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Overcoming AI Technophobia

Currently, there is a public surge of interest in AI topics, especially in Large Language Models, like ChatGPT. This is not a random development.

AI is here to stay and will have huge social and economic implications, seen as both a blessing and a curse. In view of its potential dangers, many AI scientists have expressed concern over AI developments that border on technophobia. But there is a means of defending ourselves from the dark side of AI as expressed in dystopian science fiction.

Artificial Intelligence’s growing capacity to generate realistic content, such as deep fakes, is stirring debate in Hollywood over actor compensation and content creation.

The use of artificial intelligence in creating realistic videos has become a contentious issue within Hollywood. Famed director Wes Anderson appears to be part of a trend, as fake movie trailers bearing his distinctive style have popped up on YouTube, featuring significant stars like Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. But Anderson or his stars didn’t craft these trailers, and they were generated by AI, stirring debate among actors, writers, and studios.


“Hollywood” by Marcus Vegas is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

AI’s ability to produce this level of realistic content has created a division in Hollywood. While some see potential in the technology’s capacity for content creation, others are concerned about how it might be used. The Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is one group voicing concerns. The actors union is preparing to negotiate labor contracts with studios, and the use of AI is a top issue.

How do you decide whether a pedestrian needs to wait or it’s safe to cross the road in front of a car? In today’s world, drivers and pedestrians simply exchange a brief eye contact or small hand gestures to express their intentions to one another. But how will future autonomous cars communicate? Researchers involved in the MaMeK project are seeking to answer this question. They will present their findings at the LASER World of PHOTONICS trade fair in Munich from June 27 to 30 (Booth 415, Hall A2).

Imagine a situation in which a cyclist isn’t sure whether an approaching car giving him way or not—but then a bright projection appears in front of the vehicle, indicating that it has detected the bike and is waiting for it. This is one example of how cars and humans might communicate with one another on the streets of the future.

Together with his team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena, Norbert Danz is looking at scenarios of this kind within the MaMeK joint project, which is focusing on projection systems for human-machine communication and involves partners including Audi AG. Two technological approaches are being pursued as part of this: displays shown directly on the car itself and holographic projections on the ground surrounding the vehicle. Fraunhofer IOF is responsible for the technology on which the latter of these cases is based.