<
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/12/03/why-generative-ais-lack-of-modularity-means-it-cant-be-meaningfully-open-is-unreliable-and-is-a-technological-dead-end/>
"One of the most important shifts in computing over the last few decades has
been the increasing use of open source software on nearly every platform, from
cloud computing to smartphones (well, I would say that). For the distributed
development methodology pioneered by Linus Torvalds with Linux to work,
modularity is key. It allows coders anywhere in the world, connected by the
Internet, to work independently on self-contained elements that can be easily
upgraded or even replaced, without a major redesign of the overall
architecture. Modularity brings with it many other important benefits,
including these noted by Eerke Boiten, Professor of Cyber Security at De
Montfort University Leicester, in an article published on the British Computer
Society Web site:
parts can be engineered (and verified) separately and hence in parallel, and
reused in the form of modules, libraries and the like in a ‘black box’ way,
with re-users being able to rely on any verification outcomes of the
component and only needing to know their interfaces and their behaviour at
an abstract level. Reuse of components not only provides increased
confidence through multiple and diverse use, but also saves costs.
Unfortunately, today’s hot generative AI systems enjoy none of those
advantages:
Current AI systems have no internal structure that relates meaningfully to
their functionality. They cannot be developed, or reused, as components.
There can be no separation of concerns or piecewise development. A related
issue is that most current AI systems do not create explicit models of
knowledge — in fact, many of these systems developed from techniques in
image analysis, where humans have been notably unable to create knowledge
models for computers to use, and all learning is by example (‘I know it when
I see it’). This has multiple consequences for development and verification.
Current generative AI systems are not modular, which is one reason why today’s
“open” AI tools are nothing of the kind, as a recent article in
Nature
explores in detail."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
