Transcendent: exceeding normal limits.
Every day we hear about some amazing new tech advance. From AI to the multiverse (whatever that will be), technology is changing our world. Science fiction is becoming science fact as we watch.
It seems the sky is the limit. But actually the limit is much closer to home.
To err is floating-point reality
Computers can do calculations faster and more accurately than humans. We’ve all known that since we first used a calculator.
(I believe strongly that people should understand enough maths so that they don’t need a calculator for simple addition and subtraction. But I am glad my vet uses her calculator to check the right antibiotic dosage for my sneezing cat.)
Actually, a computer can’t do any and every calculation accurately. There is a limit to the size and precision of the numbers that any computer can handle.
This week I showed my course delegates a well-known example of this:
0.1 + 0.2 = 0.30000000000000004
Yes, that’s the result a compiler or interpreter will produce. For 99.9999% of us (that’s a random guess, not a real statistic), we will never need to worry about it.
If you don’t believe me, here’s a simple way to try it out in the JavaScript console of your browser.
In any browser window (Edge, Firefox, Chrome), right-click on the page and choose "Inspect". Pick the "Console" tab, scroll down to the bottom if you need to, and type in 0.1 + 0.2.
If you’re not a programmer, you don’t need to worry about this. If you are a programmer, you should already know about this. If you are a programmer and you don’t know about this, you should find out why. There are plenty of explanations on the web.
To err is human
The real limits to what technology can achieve are not floating-point maths. The real limits are human.
Toby Walsh, an AI expert, wrote:
“The problem with machines is that they do exactly what we tell them to do. And sometimes we haven’t thought carefully through what we’re telling them to do.”
But the limit is not just our inability to write perfect code. It’s our nature as humans.
ITWeb reported this week that the new Gauteng premier plans to fight crime using e-security.
I have no idea what e-security is. But apparently it will include an e-panic button, facial recognition CCTV, vehicle tracking, and drones.
Like most political speeches, this is ambitious and unrealistic. Consider the e-panic button. The premier wants law enforcement to patrol everywhere. If somebody presses the e-panic button, there must be a response. It must function at all times.
Of course the technology can work. But do any of us believe that we can rely on SA law enforcement to do the human part of this?
To improve is more important
There are apps that can help us improve our critical thinking. I will take a wild guess that they are not as popular as games like Candy Crush and Angry Birds.
Alexander Pope wrote: “To err is human, to forgive divine.” It’s an encouragement to forgive. And while we need that, we also need encouragement to improve.
So I think we need a new idiom. Something like “To err is human, to improve is transcendent”.
Technology can solve many of our problems. But it’s up to us to solve – or at least improve – the problem of being human. (I’ve just bought a Kindle book titled “To err is human, to admit it is not“. A truly accurate title.)
What do you think? Please share your thoughts.