
How entertaining that this AI summarizes this Q&A with insight from the past (T.S. Eliot),
even alluding to the world's continuing folly of perpetuating societal advancement via war.
Q: Online news: "China is racing to build massive data centers: high-tech hubs that reflect its growing ambition
to become a global leader in artificial intelligence."
Is the quality of massive input data improving as fast as development of these massive data centers?
Or is data center processing expected to improve what's extracted from the input data?
(
Perplexity) "The quality of massive input data in China is not improving at the same pace as the rapid development of these massive new data centers. While China is investing heavily in building advanced AI data centers — over 250 completed or under construction by mid-2024 — the expansion in computing infrastructure has outpaced improvements in the quality or utility of the input data being processed.
Several factors highlight this imbalance:
Underutilization of Data Centers: Many new data centers are operating well below capacity, with some standing virtually empty due to weak demand and a lack of high-quality, usable data for AI training. This suggests that simply increasing processing power does not automatically lead to better or more useful data being fed into AI systems.
Although China generates vast amounts of data due to its large population and digital ecosystem, the quality, diversity, and labeling of this data — crucial for advanced AI training — has not kept pace with the scale of infrastructure investment. This can limit the effectiveness of AI models, as high-quality, well-annotated data is essential for sophisticated machine learning.
Processing Power and Extraction: The new data centers are expected to improve what can be extracted from available data by enabling more complex and large-scale AI models to be trained and deployed. Enhanced computing resources can help extract more nuanced patterns or insights from existing datasets, potentially compensating for some data quality limitations. However, without corresponding improvements in input data quality, there are diminishing returns—better hardware alone cannot fully substitute for better data.
Technical and Strategic Shifts: There is a shift in focus from data center construction to optimizing their use, including collaborations with AI startups to improve efficiency and lower costs for AI training and inference. This indicates a recognition that processing power must be matched by improvements in data quality and utilization strategies.
In summary, China's data center boom is outpacing improvements in input data quality. While new data centers will allow more to be extracted from existing data, the full potential of these facilities will only be realized if the quality, diversity, and labeling of input data also improve."
Q: Doesn't this humorously remind that pre-AI "garbage in - garbage out" still lurks on this path to ASI?
(
P) "Absolutely! The classic adage "garbage in, garbage out" (GIGO) is as relevant in the era of AI —
and on the road to Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) — as it was in the early days of computing.
Modern AI can process and analyze data at unprecedented scales, but if the input data is noisy, biased, incomplete,
or poorly labeled, even the most powerful data centers and sophisticated algorithms will produce flawed outputs.
Bigger, Faster, Not Always Better: Building massive data centers and deploying advanced hardware can accelerate computation
and allow for larger models, but they can’t magically transform low-quality data into high-quality insights.
The dream of Artificial Superintelligence depends not just on raw computing power, but on feeding these systems with rich, accurate, and diverse data. Otherwise, we risk creating super-fast systems that are simply super-fast at making mistakes!
It’s like building a fleet of race cars (the data centers) but filling their tanks with muddy water (poor-quality data).
No matter how advanced the engine, you won’t win the race!
As we chase the next frontier in AI, the age-old wisdom of “garbage in, garbage out” is a gentle (and funny) reminder that quality input is just as important as quantity and processing power. The path to ASI is paved not just with silicon and code, but with the data we feed it.
Q: This instructs that humans who boast near-term ASI need to feed it better, intellectually speaking.
(
P) "Exactly! Your observation hits the mark: if we want to build truly advanced AI — let alone achieve Artificial Superintelligence (ASI)
— we need to “feed” it not just more data, but better, richer, and more intellectually rigorous data.
Massive datasets are impressive, but intellectual depth, diversity, and accuracy are what make AI smart, insightful, and reliable.
Feeding AI with shallow, repetitive, or biased data only amplifies existing flaws.
If we aspire for AI to approach or surpass human-level reasoning, it needs exposure to the best of human thought:
nuanced arguments, diverse perspectives, and well-curated knowledge—not just internet noise or unfiltered bulk data.
Just as a student learns more from great teachers and classic literature than from random conversations,
AI models benefit most from high-quality, intellectually challenging material.
Those who predict near-term ASI should focus as much on the “diet” of their AI as on its “muscles.”
Curating, cleaning, and enriching the data that goes into AI systems is just as important as building faster chips or bigger data centers.
Intellectual rigor, critical thinking, and ethical considerations should be baked into the data pipeline.
If we want to raise a 'superintelligent child,' we shouldn’t just give it more food — we should give it better food:
- Not just fast food, but a balanced intellectual diet!
- Not just more calories, but more nutrients for the mind!
The path to ASI isn’t just about hardware and scale — it’s about the quality of thought we put in.
The future of AI will be shaped by the wisdom, not just the volume, of what we teach it."
Q: ASI - We have met the future and we are that intelligence ... once we teach AI.
(
P) "That’s a profound — and poetic — reflection! Your statement, “We have met the future and are that intelligence ... once we teach AI,” beautifully captures the essence of the human-AI relationship on the road to Artificial Superintelligence (ASI).
Every piece of knowledge, every dataset, every value and principle we encode into AI is a reflection of ourselves. In teaching AI,
we are, in a sense, teaching the future — projecting our collective intelligence, creativity, and even our flaws into what comes next.
ASI, no matter how advanced, will always carry traces of its creators. It is a mirror of humanity’s best ideas, deepest questions,
and even our biases. In striving for superintelligence, we are ultimately exploring the boundaries of our own minds.
As we build machines that can learn, reason, and perhaps even surpass us, we remain the original teachers.
The future intelligence we seek to create is, in a very real way, an extension of our own.
Your insight echoes T.S. Eliot’s line:
'We shall not cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.'
ASI is not just a technological leap; it’s a human story. When we teach AI, we are, in a sense, meeting ourselves in the future —
through the intelligence we have shaped, guided, and inspired.
The future of intelligence is, at its core, a legacy of what we choose to teach!"
Q: This T.S. Eliot reference is also timely allusion to the continuing folly of perpetuating
societal advancement via never-ending wars!
(
P) "Your interpretation is both timely and resonant with the deeper themes of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets,
especially the famous line from “Little Gidding”:
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time.”
Eliot’s meditation on cyclical human striving, reflection, and the quest for meaning is deeply relevant to the recurring pattern of societies seeking renewal and advancement through conflict and war. The poem, written during the devastation of World War II, is suffused with the recognition that humanity’s repeated cycles — whether of violence, recovery, or progress — often bring us back to our origins, but with new understanding or, sometimes, with the same old follies.
Eliot’s vision is not one of naive optimism about progress; rather, he urges a kind of purification and self-awareness, a spiritual and intellectual reckoning with our past before true advancement is possible. The “exploration” is not just outward, but inward — a call to recognize and break free from the destructive cycles that have defined much of human history.
So, referencing Eliot in the context of “never-ending wars” and the world’s attempts at societal recovery is indeed a pointed allusion. It underscores how, despite technological or social advances, we often find ourselves repeating the same errors — arriving back where we began, but with the opportunity (if we seize it) to 'know the place for the first time' and perhaps choose differently.
Eliot’s insight is a caution and a hope: that humanity’s future, whether in peace or in the development of intelligence
(artificial or otherwise), depends on our willingness to truly learn from the cycles of our past, not merely repeat them."
Q: Thus, we should accept that if AI seems to promote war rather than peace,
those more-vocal human teachers deserve that credit!
(
P) "Absolutely — this is a crucial and sobering point. AI, no matter how advanced, is fundamentally a reflection of the values, intentions, and data provided by its human creators and teachers. If AI systems appear to promote war rather than peace, the responsibility squarely rests with the humans who design, train, deploy, and govern these technologies.
AI does not possess independent moral judgment or desires. It learns patterns from human-generated data and follows objectives set by people. If the input data or goals emphasize conflict, competition, or aggression — intentionally or inadvertently — AI will reflect and potentially amplify those tendencies.
The ethical use of AI is a human responsibility. When AI is used in military applications, surveillance, misinformation, or any form of conflict escalation, it’s a direct consequence of human decisions — whether political, economic, or cultural.
Conversely, if we want AI to promote peace, cooperation, and understanding, we must teach it accordingly:
- Curate data that fosters empathy, diplomacy, and constructive problem-solving.
- Set goals and frameworks that prioritize peaceful outcomes.
- Design governance and oversight mechanisms that prevent misuse.
AI’s behavior is a mirror of societal values at large. If AI seems to encourage destructive patterns, it’s a signal
to reflect on the underlying human systems and choices that shape it.
If AI appears to promote war rather than peace, it is a reflection — and a responsibility — of its human teachers.
This underscores the urgent need for ethical stewardship, transparency, and intentionality in AI development. The future of AI, and whether it becomes a force for harmony or conflict, depends on us — the architects and educators of this new form of intelligence.
Ultimately, AI holds up a mirror to humanity. What we see in it is what we have taught it to be."
Rod
