Like any good, self-respecting southerner, I frequently enjoy a glass of sweet tea. Therefore, it may seem odd that any time I am in a restaurant, I order unsweet tea. I then add as many packages of “the pink sweetener” as it takes to get the tea to the sweetness level I enjoy. That level is usually somewhere between bitter and drinking pure maple syrup. I have had people tell me, “Why not just get used to drinking unsweet tea?” My response is often something like, “Well, why not just get used to drinking used motor oil?” I know all about how that pink sweetener is suspected of causing cancer in laboratory rats. If I had a pet laboratory rat, I would certainly avoid sweetening his iced tea with the pink sweetener. I actually asked a doctor if using the pink sweetener was worse than using sugar. It was his opinion that if you had to choose between the two, the pink sweetener was “less bad.” Since I am not a laboratory rat, I figure I'll keep using the pink sweetener. My primary reason is that it mixes much better than sugar. The pink sweetener dissolves instantly, whereas sugar will still settle in the bottom of your glass even if you stir it until cramps form in your arm.
I have heard a lot lately about artificial intelligence. They now have a robot thing that is supposed to be able to write almost anything on almost any subject. If they invent a robot that can write a clever, humorous and sometimes heartwarming column every week called “From the Sunny Side,” I might be in trouble. I can see the advantages in having information on almost anything at one's fingertips. As it turns out, I ask “Mr. Google” something almost on a daily basis. Of course, there is a big difference between “intelligence” and “knowledge.” The way I see it, knowledge is the acquisition of information that was previously unknown. Intelligence is the ability to acquire that information. If one is ignorant about something, they simply do not know. If they are dumb, they probably won't ever know. I admit I am ignorant about many things, but I try not to stay that way. What worries me about artificial intelligence is the idea that computers and robots might advance to the point that they see us human folks as a threat, just like in those “Terminator” movies.
I suppose artificial intelligence is a bit like that artificial sweetener in those pink packets. The right amount can make your tea taste good. Too much might give your laboratory rat a case of cancer. Let's see a robot come up with something that clever.