JOHAN STEYN: Behind the curtain of human labour in AI-powered systems
Many companies overstate their technological knowledge to attract investors
17 July 2024 - 05:00
Wolfgang von Kempelen, a Hungarian author and inventor, was able to capture Europe with his creation, The Mechanical Turk, a spectacular chess-playing automaton.
It was the year 1770 and audiences were astonished by the seeming autonomy of this engineering marvel, which is said to have defeated notable figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Napoleon. Nevertheless, Kempelen’s genius in merging technology and deception was demonstrated by his machine being operated by a human behind the scenes. ..
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