Internet and The Web: Why Protocol is The Glue That Holds It Together.

First let's start off with what the internet and the web are and most importantly why they are different. The internet is a global network of devices that allow users to perform tasks such as communication, access information, and much more. The web on the other hand is a collection of websites and docs that are accessible through the Internet. The major difference is one needs the other to operate, the web is a service made available because of the Internet. Now that we got that out the way we can talk about what a protocol and its importance for communication between computers on the internet and the web. 

A protocol is a set of rules that preside on how data is transmitted and received between devices on a network. Protocols all devices to communicate as we established but it's really important because they allow them to communicate regardless of their hardware, software, or internal processes. Since the internet is a massive network with millions of different devices that all have different designs and operating systems, it's important that they have these protocols. Without these set in place, it would make it impossible for these devices to share information due to all the different languages. 

If you ever looked at your webpage name and noticed the HTTP(S), you have identified the protocols used the ensure that you can access the same websites and view them correctly regardless of your hardware or operating system. Since you have these protocols in place you can see that a website that is used on google chrome should also be able to be used on Firefox (if you still use that) or Safari. Since you type in the URL, your browser then sends a request to the web server using the HHTP protocol and by doing that the sever responds with the requested webpage. The HTTPS protocol adds an encryption to the communication between your web server and your browser making it important for things that you like to do like online shopping, banking, websites that handle important sensitive data.

Since we learned what the internet is, what the web is, and the difference between the two; it allowed us to understand why protocols are important. We understood what a protocol was and how it applies to us everyday. The importance of all these mentioned is the reason I can type this and share with you all today. It is the glue that hold it all together. 

Should We Be Terrified of AI?

AI is one of those things that’s both mind-blowing and a little scary. It started off as a cool way to make life easier, but now it’s way more than that. We’re not just using AI anymore, it's watching us, learning from us, and changing how we do things, sometimes without us even noticing.  Will the benefits outweigh the terror?

Enough of the fear mongering, today we'll be tackling the subject of Artificial Intelligence: Living and working in a virtual world. We'll look at the before and after of AI and its positives and negatives. When you think AI and the development of AI who do you picture? Alan Turing? Eliza? Marvin Minsky? Unless you are invested in the development of AI and in the world of tech you'll probably be thinking about Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and Stephen Hawking. These are the moguls that are in the forefront of technology today. When you look at what they say about AI what would you expect? Gates talks about the existing threat posed by AI he said 

"I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence. First, the machines will do a lot of jobs for us and not be super intelligent. That should be positive if we manage it well. A few decades after that, though, the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern." 

Doesn't it feel like his words are coming to fruition? At the time AI was a helpful tool that we could manage and control (you could say the same about it today) BUT it has turned into a process that's become too advanced. AI is still more helpful then harmful in my opinion but when you have some of the biggest leaders in tech asking, essentially begging you to notice how bad this can turn out, its probably for the best to listen. We have another quote from the great Elon Musk (I say this with slight sarcasm) where he brings up the how we need to closely monitor AI and its ability to increase beyond control. He states

"I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it's probably that. So we need to be very careful. I'm increasingly incline to think that there should be some regulatory oversight, maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we don't do something very foolish." 

This guy is one of the most famous people on the planet and not only that but he wants to go to mars. If this guy is telling you watch out, then we should probably listen. We need to understand first why AI in of it's self is a problem. Why is it that something so amazing and advancing can be deemed dangerous. When we look at AI we have to first understand who fathered this idea. Alan Turning is known as the father of Artificial Intelligence. He's famous for the Turing test which tests a machine's abilities to show any intelligent behavior that either relates to or differs from humans. When you dive deeper you'll start to see the creations of natural language processing computer programs like Eliza, created from 1964 to 1966 at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory by Joseph Weizenbaum. This program was created to demonstrate the cursory of communication between machine and man. 

With these machines they are developing the ability to learn at a remarkable rate. We start to ask questions like do they start to learn when unsupervised? When I think of their ability to become "Conscious" I think to the scene from I, Robot with Will Smith. There was an important scene in there that resonated with me overtime. Del Sponer (Will) was confronting a robot about what the difference between a living creature is compared to a robot. He tells the robot:

"Human beings have dreams, even dogs dream, but not you. You are just a machine, imitation of life. Can a robot write a symphony? Can a robot turn a canvas into a beautiful masterpiece? " -Del

The robot responses with a chilling but brutal answer. 

"Can you?" 

Such a simple response shifted the entire scene, making you resonate with the robot. As the audience you feel for the robot. Some rooted for it when it escaped. The reason why I bring that up is that it won't be that long when it'll be normal to have deep conversations like that with robots. We are already asking AI right now personable questions trying to get it to relate to humans. I fear that there will be a time were AI will gain full consciousness. What's to stop it from connecting to all machinery all over. Do we have the ability to combat against it since most of our defenses rely on technology? Does any of this even matter to the everyday person? The answer is it should. You should remain frightened and excited. 

 

 

"I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence," Gates said in response to question about the existential threat posed by AI. "First, the machines will do a lot of jobs for
us and not be super intelligent. That should be positive if we manage it well. A few decades
after that, though, the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern.“

"I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence," Gates said in response to a
question about the existential threat posed by AI. "First, the machines will do a lot of jobs for
us and not be super intelligent. That should be positive if we manage it well. A few decades
after that, though, the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern.“

"I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence," Gates said in response to a"I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence," Gates said in response to a"I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence," Gates said in response to a
question about the existential threat posed by AI. "First, the machines will do a lot of jobs for
us and not be super intelligent. That should be positive if we manage it well. A few decades
after that, though, the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern.“
question about the existential threat posed by AI. "First, the machines will do a lot of jobs for
us and not be super intelligent. That should be positive if we manage it well. A few decades
after that, though, the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern.“
question about the existential threat posed by AI. "First, the machines will do a lot of jobs for
us and not be super intelligent. That should be positive if we manage it well. A few decades
after that, though, the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern. 

The Machine is Us/ing Us or are we using/it?

"The Machine is Us/ing Us" peels back the curtain on the unsettling reality of how deeply the web is intertwined with our lives. 

        

What started as a tool for connection quickly became something more complicated, as we realize we're not just shaping technology, it’s shaping us.

Watching The Machine is Us/ing Us made me really think about how artificial intelligence has evolved and how we've shaped it to work for us. At first, we built computers and AI to help us with tasks, but now, in my generation, we’ve reached a point where AI is everywhere, helping us with almost everything. Just look at the new iPhone 16 Pro, what used to be Siri is now basically ChatGPT. It’s crazy how much AI has become part of our daily routines without us even noticing. When you look at the educational angle in the video, it does a great job of showing how things have changed and not necessarily for the better. Education used to be about actually learning and understanding, but now it feels like it’s become more about shortcuts. People joke that future doctors won’t know how to operate without ChatGPT, and while that’s kind of funny, it’s also a bit worrying. AI is being used in serious fields like medicine to do research and help with big decisions, but at what point does relying on AI mean we stop learning things ourselves?

There’s also the fact that students now connect and help each other online, finding answers through forums and AI when they can't get help in person. AI has definitely opened up new ways to learn, but has it made traditional education less important? It feels like there’s less of a reason to go to class or buy expensive textbooks when you can just ask an AI for the same information. And I get it, it’s hard to justify paying for something that feels unnecessary. But on the flip side, is that really the best way to learn? Personally, I think the combination of good teachers and advanced technology like AI could be the future of education, as long as it’s done in a smart, balanced way. We’re already seeing it happen in small ways, but like the video suggests, there’s a bigger question at play here: are we using the technology, or is the technology starting to use us?

It makes me wonder if the video should’ve been titled "Are We Working With the Machine?" instead. Because while AI could be an amazing tool, it’s also being developed in ways that don’t always feel right. It’s worth thinking about.

So, what do you think? Are we using AI, or is AI using us?