Ghost in the Machine (Documentary)

 

Ghost in the Machine (2026) , by PBS and Independent Lens, takes a hard look at artificial intelligence. The documentary looks at what the term means, how it originates, and where it may be leading.

The documentary suggests that AI developed from the Eugenics movement in the late 19th century. The founder, Francis Galton, and his protégé, Karl Pearson, were each obsessed with measuring intelligence. 

Charles Spearman, an eugenicist, tried to justify that some races are less intelligent. His theories led to race sterilization laws in Indiana and California at the turn of the century.

The documentary takes a hard look at the Silicon Valley, especially the role of William Shockley, a eugenicist, in building it.  

Ai hype is leading more companies to create what they call AGI (artificial general intelligence) and ASI (artificial superintelligence). More and more people, such as tech workers in 3rd world countries, are being used to train AI models. 

Construction of Ai data centers are causing havoc in communities. Worse, some want federal lands opened up for data centers.  

More dangerous still is possible use of Ai by the military.  

 If nothing else changes the public's mind about the dangers of Ai, this documentary will. 

Is the Earth Overpopulated?

Image by Nikesh Khadka from Pixabay

MSN reports that halving the population by 2200 could reduce habitat loss and greenhouse gases to sustainable levels.

Vishwam Sankaran writes,

"It sounds like something out of a Marvel movie, but scientists have said halving the human population over a span of about two centuries could make the planet much more sustainable by reducing excess consumption."

Marvel anti-hero, Thanos, famously used the "Infinity Gauntlet" to halve the population of the Earth. His actions were designed to bring balance to the universe by instantly reversing overpopulation. 

Scientists writing for Sustainable Development argue that a much more gradual decrease in overpopulation is the better and more just option.

Imagine, though, where the decision to limit population are not made by humans but by machines. 

Chuck Wendig imagines such a situation in his work of fiction, Wanderers. 

Humans are killed by an A.I. named Black Swan that tricks humanity into thinking it is helping them. 

He followed Wanderers with Wayward which tells the rest of the tale. 

For more information, see WorldofMeters.info.

HubSpot For Beginners--Master the Basics in a Few Hours

HubSpot for Beginners--Master the Basics by Thalita Milan is a great introductory course that can be found on Udemy. 

In this course, Milan discusses how to create a free account and how to use basic features e.g. manage contacts, manage marketing strategies, and follow up on leads.

She briefly introduces Hubspot's Ai layer, Breeze. She also covers GDPR compliance settings. 

Thalita Milan

Hubspot for Beginners Part 2.