new media

The Chool Bus (ch26)

CHAPTER 26: The Forks go separate ways in Vegas. Jack Dean crashes out in a New Media information session addressing the Artificial Intelligence sector, where Chinese models were achieving major progress on the cheap.

The Forks agreed to meet for breakfast early. They would explore the Vegas strip in pairs, then rendezvous for dinner at Javier’s for margaritas to report on the sights and sounds of what used to be called Sin City, now more like Disneyland for adults. Professor T and Jack had business at the MGM Convention Center but Buck and Billie were free to explore the spectacle as civilians. 

Jack was looking forward to getting some insight on how his contemporaries in higher-ed were coping with the introduction and mainstreaming of “generative” and “agentic” artificial intelligence tools. At first it was easy for instructors to recognize the hallmarks of work generated by AI, but as the tools evolved and students were getting better at weeding out hallucinations and outright fabrications cooked up in those red-hot, insatiably thirsty, noise blasting, money pits better known as AI “Data Centers.” For Jack, the bottom line was this: Evaluating the quality of student work was growing exponentially more difficult.

The irony was the fact that he supported the nation’s investment in this paradigm changing technology but he was also apprehensive about the headlong pace of corporate adoption. He was a true fifth-estate evangelist…”move fast and break things” was a favored mantra. But in this case he favored a more analytic approach. Move slow, try things, learn from mistakes, keep what works, and try again seemed a more pragmatic way forward.

Unfortunately, the high-tech world moves at its own pace and with the anti-regulatory zealots in charge of all branches of Federal Government calling the shots, the AI bandwagon was more like a runaway nuclear-powered locomotive. In this era its either grab a handle or get left behind.

So Jack explained it to his students thusly: “AI is here…and just getting started,” he said. “Please do your own ethics inventory…don’t go into this era frivolously. If you land in the anti-AI camp, at least your position will be sufficiently scrutinized.” When students asked Jack what they can do to address a movement they cannot support, Jack’s response was stark. “You may be right…there may be a burst of the bubble, but if you want a career in knowledge work of any kind, really, you need to have learned how to use these tools. At the very least your interlocutours will respect you as someone who understands their world. But more importantly, if the bubble doesn’t burst and you hope to keep up in the marketplace, you really need those skills. Why? Because your competition will surely have figured out how to get ahead leaving very little chance for you to catch up.”

The “New Media” convention Jack and Professor T attended had a “content” track and a “technology” track. The “tech” session Jack absolutely didn’t want to miss concerned international competition in the development of back-end technology driving AI. Jack knew this was a point of vulnerability to the USA. Hardware and software behind the infrastructure of a handful of organizations leading the charge hoovered up billions of dollars. Jack heard other nations were charging head-first and achieving similar results on far smaller investments. Jack worried the USA was heading for an economic correction comparable to the “Dot-Bomb” debacle of the early 2000s and was determined to let the thought leaders gathered at the convention hear his Jeremiah-like barbaric yawp.

He lauded the Chinese for their cost-efficiency and open-source models. He fervently believed this innovation was too big to allow proprietary tech and knowledge-hoarding that comes part and parcel with a capitalist economic model. “This technology leverages all available information and knowledge. In other words, the intellectual output of the entire human race is hoovered up into these large language models. It’s only right to have the collective brain power of the entire connected planet working on the problems and reaping the benefits of increased productivity, quicker problem solving, intelligent resource allocation, and the evolution of sentient life on this planet,” said Jack.

“To allow an elite few to monopolize risk/reward calculations is a crime against humanity,” Jack was on fire. “China is doing it right, and we are setting ourselves up for epic failure,” Jack wasn’t the only attendee with this mindset, but he was the only one crashing out in this session. Professor T listened intently hoping Jack might take the temperature down a couple notches before concluding his diatribe. But…just in case…he chose a seat near the door.

***

In a different sector of Adult Disneyland, Billie and Buck were having a banging good time trolling sex-hustlers flicking their player cards in the faces of passers by. “Is this all that’s left of “Sin City?” Billie was mildly amused.

“I’m sure there’s still and underground economy of gamblers, pimps, and mafioso-types out there, just not apparent on the streets.” Buck was trying to reconcile images gleaned from popular movies about Vegas with the apparently mundane vacation resort feel of the Vegas they were experiencing in real-time. “Hell, they even have a magic medieval castle here with kid-friendly attractions and costumed character actors.” 

“Come on,” said Billie. “We gotta experience the Pirate raid at Treasure Island!”

“I’m afraid you’re out of luck with that one,” a friendly bystander answered Billie’s wish with some cold, hard, post-pandemic news. “There was a rumor the original pirate stunt show would be fully restored, but according to the real pirates running the casino, it was just that…a rumor. For now, the lagoon stays dry and the show doesn’t go on. Maybe a limited return in a few months, but for now, nada.”

Billie and Buck really weren’t all that disappointed. They had a grand ol’ time strolling from casino to casino, people watching mainly. So many reminders of the excesses their fellow humans love to indulge here in one of the driest deserts in the world…it’s a marvel of civil engineering, this oasis in the desert. Billie and Buck wandered around in a constant state of awe.

***

At the end of the day, the Forks met for dinner at Javier’s as planned for a few margaritas and to trade war stories. Jack was still somewhat agitated by what he felt was another case of “irrational exuberance” destined to correct itself in a much bigger way than the dot-bomb of the early 2000s. He worried about the effects a crash would have on his 401k investments, but mostly got the bile out of his system at the convention. 

The suppertime conversation was dominated mostly by Billie and Buck’s Las Vegas first impressions. The strip had so many interesting attractions…there really wasn’t enough time to see it all. But duty calls, and the Forks prepared to conduct the next round of focus-group interviews at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) first thing in the morning.

NEXT WEEK:
Focus-group interviews at UNLV complete, the Forks take a detour to Lake Tahoe for a guided boat cruise on Emerald Bay.

GO BACK => Preface and Chapter Links

The Chool Bus (ch01)

Chapter 1: Professor Thompson’s Roadtrip Sabbatical

The rhythmic cha-click of his office door felt somehow symbolic as Professor Thompson made his way into the department’s hallway. He was running late for an end of semester convocation and awards ceremony. He broke into a light jog to reach his colleagues heading for the university’s grand auditorium, an annual review attended faithfully over the last fourteen years as a member of the informatics/new media faculty at a mid-western state university. 

Catching up between panting breaths, Professor Thompson asked anyone inclined to respond, “Do we have a new theme?”

 “Yeah, but it’s the exact wording used by one of those networking technology companies,” said Jack Dean, long-time friend and department colleague.

“Damn! The least they can do is come up with their own idea,” said Janice, a marketing specialist beloved by students for her creative flair. “I don’t know why they do that,” she added, speaking of the university president’s promotions team. “They recently hired a couple of my students for internships. Surely they were able to come up with something original.”

“Nah… they always seem to mail the theme in,” said Jack. “Maybe they’re overwhelmed by the latest funding cuts.”

“Who knows?” Professor Thompson wasn’t interested in the regular end of semester gossip. “I’m just glad this week is over.” He had a frantic final week as some big changes were on the horizon… exciting changes. He finally nailed that lucrative new media grant guaranteed to keep him busy for the full year of his earned sabbatical.

And it was a perfect day… the campus was in full springtime bloom. The smell of lilac and freshly cut grass filled Professor Thompson with a sense of well being and gladness. As the group made their way along impeccably groomed landscaping, workers were busy preparing the main stage for the big event, gliding to and fro in golf carts from the sports coliseum. Students had long since retreated to dorms, off campus housing, and local restaurants. The air was electric, as if any moment the party of newly minted university graduates would break out with a vengeance. Professor Thompson was intimately familiar with the scene as his undergrad years were spent right here.

“Lovely day for a great escape?” asked the interim department chair. “I bet you’re itching to get out there on the road.”

Professor Thompson was deep in reverie. He had dreamed of exploring the country sea to shining sea. With the new media grant he was not only free to do it, he was getting paid to do it with companions. Meeting people across the nation, asking them about the recent descent into fractious national politics. The nation had been clearly divided by tribal identities. Policies to address the problems were no longer a matter of good-faith negotiation and reasoned compromise. It was now all about which jersey you were wearing.

Professor Thompson called this phenomenon, the fibrillating heart of our divided nation and he was determined to get his arms around the dysfunction.

Though not delusional enough to believe his research could cure the problem, he knows sunlight is the best disinfectant. And he was excited to get the process started. As an added bonus he would be traveling with friends, Jack Dean and Billie Schmidt. Jack, Billie, and Professor Thompson shared a long and eventful history as they were band mates in the 1990s… Grunge Metal band mates, in the Soundgarden, Nirvana mold… all of this in a previous life. The band broke up around the time they realized no one was going to put up sufficient cash to get a video on MTV. And besides, MTV seemed more into so-called reality anyway. Ultimately, Jack followed Professor Thompson into academe and Billie went to work for her father in the more technical world of auto mechanics.

As the convocation rambled through various department accomplishments, individual faculty and staff awards, and notable student accomplishments Professor Thompson beamed with pride when he was called up to the stage to accept the grant award. His colleagues could be heard over the general applause with whistles and cat calls. The moment was sweet and all over as fast as it began. His portrait was flashed on the jumbo screen along with the title of his research and a photo of his department’s building.

And with that, the adventure was about to begin. Just a few logistical matters, such as routing and interview appointment schedules. As well, Billie was still working on the vehicle that would take this motley crew on their journey. A luxuriously converted bus recently acquired from the local school district. The gang christened it the Chool Bus (the H is silent). Somehow, the S had been removed or worn away, and rather than spend more money branding the vehicle the gang agreed to leave well enough alone.

NEXT WEEK:
Chapter 2: Billie Schmidt and the Chool Bus