artificial intelligence

As the innovative efforts of programmers and developers push forward, McLuhan’s prophetic words are taking on an entirely new meaning. Media, to this point, has been the message solely in that it alters how we take in content. But, with the expansion of artificial intelligence, not only is media involved in the conveyance of content but in the creation of it! Already the curation of information on most online platforms is dictated by algorithms that charts trends, preferences and expectations. Machine learning programs build upon themselves and in a few short years could become fully autonomous systems pursuing models of growth. Markov Chains are some of the simplest algorithms that use typical word sequences to generate or predict the flow of sentences. Messaging services such as texting applications and email providers have implemented these to operate autocorrect and predictive texting. The eeriness of the matter is that the models copy individual user’s typical syntax to better replicate their voice. This is just a small microcosm of artificial intelligence’s power. The AI of today will write the news, design websites, and plan schedules; eventually invading every aspect of life. So, insofar as media is an extension of the human, we look at a future in which the media eclipses the human and people become extension of the media.