DO I WORRY ABOUT AI? by A. Michael Noll

[This blog written by A. Michael Noll is distributed with his permission.]

It seems within the past year or so, AI (artificial intelligence) became the “in” development – todays “big thing.” It is the next “innovation” destined to change the world, in a string from the past, such as digital computers, automation, robotics, the personal computer, digital audio, the Internet, search engines, the Y2K crisis, virtual reality, and the metaverse. All were to change everything – with their risks, as the Europeans attempted to regulate them to eliminate any potential harm – and American dominance.

AI has been here for nearly a half century. Today’s powerful chips make it faster, with requirements for huge digital databases. It is IBM’s Watson of over a decade ago on steroids.

It is not AI that worries me, but the “natural stupidity” (NS) of humans to believe anything and to scare themselves, meanwhile ignoring history and sanity. But that seems right now to be the cause of many of our problems – AI is just a nit.

A. Michael Noll

March 24, 2026

Credit goes to Dr. John R. Pierce (the father of Telstar) who first contrasted AI with NS in the 1960s.