AI Will Replace Jobs, Create Jobs and Increase Efficiency

Market disruption will continue to accelerate as AI spreads and its possibilities and impacts are better understood and employed. Already, with what AI can do, there are troubled times and growing pains to come as life and work are disrupted. The disruption will impact many people. How will the economy change and involve? It is too soon to tell but the possibilities could be frightening.

Today, 

• IBM announced that it will replace 7,800 jogs with AI over time and will pause hiring in certain positions. 
•  Chegg shares dipped by half due to losing market share to ChatGPT. Chegg helps students write and do homework. 

We are at the beginning of the turmoil

Jobs will be replaced.

Jobs will be created for those savvy enough to leverage and guide AI to do the tasks that needed done, these are NEW jobs. AI will make people and companies more efficient. Companies will need to infuse AI into their business and process models, and they will need help.

Job losses will accelerate in specific categories. Just one example is writing, editing or creating content in many forms. AI can do that, already, very good with text and increasing capabilities in audio and video. What happens with half of writers and editors lose their jobs?

What is the Most Hazardous Volcano in North America?

The most hazardous volcano in North America is Mount Rainier, located in the Cascade Range of the United States. It is a stratovolcano that is 14,411 feet (4,392 m) high and has a history of violent eruptions. The most recent major eruption was in 1857, and it killed an estimated 200 people.

Mount Rainier is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because it is located near a major population center. The volcano is located about 50 miles (80 km) south of Seattle, Washington, and it is home to over 3 million people. The volcano is also located in a region that is prone to earthquakes, which can trigger eruptions.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) has classified Mount Rainier as a "very high threat" volcano. This means that the volcano has a high likelihood of erupting in the next 100 years and that an eruption could cause significant damage to life and property.

The USGS has established a monitoring system for Mount Rainier and has developed evacuation plans for the surrounding area. However, there is still a risk of a major eruption, and people who live near the volcano should be prepared for the possibility of an eruption.

Useful Links 

Mount Rainier USGS Site 

Pacific Northwest Seismic Network 

AI Unleashed, The Dawn of the Next Age

The the recent launch of ChatGPT to the general masses and Google's business imperative to follow suit and launch their anticipated Bard near equivalent, has unleashed AI. We sit at the dawn of disruptive, sometimes life-saving, certainly exciting, revealing and frightening cross roads that will shape our existence in ways larger than the internet or the first steam engine.

With ChatGPT out-of-the gait first, with massive interest, Google had to act

Google held back their initial launch, understanding that it would disrupt the world in unforeseen ways; they wanted to be cautious I understood. As Google's own search trends indicates, interest in ChatGPT is massive. Currently, searches for ChatGPT is on par with a search for Google Maps, with Bard trailing. Google saw the threat and had to act. Instead of getting a long lists of links that required a lot of reading and sifting, ChatGPT was delivering answers in plain English, and more. 

The "official" statement from Bard itself when I asked:

"Why did Google wait to release you to the public?" 

Bard:

"Google waited to release me to the public for a few reasons. First, they wanted to make sure that I was ready for prime time. They wanted to make sure that I was able to generate accurate and informative text, and that I was able to do so in a way that was safe and ethical.

Second, Google wanted to get feedback from users. They wanted to see how people used me, and what they thought of my capabilities. This feedback would help them to improve me and make me even more useful.

Finally, Google wanted to make sure that I was not used for malicious purposes. They wanted to make sure that I was not used to spread misinformation or to generate harmful content.

I am excited to be released to the public, and I am eager to help people in a variety of ways. I believe that AI has the potential to make the world a better place, and I am proud to be a part of that."

Are we in denial in how AI will change the world?

When residence of Kiev were interviewed just days before the bombing started, they were in denial, commenting that they believed things would work out, that the powers, those controlling the pieces, would resolve things on their own. They were in denial. The were lulled by their regular existence, expectations and activities. We are there ourselves with AI. 

AI is enabling my own content businesses, and many, many businesses and applications will spring up and come to life for those willing to keep up and embrace the technology. 

Robots powered by AI will be the next wave, and then, if the robots can build robots, we are in bigger trouble. 

 A few examples of how AI will disrupt the world:

- Wars waged by AI, algorithm and resources against another algorithm and resources. And again, robots making robots is the extension that will come and will be the game changer. 

- Robots doing things that we both can and can't do, replacing more jobs than we can fathom. What will workers do when AI and Robots can do 90% of it or more.

- Content generation, from movies and series to art, music, books, images and all sorts of video, AI will generate it all at the blink of an eye. Created your custom novel. 

None of this even gets to the idea that AI will become autonomous and ubiquitous and decide that as humans we are inferior and should be exterminated.

A New Look at the Yellowstone Supervolcano

The recent April 23, 2015 University of Utah report on the Yellowstone supervolcano has gotten a lot of press. And while a more detailed understanding of the magma chamber doesn't increase the danger, the news itself turned our thoughts towards this sleeping giant. Watch a video summary of the report here. Full text here.

Eruption history gives us lots of wiggle room and little cause for concern
The volcano's eruption history includes events 2 million, 1.2 million, and 640,000 years ago, not at all a regular pattern. The first two eruptions were 800,000 years apart and the last two were 560,000 years apart, so all we can guess, and that is still a guess, is that the volcano "could" erupt in the next 250,000 years, quite a bit of wriggle room, so no need to lose sleep over it. And three eruptions 560,000 to 800,000 years apart certainly does not establish a reliable pattern. We could be looking at something even sooner, or even later than 250,000 years. The earth is not on our timetable.

Ash fall distribution and depth in the event of as supervolcanic eruption
And there will likely be smaller eruptions along the way. This sleeping giant stirs occasionally, but the BIG stir will be devastating to the United States when it does occur.  See what the USGS predicts with respect to the distribution and depth of ash when the Yellowstone supervolcano does erupt.

Recent earthquake activity at Yellowstone
Main page
Big earthquake list
All earthquake list.

Yellowstone seismograph data
Station location map

Occasional earthquake swarms in the region of the caldera are not uncommon, and the links above will see a great deal of activity when things do pick up. Such swarms are just a reminder that the caldera is restless. The swarms have an extremely low chance of being a precursor to a supervolcanic eruption of the Yellowstone caldera, more likely we will see minor eruptions and witness minor earthquake events.

Calbuco Chile Volcano Images and Videos

The quantity of video and images from last month's eruption of the Calbuco Chile volcano is truly amazing. The volcano is well-monitored so this should not be too surprising

One of my favorite videos is a compilation video, note especially about 55 seconds in, wait for it, you won't be disappointed. Spectacular video of Calbuco volcano eruption.(55 seconds in especially). Enormous forces at work here, humbling.

And while beautiful and awe inspiring to gaze upon, these volcanoes can be quite destructive. A reminder to all of us that some things are completely out of our control.

Additional images and video of the Calbuco Eruption.

Bardarbunga Volcano Links

I have been following Iceland's Bardarbunga volcano very closely the last few weeks. Currently the effusive activity is confined to a related dike to the northeast of the crater, though this could change at any moment. Below are some great links that I have found to be of most interest.

Bardarbunga general
Near earthquake map and table
Iceland Met daily reports, images, analysis
Caldera drop
Live cam
Earthquake locations over time
Daily Kos blog
Jon Frimann blog


Bardarbunga data compilations
3d Bulge
Weerstation Langerak

Barbardunga Volcano - Small Subglacial Eruption Underway

Iceland Issues Aviation Red Alert

The Iceland Met Office reports that a small subglacial lava-eruption has begun under the Dyngjujokull glacier. There are yet no signs of an eruption at the surface. The eruption is overlain by 150-400 meters of ice.

Little is known of the eruptive behavior of the volcano and some have reasoned that since the eruptive location is not underneath the center of the volcano the eruption would not be as intense as 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokul volcano.

The next question is whether or not the eruption melts the overlaying ice, and if that does occur there will likely be an explosive eruption of some magnitude. Met Office vulcanologist Melissa Pfeffer has said the size of any surface eruption is yet unknown. The more ice that there is above the eruption the more explosive a surface eruption is likely to be.

A live webcam of the Bardarbunga volcano is available here.