Am I Overthinking AI?

In an age of artificial intelligence – will we have a choice about change, or will change happen to us – regardless of our desires, wants, and needs?

On this most squirrelly of “holidays,” Groundhog Day, I am reminded that no matter what our age, we must constantly respond to change, as change is the only constant in life. We must be able to adapt to changing circumstances, no matter what stage of life we find ourselves in.

Know that I am grateful for Groundhog Day.

If not for Groundhog Day, I would not know how to spell “Punxsutawney,” nor would I know where Punxsutawney is on a map. (Hint: Punxsutawney is midway between Oliveburg and Big Run).

If not for Groundhog Day, I would not know what the weather will be like in a couple of weeks. This is incredibly helpful, even though the Weather Industrial Complex does everything in its immense power to dissuade you from leveraging the power of a single prescient Pennsylvania rodent.

But alas, over the past three decades, the meaning of Groundhog Day has been scuttled and muddled by Hollywood.

In one of the biggest box office moneymakers of 1993, director Harold Ramis hijacked and repurposed Groundhog Day into something it is not – that being a movie about the world where every day is revisited, monotonous, and boring.

Gotcha, didn’t I?

Among my many close encounters with famous people (i.e., standing at a urinal next to Oliver North, waiting in a LaGuardia taxi line twenty yards in front of Garrison Keillor of “Prairie Home Companion” fame, flying on Delta Airlines two rows behind Jane Fonda) was one with a direct tie to the movie Groundhog Day.

I was attending church services, circa 2002, and happened to look behind me. Lo and behold, there was the actress Andie MacDowell, who stars (with Bill Murray) in Groundhog Day.

The next Sunday, when I turned around, I did not see Andie MacDowell in church, nor have I have not seen her since.

(Please note - it is more probable that Andie MacDowell turned around in church that next week, and I was not there.)

I bet that even in an age of artificial intelligence, our ability to predict the future with pinpoint accuracy will rival that of a groundhog's ability to predict the weather, as well as Andie MacDowell's ability to predict whether she will see me in church.

So, let us raise a toast to Punxsutawney Phil, the world's favorite groundhog, who reminds us to look for the shade we throw, and of our inability to foreshadow what will happen next!

And, oh, by the way – I apologize that I did not send out my “Groundhog Day” cards in a timely fashion!

I promise to do better next year!