Gavin Newsom’s 28th Amendment stunt is dead on arrival

• June 28, 2023

The United States Constitution has only been amended twice in the last half century.  The most recent amendment, the twenty-seventh, technically took more than two-hundred years to complete. It was originally approved by Congress in 1789 but not ratified by the states until 1992 following a public campaign led by a college student.  Another way the Constitution can be amended is for two-thirds of state legislatures to call an “Article V convention,” where amendments can be proposed and deliberated.  Then, three-quarters of the states must vote to ratify, formally amending the Constitution. Needless to say, it’s a complex process.

Why the history lesson?  Because California Governor Gavin Newsom recently launched a national campaign aimed at ratifying a “28th Amendment” to the Constitution pushed through the Article V convention method, which has never been successfully used since our nation’s founding.  He announced that he will use political campaign funds to spearhead this effort to get state legislatures behind the amendment.

The objective?  To peel back protections for Americans that our Founding Fathers codified in the Second Amendment.

Governor Newsom’s proposed “28th Amendment” would implement a liberal wish list of gun control policies that have only caught on in a small number of blue states.  It includes banning “assault weapons,” which is an ambiguous term that gun control proponents can never meaningfully define, but is broadly aimed at depriving Americans of some of the popular firearms used to protect their homes and families.

First and foremost – these policies will never become law as a constitutional amendment.  Setting aside their merits for a moment, the political support isn’t there.  In fact, there are already many state legislatures that wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole, let alone support them being implemented at the federal level.

It’s not just that the 28th Amendment is an unserious proposal, the specific provisions wouldn’t actually do anything to curb violent crime or reduce the number of heinous killings committed with firearms.  The first “assault weapons” ban passed in 1994 had little to no impact on crime reduction or the number of gun deaths, and rifles were only used in three percent of murders committed with a gun in 2020, according to Pew Research Center.

The other provisions are also extremely flawed.  Is the federal government supposed to tell 18-to-20-year-old adults in the military that they can’t purchase a firearm to defend themselves one day, then send them to war, rifle in hand, the next day?  What duration should a domestic abuse victim be forced to wait before she can purchase a gun to protect herself from a potentially violent partner?  And how would the government plan to enforce universal background checks on criminals purchasing firearms who, by their very definition, don’t follow the law?

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These easily critiqued policies demonstrate the true motivation behind the “28th amendment” campaign, despite what its proponents might tell us.  It’s not to protect innocent lives or curb the epidemic of violent crime across the country, nor does it have any respect for the Second Amendment.  The only other possible motivation is to raise a certain governor’s political profile around the country.  Perhaps that’s why the campaign’s official website is light on details but heavy on platitudes and flattering images.

Politicizing this issue is wrong.  We need to have serious, sober-minded conversations about how to make our communities safer, how to empower law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families, and prevent instances of mass violence – all while ensuring we protect our most fundamental constitutional rights.  What we don’t need are pie-in-the-sky political campaigns advocating for unrealistic and ineffective policies.

Katie Pointer Baney serves as the managing director of government affairs for the U.S. Concealed Carry Association and is a senior advisor to the USCCA-For Saving Lives Super PAC.

​ Orange County Register 

John Stossel: Scaremongering over climate change is a First World hobby

• June 28, 2023

For my new video, I asked people on the street, “If you could spend $30 billion trying to solve the world’s problems, how would you spend it?”

“Build houses … address homelessness,” said a few. “Spend on health care,” “redistribution.” The most common answer was “fight climate change.”

Really? Climate change is the world’s most important problem?

“It’s not surprising if you live in the rich world,” says Bjorn Lomborg, president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center.

Lomborg has spent the last 20 years consulting with experts from the United Nations, nongovernmental organizations and 60 teams of economists, seeking consensus on how to address the world’s biggest problems.

“The point is not that climate change is not an issue,” says Lomborg, “but we just need to have a sense of proportion.”

He says that while climate change may cause problems someday, “if you live most other places on the planet, you’re worried that your kids might die from easily curable diseases tonight.”

That’s why, he says, it’s important to ask ourselves, “Where can we spend dollars and do a lot of good versus … just a little good?”

Twenty years ago, the United Nations issued development goals. Surprisingly, Lomberg says they actually helped people.

“They basically said, let’s get people out of poverty, out of hunger, get kids into school, stop moms and kids from dying.”

That effort, plus global capitalism, lifted millions out of poverty.

Unfortunately, now the UN pushes “sustainable” goals that promise everythingto everyone.

“Get rid of poverty, hunger, disease, fix war, corruption, climate change,” says an exasperated Lomborg.

But a Bank of America report estimates that fighting climate change alone would cost trillions. Even that might not affect the climate very much.

“If we spend way too much money ineffectively on climate,” Lomborg points out, “not only are we not fixing climate, but we’re also wasting an enormous amount of money that could have been spent on other things.” Better things.

Lomborg’s new book, “Best Things First,” says “$35 billion could save 4.2 million lives in the poor part of the world each and every year.”

For example, screening people for tuberculosis, giving medicine to people who have it and making sure they complete their treatment would save up to a million lives a year.

“Nobody in rich world countries die from tuberculosis, but in poor countries, they still do,” says Lomborg. “Spend about $5.5 billion, you could save most of those people.”

Hundreds of thousands more die from malaria. Buying bed nets with insecticides that kill mosquitoes would save lots of lives. So would spending on basic vaccines for kids.

These ideas are common sense. They cost much less than what we spend now pretending to manage the climate.

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“You want to help people,” I say to Lomborg, “yet people hate you.”

“Well, some people hate me,” he laughs.

One shoved a pie in his face. Others call him “the devil incarnate,” a “traitor” who “needs to be taken down.” All because he points out that the world has bigger problems than climate change.

“Climate change might kill poor people, too,” I point out.

“It certainly will. And climate change is more damaging for poor people!” Lomborg replies. “But remember, everything is worse for poor people — because they’re poor.”

“Unmitigated scaremongering leads to ineffective political action,” says Lomborg. “We need to have a conversation about where we spend money well, compared to where we just spend money to feel virtuous about ourselves.”

Every Tuesday at JohnStossel.com, Stossel posts a new video about the battle between government and freedom. He is the author of “Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media.”

​ Orange County Register 

Disneyland closing 3 popular rides during peak of summer

• June 28, 2023

Disneyland is shuttering two of the most popular Disney California Adventure attractions along with a temperamental ride at the Anaheim theme park during the peak of summer for several weeks of seasonal refurbishment.

Soarin’ Around the World and Toy Story Midway Mania at DCA and the Monorail that ferries riders between Disneyland and Disney’s hotels will temporarily close for standard refurbishments in July.

SEE ALSO: Better move quickly if you want Oogie Boogie Bash tickets — they sell out fast

Soarin’ Around the World will close July 5-14, according to the Disneyland website. The Disneyland Monorail will also close on July 5 while Toy Story Midway Mania will close July 17. Reopening dates for Midway Mania and the Monorail have not been set and both attractions will remain closed through at least Aug. 8, according to the Disneyland website.

Soarin’ and Midway Mania are among DCA’s most popular rides and part of Disney’s upcharge Genie+ line-cutting service. Both rides have clocked wait times over 3 hours — some of the longest wait times in DCA history, according to Thrill Data.

SEE ALSO: Disneyland crowds return to 90% of 2019 levels, report says

Disneyland is often forced to close the temperamental Monorail when it gets hot because the cabins have blowers but no air conditioning, according to MiceChat.

The closure of Midway Mania, Soarin’ and the Monorail in July comes on the heels of Disneyland closing three classic Fantasyland rides in June for general maintenance and upkeep.

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Disneyland typically conducts seasonal refurbishments during the off-season between New Year’s Day and Spring Break. Weekslong refurbishments are less common between Memorial Day and Labor Day — the traditional summer vacation season.

Understanding the Disneyland calendar has become more complicated in recent years — with the off-season continually shrinking and slow periods shifting to unconventional times of year. The yearlong pandemic closure of the parks also disrupted maintenance and refurbishment schedules.

​ Orange County Register 

Where to see outdoor movies in Southern California this summer

• June 28, 2023

With the beautiful weather in Southern California, why settle for watching a movie in a traditional indoor theater setting or streaming films at home this summer?

The season presents the opportunity to take in a variety of films in locations like parks, beaches and even the rooftops of towering city buildings.

For those wanting to watch everything from a beloved, kid-friendly animated feature to an adrenaline-pumping action flick, here are 10 options for catching movies under the stars this summer.

While many of the movie series events are free, a few are ticketed affairs or require advance reservation. Check the event websites for details.

CineMalibu screens films at a park overlooking the ocean each summer. (Photo courtesy City of Malibu)

CineMalibu

Perched high above the ocean, Malibu’s Bluffs Park becomes a scenic outdoor theater every summer with the city’s CineMalibu film series. Don’t phone home, but phone your friends instead and invite them to a free screening of  Steven Spielberg’s 1982 sci-fi adventure “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” on Saturday, July 15. Come back to witness an epic battle in 1984’s “The Karate Kid” on Saturday, Aug. 19. Bring chairs, blankets and money for food trucks. Alcohol is prohibited.

When: 7 p.m. July 15; 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19

Where: Malibu Bluffs Park, 24250 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu

Cost: Free

Information: malibucity.org

Cinespia

Grab a blanket, hit the snack bar and check out some films in unique settings as Cinespia presents a variety of films all summer long at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and LA State Historic Park. Highlights include “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” on Saturday, July 1; “Fight Club” on Saturday, July 8; “Gremlins” on Saturday, July 22; “Valley Girl” on Saturday, July 29; and a double-feature with Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill Vol. 1” and “Kill Bill Vol. 2” on Saturday, Aug. 19 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Movie fans can also catch “The Fifth Element” at LA State Historic Park on Friday, July 21. These events have also been known to feature surprise appearances by the film directors, producers and cast. Fans are encouraged to dress up to match the theme of the movies and there’s a photobooth on site for free keepsakes. Guests can bring in their own food, beer and wine at Hollywood Forever; outside alcohol is prohibited at LA State Historic Park, but will be available for purchase.

When: Various nights and hours through August

Where: Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 North Spring Street and Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles

Cost: Tickets start at $20

Information: cinespia.org

La Habra Movies in the Park

Family film night returns to La Habra thanks to the city’s free Movies in the Park series taking place in various city parks. The next screening is “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” at Portola Park, located at 301 South Euclid Street on Friday, July 21. The series ends with “Minions: The Rise of Gru” at Oeste Park, 2300 W. Lambert Road, on Friday, Sept. 8. And come hungry because each screening includes a free hot dog, chips and a soft drink. Candy and popcorn will be available for $1. Alcohol is prohibited.

When: 6 p.m. July 21, Aug. 1, Aug. 18 and Sept. 8

Where: Various city parks including: Portola Park at 301 South Euclid Street; El Centro Park at 320 East Erna Ave.; Oeste Park  at 2300 W. Lambert Road.

Cost: Free

Information: lahabraca.gov

Moonlight Movies Long Beach

Grab a chair and sit on the sand, or go inland a bit for more free flicks with this Long Beach film series. Moonlight Movies takes place at three locations in the city this summer: On the sand at Granada Beach, at Long Beach City College’s Liberal Arts Campus and Pacific Coast Campus. The next film on the sand in the series will be “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on Tuesday, July 11 followed by “Lilo & Stitch” on Tuesday, July 25; “Top Gun: Maverick” on Tuesday, Aug. 1; “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” on Tuesday, Aug. 8; and “Back to the Future” on Aug. 15  “Grease” will be screened at the LAC Campus on Thursday, July 13 and the series wraps with “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” at the PCC Campus on Thursday, Aug. 24. Patrons can bring in their own food and snacks and local food trucks and popcorn vendors will be on-site with food for purchase. Alcohol is prohibited.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Aug .24

Where: Granada Beach, 4120 Ocean Blvd.; Liberal Arts Campus, 4901 E. Carson Street; Pacific Coast Campus, 1305 Pacific Coast Highway.

Cost: Free

Information: moonlightmoviesonthebeach.com

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Movies Under the Stars

One Colorado in Pasadena is a popular shopping and dining destination and this summer it’s also going to become a nice place to sit down and catch a flick and celebrate the ’90s. The series will include films like “Sister Act,” “Groundhog Day” and “Hook.” All screenings are free, but require an advance RSVP through the official website. While there will be on-site concessions, there’s VIP seating for those that show a receipt for a minimum purchase of $50 per person from the eateries and shops at One Colorado that includes the film, priority seating, popcorn, access to a candy cart and a soft drink.

When: 8:30 p.m. Saturdays July 8, 15 and 22

Where: One Colorado, 41 Hugus Alley, Pasadena

Cost: Free, but must RSVP in advance

Information: onecolorado.com

MoVal Movies

Moreno Valley is getting into the family-friendly film game with its MoVal Movie series, taking place at the City Amphitheater on Fridays. There’s no movie July 7, but the series returns on July 14 with “Lilo & Stitch” and ends on Aug. 4 with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Patrons can bring blankets, snacks and beverages but alcohol is prohibited.

When: 7-10 p.m. Fridays through Aug. 4

Where: Civic Center Amphitheater, 14075 Frederick Street, Moreno Valley

Cost: Free

Information: moval.org

OC Parks’ Sunset Cinema Series

Various parks throughout Orange County will become outdoor movie theaters every Friday night. The films are all family-friendly, free and guests can bring in their own picnic items, low-back chairs and blankets. Plus there are food trucks and a beer and wine garden open to those 21-and-older. Next up in the series is “Top Gun: Maverick” on July 7 and “Clueless” on July 14 at Yorba Regional Park in Anaheim The series wraps up with “Uncharted” on Sept. 1 and “Mamma Mia!” on Sept. 8 at Bluff Park at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point.

When: 6 p.m. Fridays through Sept. 8

Where: Yorba Regional Park, 7600 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim; Irvine Regional Park, 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange; Mason Regional Park, 18712 University Dr., Irvine; Laguna Niguel Regional Park, 28241 La Paz Road, Laguna Niguel; Bluff Park at Salt Creek Beach, 33333 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point.

Cost: Free

Information: ocparks.com

Rooftop Cinema Club screens movies on rooftops this summer. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Rooftop Cinema Club

Join the club and hit the roof for movies in Downtown Los Angeles, the Arts District and El Segundo. The Rooftop Cinema Club is like a picnic overlooking parts of the city with films screened on top of buildings while guests listen to the films with provided wireless headphones. There are a variety of films screening and movie times running through September. Moviegoers can catch “A Nightmare on Elm Street” on Saturday, July 1; “Everything Everywhere All at Once on Monday, July 3; and “The Sandlot” on Tuesday, July 4 at the Downtown Los Angeles location. “Ratatouille” is playing July 1; “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” on Sunday, July 2; and “Moulin Rouge” on Wednesday, July 5 at the Arts District location. In El Segundo, “American Psycho” is screening on July 1; “La La Land” on July 2; and “Inception” on July 3. Candy, popcorn, soda, cocktails and more are available for purchase.

When: Various hours through September

Where: Rooftop Cinema Arts District, 777 South Alameda Street, Los Angeles; Rooftop Cinema DTLA, 888 South Olive Street; Rooftop Cinema El Segundo, 1310 East Franklin Ave.

Cost: Tickets start at $19.50.

Information: rooftopcinemaclub.com

Street Food Cinema

This long-running film series turns movies into parties as it pairs screenings with food trucks, live bands, games and other activities at various Los Angeles County locations. Check out “La La Land” on Saturday, July 1 at Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades; “Scooby-Doo” on Saturday, July 8 at The Autry Museum in Los Angeles; “Casablanca” at LA State Historic Park on Saturday, July 15; or “Aladdin” at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia on Saturday, July 29.

When: Various dates and times through September

Where: Various Los Angeles area locations

Cost: Tickets start at $22 for general admission

Information: streetfoodcinema.com

Riverside Movies in the Park

Get the kids, grab some chairs, popcorn and snacks and get ready for some family fun with Riverside’s free movie series, which takes place at several city parks on Friday nights. The series starts with “DC League of Super Pets,” which is all about furry superheroes. It screens at Hunt Park on July 14. The next film is about a pair of super brothers as the new “Super Mario Bros. Movie” screens at Villegas Park on July 21.

When: 6 p.m. Fridays July 14-Aug. 18

Where: Hunt Park, 4015 Jackson Street; Villegas Park, 3091 Esperanza Street; La Sierra Park, 5215 La Sierra Ave.; Reid Park, 701 Orange Street; Bryant Park, 7950 Philbin Ave.; Bordwell Park, 2008 Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Cost: Free

Information: riversideca.gov

​ Orange County Register 

Julie Su nomination should be pulled

• June 28, 2023

Four months after President Joe Biden nominated former California Labor Secretary Julie Su to serve as U.S. Labor Secretary, Su’s nomination remains stagnant in the U.S. Senate.

Despite Democratic control of the Senate, Su’s nomination remains on hold as at least three moderates in the Democratic caucus — Sens. Joe Manchin,D-West Virginia,  Jon Tester, D-Montana, and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Arizona — are perceived as reluctant to support her.

Su carries considerable baggage from her time as California Labor Secretary. Most notably, it was Su who oversaw the Employment Development Department during COVID, which not only botched the handling of unemployment checks to those legitimately in need, but also managed to pay out tens of billions of dollars in fraudulent payments. This included payments to prisoners on California’s death row.

Su was also a backer of the horrific Assembly Bill 5 which gutted independent contracting in California. Trucking groups in particular have been pushing against Su’s nomination specifically because of the deleterious impact of AB 5 on their businesses.

“Su developed and oversaw the implementation of AB 5 in California, which remains the most disruptive worker classification policy to be enacted anywhere at the state or federal level,” warned Todd Spencer, president and CEO of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association in a letter to President Biden last week. “Rather than allowing Ms. Su’s nomination to languish in the Senate, we believe you must find a more suitable candidate to lead the department.”

Indeed, Julie Su should not be allowed to fail upward. No senator who respects hard-working Americans could possibly support Julie Su’s nomination as U.S. labor secretary.

We are hopeful that Manchin, Sinema and Tester oppose Su’s nomination. We can only wish Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla could do the same.

Su is not the first Californian to bomb at the national stage. Former Los Angeles Metro CEO Phil Washington withdrew from his nomination to head the Federal Aviation Administration. And who could forget Vice President Kamala Harris, now reported by NBC News as the least popular vice president they’ve ever recorded in public polling.

​ Orange County Register 

70 homes planned for Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre site

• June 28, 2023

Map of Los Olivos housing district in Irvine. (Courtesy: Irvine Co.)

Will new homes in Irvine be music to house hunters’ ears?

Irvine Co. is seeking city approval to build 70 homes on a 17.5-acre site that once was home to the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre.

Yes, it’s a tiny home project by any measurement, but it’s being built atop a local landmark – the former site of one of the county’s top spots for outdoor music.

The land sits in the city’s southeastern corner near the Irvine Spectrum shopping center. The plan is a spin on the developer’s previous deal with Irvine to build 4,536 apartments in several areas. Part of that arrangement calls for Irvine Co. to build 600 apartments near the amphitheater site. This is development that nudges Irvine toward its state-approved goal of adding 23,600 homes by the end of this decade.

Now, if your Orange County history is foggy, we’re talking about the old Irvine Meadows entertainment venue that closed in 2016 after its 35-year lease with Irvine Co. expired. It was a place that hosted everything from pop stars to the symphony to country legends to new bands on the rise. The amphitheatre’s farewell concerts featured local rock star Gwen Stefani.

And outdoor music remains in Irvine, it just moved down the street. Acts now perform at the temporary FivePoint Amphitheatre, which opened in 2017 at the Great Park. The city is trying to find a permanent home for entertainment under the stars.

Gwen Stefani takes the stage for the final concert at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016. The amphitheater closed after 35 years of entertaining Orange County. Irvine Co. is seeking city approval to build 70 homes on the 17.5-acre site. (File photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Yet the tale of old Irvine Meadows isn’t just a musical one.

It was located in a place with an intriguing business history. This slice of the old Irvine Ranch, nearly a square mile in size, was once a curious sort of amusement district that has morphed into a community that may one day hold 4,400-plus housing units.

This land housed the amphitheater, that debuted in 1981. It once housed the Lion Country Safari animal park, which closed in 1984. It was also home to Wild Rivers water park, which shut in 2011, and reopened at Irvine’s Great Park last summer.

During the past decade, Irvine Co. has turned much of this property into the 1,700-unit Los Olivos low-rise apartment complex, the 1,700-unit Promenade mid-rise apartment complex, and 169 single-family houses in the Barcelona community.

The latest plans would see 70 homes for ownership created on the actual amphitheater space. The new construction could mirror Barcelona – modest, detached housing targeting young adults seeking to own a piece of Irvine.

Then across San Diego Creek from the new homes, the Promenade complex would get 600 more rental units, including roughly 100 with rents affordable to low-income residents.

So what’s next for the plans? Meandering through the city approval process means an approval will stretch well into 2024.

PS: It’d be cool if Irvine Co. put a musical spin on the 70-home project’s monicker and/or street names as a tip of the cap to its entertainment heritage. You know, like Woodwind Way or Staccato Street. How about Chorus Court or Lyrical Lane? Or Rock and Road?

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at [email protected]

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​ Orange County Register 

Gunmen abduct 14 state police officers in the Mexican state of Chiapas

• June 28, 2023

By ÉDGAR H. CLEMENTE

MEXICO CITY — Armed men abducted 14 state police officers in southern Mexico on Tuesday, prompting a heavy deployment of federal and local forces, authorities said.

The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection in Chiapas state said in a statement the 14 officers were all men and an air and ground operation was underway to locate them.

An official with the state police force, who asked not to be quoted because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the agents were traveling to the capital of Chiapas in a personnel transport truck when they were intercepted by several trucks with gunmen.

The women in the vehicle were released while the men were taken away, the official said.

The abduction occurred on the highway between Ocozocoautla and Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

Violence in the Mexican border region with Guatemala has escalated in recent months amid a territorial dispute between the Sinaloa Cartel – which has dominated the area – and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

During a tour of Chiapas on Friday, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador minimized the violence in the area, saying that “in general there is peace, there is tranquility” in the state.

The day before the president’s visit, an official with the Attorney General’s Office was shot in Tuxtla Gutiérrez and her companion was killed. The official was seriously injured and was hospitalized.

In addition, on June 19, a confrontation between the military and presumed members of organized crime left an element of the National Guard and a civilian dead in Ocozocoautla, near where Tuesday’s kidnapping occurred.

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​ Orange County Register 

Everything you need to know about AI but were too afraid to ask

• June 28, 2023

 Business executives keep talking about it. Teachers are struggling with what to do about it. And artists like Drake seem angry about it.

Love it or hate it, everyone is paying attention to artificial intelligence right now. Almost overnight, a new crop of AI tools has found its way into products used by billions of people, changing the way we work, shop, create and communicate with each other.

AI advocates tout the technology’s potential to supercharge our productivity, creating a new era of better jobs, better education and better treatments for diseases. AI skeptics have raised concerns about the technology’s potential to disrupt jobs, mislead people and possibly bring about the end of humanity as we know it. Confusingly, some execs in Silicon Valley seem to hold both sets of views at once.

What’s clear, however, is that AI is not going away, but it is changing very fast. Here’s everything you need to know to keep up.

What is AI?

In the public consciousness, “artificial intelligence” may conjure up images of murderous machines eager to overtake humans, and capable of doing so. But in the tech industry, it’s a broad term that refers to different tools that are trained to perform a wide range of complex tasks that might previously have required some input from an actual person.

If you use the internet, then you almost certainly use services that rely on AI to sort data, filter content and make suggestions, among other tasks.

It’s the technology that allows Netflix to recommend movies and that helps remove spam, hate speech and other inappropriate content from your social media feeds. It helps power everything from autocorrect features and Google Translate to facial recognition services, the last of which uses AI that, in Microsoft’s words, “mimics a human capability to recognize human faces.”

AI can also be successful in developing techniques for solving a wide range of real world problems, such as adjusting traffic signals in real time to manage congestion issues or helping medical professionals analyze images to make a diagnosis. AI is also central to developing self-driving cars by processing tremendous amounts of visual data so the vehicles can understand their surroundings.

So why is everyone talking about AI now?

The short answer: ChatGPT.

For years, AI has largely operated in the background of services we use every day. That changed following the November launch of ChatGPT, a viral chatbot that put the power of AI front and center.

People have already used ChatGPT, a tool created by OpenAI, to draft lawsuits, write song lyrics and create research paper abstracts so good they’ve even fooled some scientists. The tool has even passed standardized exams. And ChatGPT has sparked an intense competition among tech companies to develop and deploy similar tools.

Microsoft and Google have each introduced features powered by generative AI, the technology underpinning ChatGPT, into their most widely used productivity tools. Meta, Amazon and Alibaba have said they’re working on generative AI tools, too. And numerous other businesses also want in on the action.

It’s rare to see a cutting-edge technology become so ubiquitous almost overnight. Now businesses, educators and lawmakers are all racing to adapt.

How exactly does generative AI work?

Generative AI enables tools to create written work, images and even audio in response to prompts from users.

To get those responses, several Big Tech companies have developed their own large language models trained on vast amounts of online data. The scope and purpose of these data sets can vary. For example, the version of ChatGPT that went public last year was only trained on data up until 2021 (it’s now more up to date).

These models work through a method called deep learning, which learns patterns and relationships between words, so it can make predictive responses and generate relevant outputs to user prompts.

How is generative AI different from AGI?

As impressive as some generative AI services may seem, they essentially just do pattern matching. These tools can mimic the writing of others or make predictions about what words might be relevant in their responses based on all the data they’ve previously been trained on.

AGI, on the other hand, promises something more ambitious — and scary.

AGI — short for artificial general intelligence — refers to technology that can perform intelligent tasks such as learning, reasoning and adapting to new situations in the way that humans do. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has teased the possibility of a superintelligent AGI that could go on to change the world or perhaps backfire and end humanity.

For the moment, however, AGI remains purely a hypothetical, so don’t worry too much about it.

How much of the AI gold rush is just hype?

Anytime there’s an excess of buzz around a technology, it’s good to be skeptical — and there is certainly a lot of that here. Investor fascination with AI has helped push Wall Street back into a bull market, despite lingering economic uncertainty.

Not all AI tools are equally useful and many companies will certainly tout AI features and strategies simply to tap into the current hype cycle. But even in just the past six months, AI has already shown potential to change how people do numerous everyday tasks.

One of the biggest selling points around AI chatbots, for example, is their ability to make people more productive. Earlier this year, some real estate agents told CNN that ChatGPT saved them hours of work not only by writing listings for homes for sale but also looking up the permitted uses for certain land and calculating what mortgage payments or the return on investment might be for a client, which typically involve formulas and mortgage calculators.

Artificial intelligence is also much broader than ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. Even if you think AI chatbots are annoying or might be a fad, the underlying technology will continue to power meaningful advances in products and services for years to come.

Will it steal my job?

The fear is AI will eliminate millions of jobs. The hope is it will help improve how millions do their jobs. The current reality is somewhere in between.

Companies will likely need new workers to help them implement and manage AI tools. Employment of data analysts and scientists, machine learning specialists and cybersecurity experts is forecast to grow 30% on average by 2027, according to one recent estimate from the World Economic Forum.

But the proliferation of AI will also likely put many roles at risk eventually. There could be 26 million fewer record-keeping and administrative jobs by 2027, the WEF predicted. Data entry clerks and executive secretaries are expected to see the steepest losses.

For now, there are clearly limits to how well AI can do the job of a human on its own. After media outlet CNET experimented with using AI to write articles, tech website Futurism uncovered factual errors and in some cases, plagiarism, in various pieces. Likewise, a lawyer in May made headlines for citing false court cases to a judge provided to him by ChatGPT. In an affidavit, the lawyer said he had never used ChatGPT as a legal research tool before and “was unaware of the possibility that its content could be false.”

Is AI dangerous?

Top AI executives have warned that AI could potentially bring about human extinction. But these same executives are also racing to deploy the technology into their products.

Some experts say that focusing on far-off doomsday scenarios may distract from the more immediate harms that AI can cause, such as spreading misinformation, perpetuating biases that exist in training data, and enabling discrimination.

For example, generative AI could be used to create deepfakes to spread propaganda during an election or enable a frightening new era of scams. Some AI models have also been criticized for what the industry calls “hallucinations,” or making up information.

Even before the rise of ChatGPT, there were concerns about AI acting as a gatekeeper that can determine who does and does not move forward in a hiring process, for example. AI-powered facial recognition systems have also resulted in some wrongful arrests, and research has shown these systems are drastically more prone to error when trying to match the faces of darker skinned people.

The more AI tools are incorporated into core parts of society, the more potential there is for unintended consequences.

Where does AI go from here?

Regulators in the United States and Europe are pushing for legislation to help put guardrails in place for AI, which could ultimately impact how the technology develops. But it’s unclear if lawmakers can keep pace with the rapid advances in AI.

Experts believe in the months ahead, generative AI will go on to create even more realistic images, videos, and audio that could further disrupt media, entertainment, tech and other industries. The technology will likely become increasingly conversational and personalized.

In March, OpenAI unveiled GPT-4, the next-generation version of the technology that powers ChatGPT. According to the company and early tests, GPT-4 is able to provide more detailed and accurate written responses, pass academic tests with high marks and build a working website from a hand-drawn sketch. (Altman has previously said OpenAI is not yet training GPT-5.)

AI will almost certainly be infused into many more products and services in the coming months. That means we’ll all have to learn how to live with it.

As ChatGPT put it in response to a prompt from CNN, “AI has the potential to transform our lives … but it’s crucial for companies and individuals to be mindful of the accompanying risks and responsibly address concerns.”

The-CNN-Wire & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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