DNA Computing 🔧
The four base molecules of DNA are adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine, or A, T, C, ang G. They act as trinary bits of information and in computing terms are known as codons. They are electrochemical in nature, unlike binary bits which are purely informational using electronic charge as a base, and therefore aren't typically considered compatible. However, active research in this area aims to bridge the nature of the two.
DNA strands consist roughly 1.5% of codons, which is enough for one strand to hold 0.2 Gb of information. Some applications are being considered for this fact. One is the alteration of DNA to program biological systems for better defenses against diseases, a field of research currently very far away from reality. Another is using DNA outside of biological systems as a base for liquid computing, currently being researched by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.
Imperial College London explanation of DNA computing functions and intentions
Artificial Intelligence 🔧
What is it?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is best described as efficient computing. That's really all it is. It exists in more places than anyone may realize. If you're using any device, a TV, car, cell phone, computer, video game console, or an online platform, chances are that an AI is reading your interactions and responding accordingly. It also has more sophisticated applications for the advancement of research in medicine, engineering, and scientific theory because of its powerful capability for data management, processing, and analysis.
And no, it's not going to start some great apocalypse. We're doing just fine getting there on our own.
Addressing Ethical Concerns
With growing fear and abuse of technology, certain themes have to be addressed whenever AI is mentioned. Common concerns are with AI in art, AI generated deepfakes, deception in general, and the use of AI for bulk rejection of insurance claims and job applications. These are entirely valid concerns that need to be brought to the front. They are also questions for the ethics of people and organizations hosting this kind of abuse, not for the existence of AI itself. Without a doubt, restrictions should be in place for how AI systems are used, and those who use it to ultimately rip off or rob others need to start being held accountable.
For those who are concerned that AI will steal your art, you're probably right. Someone with a program will anyways, so they can use it to produce artificial art. And the bottom line is that you need to protect yourself now and learn about copyright protection as soon as possible. It shouldn't have to be that way, but "shouldn't have to" is not synonymous with what currently is. You also need to be aware that no program, no person, and no excuse is ever stopping you from creating and being seen.
Some who are against AI for the listed reasons have formed strong biases and oversimplified analogies of AI involving brainwashing and serial rape in an attempt to polarize it. Clearly those individuals have only seen the business side of the isle and not the scientific side, or at least they choose not to see the scientific side. That's also a problem because it can complicate public perception of its potential, which can overshadow its already existing benefits.
It is a similar attitude to the people who didn't trust the pharmacy industry that ultimately led them to not trusting vaccines, when in fact much collaborative scientific research was put into them, and they were not inventions of big pharma. Anti-AI is not the same as antivax, to be clear. The point is that, like with everything, if the issue is not addressed with the correct information and emotional maturity, then the baby is thrown out with the bathwater, and progress is ruined with ignorance in place of corruption.
East Athenaeum and its two authors do not condone or dismiss any unethical behavior or abuse of technology, and believe that laws and heavy restrictions regarding AI in business practice should be enforced.
This section will be entirely focused on its existing applications in the medical field, how it is helping scientific research, its desired functions for improving neurotechnology & cybernetics, and the meaning of the fiercely debated potential for artificial consciousness. (The below links are for some things we wanted to cover, but we will probably have to update everything on the page.)
MIT Technology Review AI consciousness conundrum
IBM artificial general intelligence definitions
Sabine Hossenfelder on consciousness and AI