can keep working at it.
In the meantime, to all those out there who are also struggling with using Adobe Premier Elements 2021, consider checking out some free tutorial videos. I found this one below to be particularly helpful.
I ended up referencing this, and a few others, many times whenever I got stuck, which was frequent. In hindsight, I probably should’ve referenced these videos sooner. They probably would’ve saved me a lot of frustration.
Then again, that’s the price you pay when you try to learn a new skill by teaching yourself. I’m not a very good teacher in that respect, but if I can do this, then anyone can. Video editing is definitely a skill worth learning and one that’s sure to become more critical in the future.
Artificial Intelligence Is Struggling With Racism (And The Larger Implications)
There’s no doubt that artificial intelligence will fundamentally change the world. Its potential is so vast that some even say it will be mankind’s last invention. Once it gets to a certain point, it won’t just be better at everything humans do. It may very well supplant humanity as the dominant life form on this planet. There are no shortage of movies that depict how dire that could be.
That said, it’s bound to go through some growing pains. Not all of those pains will involve a Skynet-level malfunction, but they will warrant concern.
At the moment, our artificial intelligence is still limited. It’s not dumb, but it’s very limited. It can do certain tasks very well, like play chess or win Jeopardy. It can’t apply that intelligence at a broader macro level like a human.
That still makes them useful and they’re still advancing rapidly. Artificial intelligence programs are used frequently for tasks like moderating comments sections and tracking sales data. The problem with these programs is that, since the AI is not generally intelligent, humans have to fill in the gaps. Since humans are flawed and bias, those traits sometimes find their way into the AI.
That’s what happened recently with YouTube’s comment moderation algorithms. As an aspiring YouTuber, I know how imperfect those algorithms can be. The intentions are noble. These AI programs are supposed to curtail hate speech. The internet needs that right now. Anyone who has ever visited 4chan knows that.
However, sometimes the AI systems are so narrow that they don’t ese the forest from the trees. That’s what happened recently when those systems mistook discussions about chess for racist language. Tech Xplore did an article on it and while it’s somewhat humorous on the surface, it’s also quite revealing.
Tech Xplore: AI May Mistake Chess Discussions as Racist Talk
Now, should we be concerned? Is it worrying that an AI with the backing of Google couldn’t surmise that simple terms like “black vs. white” were referring to chess and not race relations?
The short answer is not really.
The longer answer is not really, but we should learn important lessons from this.
The AI systems that moderate YouTube comments are nowhere near the kinds of systems we’d see in an artificial general intelligence. It’s like comparing a steam engine to a modern rocket. That said, we had to learn how to make a damn good steam engine before we could learn to make a decent rocket.
With something like advanced artificial intelligence, the margin for error is very small. You could even argue there is no margin for error. That’s why so many worry that such an AI could be an existential threat to humanity. If its too flawed to understand the difference between chess and racist rhetoric, then we could be in serious trouble.
The problem, in this case, isn’t with the nature of the AI. It’s with us, its creators. Since we humans are so flawed, racism being one of our worst flaws, it’s understandable that this sort of thing would find its way into our programming. It already has in a number of fields.
Again, those types of systems are limited and narrow. There’s a lot of room for human flaws to enter the system.
With advanced AI, those flaws could end up being extremely damaging. If too many of them find their way into a more advanced AI, we wouldn’t end up with a helpful, usable system. We’d end up with something like Skynet or Ultron. At that point, we’d be in serious trouble and we wouldn’t be able to rely on John Conner or the Avengers to save us.
We still have time. This latest issue with YouTube’s algorithms is minor, in the grand scheme of things, and fairly easy to correct. Once we get around to creating more advanced systems, though, we need to be aware of these flaws. We need to remember that any advanced AI we create will reflect our best and worst qualities. Let’s make sure our best win out in the long run.
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Filed under Artificial Intelligence, technology, YouTube
Tagged as AGI, Artificial General Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, artificial superintelligence, Chess Discussion, comments moderation, computer intelligence, computers, Flawed AI, machine intelligence, machine learning, Racism, racist, racist discussion, Rage Against the Machine, technological singularity, technology, The Queen's Gambit, Weak AI, YouTube, YouTube Comments, YouTube Comments Section, YouTube Video