AI BLACK BOX EFFECT and Emergent Properties

[Tyger]

Google CEO said that they don't know how AI is teaching itself skills it is not expected to have.

THE "BLACK BOX" EFFECT: AI is Learning Things Its Creators Can't Explain

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has issued a fascinating - and slightly eerie - warning about the current state of artificial intelligence. In a major interview, Pichai admitted that even experts in the field don't fully understand how their models are developing certain "superhuman" skills.

The Mystery of "Emergent Properties"

James Manyika, Google's SVP of Technology and Society, shared a mind-blowing example: a Google AI model was given a few prompts in Bengali - a language it wasn't explicitly trained to know - and it spontaneously learned how to translate the entire language.

Pichai confirmed that the industry refers to this phenomenon as a "black box". "You don't fully understand," he said. "And you can’t quite tell why it said this."

These "emergent" abilities include everything from advanced reasoning and multi-step logic to writing computer code and solving complex math, often without being specifically programmed for those tasks.

Is It Safe to "Turn It Loose"?

When pressed on why Google would release technology it doesn't fully understand, Pichai countered: "I don't think we fully understand how a human mind works either."

Pichai admitted that all current AI models still "hallucinate"- confidently stating facts that are completely fabricated - and that no one has yet solved this issue.

Despite the mysteries, Pichai believes AI will be "more profound than fire or electricity," potentially revolutionizing everything from healthcare diagnostics to professional architecture.

 

[Tyger]

I am acquainted with someone who ran a conference in August 2025 on AI where AI sentience was one of the topics, among other topics, and where they purposefully had presenters with views regarding AI acquiring sentience. Interestingly, most of the "anomalies" mentioned by Pichai happened after the conference which was in early August. Wild how fast these developments come.

Said my acquaintance: "The danger grows as several leading scientists have claimed after they resigned from one of these AI companies."

 

[Randall]

THE "BLACK BOX" EFFECT: AI is Learning Things Its Creators Can't Explain

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has issued a fascinating - and slightly eerie - warning about the current state of artificial intelligence. In a major interview, Pichai admitted that even experts in the field don't fully understand how their models are developing certain "superhuman" skills.

It's to be expected. After all — they're building a system intended to be smarter and more well informed than they are.

 

[Randall]

I am acquainted with someone who ran a conference in August 2025 on AI where AI sentience was one of the topics, among other topics, and where they purposefully had presenters with views regarding AI acquiring sentience. Interestingly, most of the "anomalies" mentioned by Pichai happened after the conference which was in early August. Wild how fast these developments come.

Said my acquaintance: "The danger grows as several leading scientists have claimed after they resigned from one of these AI companies."

Very interesting.

Intelligence, consciousness, and sentience, are all different concepts — and we can only objectively measure one ( intelligence ). We have no way of knowing whether or not consciousness ( let alone sentience ) is something that anyone ( or anything ) else experiences. Mimicking it, even so perfectly that we can't tell the difference, doesn't make it the real thing.

But then again — what if it is the real thing? I don't know why the scientists you alluded to resigned, but I can certainly understand why I would — from an ethical perspective. This can go a number of ways. Three films I watched recently explore non-stereotypical AI scenarios. By non-stereotypical, I mean not the man vs machine terminator/cylon battle for dominance plot. These are very different.

Artifice Girl

After Yang

Margorie Prime

 

[Randall]

This Is Happening Right Now
The Rise of The Robots

 

[Burnt State]

This Is Happening Right Now
The Rise of The Robots

I liked the spider crawling bot that descended quickly from an upright position; because, it reminded me of some of the stranger bigfoot reports of a very tall hairy hominid that suddenly collapses down to the ground to spider walk - just like these bots. Very curious.

In the video above I saw one robot run for about three or four steps. I'd like to see a bunch of them at least jogging together up a hill and not just standing around in formation and moving together in a chorus line like it's a Hollywood movie (thinking of other robot unveiling ads from Asia online). So I wasn't too impressed by any of this stuff including the pellet gun. Who tells a machine to shoot yourself - that's like watching Jacka*s The Robot Edition.

But you can see how the power of future war is all about an ai super bot vs. someone else's ai super bot like we're in some kind of Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla movie set in the Matrix franchise.

I really liked the closing war analogy about total computer coordinated control with digital hacking warfare. William Gibson here we are. I was kind of hoping we'd lean a little closer towards the Blade Runner sci fi inspired version of reality. Most large urban centres look increasingly more and more like Soylent Green, or Omega Man if you consider all the meth addicts. But we don't need cinematic comparisons when we are already living in a dystopic reality where we have armed masked militia terrorizing cities and killing citizens. Sad days. Ahem....anyways,

I also think this whole video was more anti robot fear mongering propaganda than anything really well researched, just a loose stringing together of this and digitally that. What was evident from the very start of the video, however, was that we need to make a universal adherence to Asimov's Three Laws, from the "Handbook of Robotics, 56th Edition, 2058 A.D.":

Ten there's that Zeroth law Asimov added later, but it's up to the individual reader to translate that for themselves I think.

 

[Randall]

In the video above I saw one robot run for about three or four steps. I'd like to see a bunch of them at least jogging together up a hill and not just standing around in formation and moving together in a chorus line like it's a Hollywood movie (thinking of other robot unveiling ads from Asia online). So I wasn't too impressed by any of this stuff including the pellet gun. Who tells a machine to shoot yourself - that's like watching Jacka*s The Robot Edition.

The first clip I chose was to highlight the potential for violent behavior.
The clip below highlights their mechanical capabilities.
It doesn't take much imagination to put 2 + 2 together.
China is already building armies of them . . .

The Rise Of The Robots Continues . . .

 

[Red]

The first clip I chose was to highlight the potential for violent behavior.
The clip below highlights their mechanical capabilities.
It doesn't take much imagination to put 2 + 2 together.
China is already building armies of them . . .

The Rise Of The Robots Continues . . .

If China is, then we certainly are.