HLS – How the Human failed the Machine

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By Vicki Zisman

A brain teaser puzzle:  what’s common to the late Ben Zygier debacle, sophisticated security technology and comics?   the common base for the three, is the major human misunderstanding and miscalculation, the perpetual state of denial of the modern reality and lack of judgment.

Lets start with the undisputed fact that present day security technologies are state of the art in sophistication and efficiency – all over the world. However, as long as it not embedded  with  AI (artificial intelligence), matured to the level of self activation and intelligent autonomous operation, The Man will always have the upper hand and responsibility for the practical application and results of its performance. Welcome to the world of the major security glitches, picked up by comics. The standard rule being: smart technology -dumb (human) operator.

How is it connected to Ben Zygier? Gross Human misjudgment again,  vs info technology in the Internet age. Well, it appears that our Chief of Mossad has had a relapse of the old disease: 1. Permanent  amnesia in everything that has to do with foreign press, not subject to Israeli Censor’s rules (Victor Ostrovsky, anyone?)

2. Allegedly detached existence in a secluded universe – a totally impregnable, to the digital media ramifications, bubble. One might say that I’ve gone bonkers in exaggeration, judging from the outcome – the huge international scandal – I could only say “I wish”.

So, as long as The Machine does not evolve into an intelligent self-sufficient existence like in the Hollywood  sci-fi  blockbusters, we are bound to continue enjoying endless supply of  jokes (the best – from live cases)  on account of human shortcomings.  Courtesy of silly, myopic  execs and their timid, rightless  and  order-following minions (operating on the whim “big sophisticated toys”) ,  who cannot tie all ends of the mission into one big picture. To say nothing of predicting the next move of the opponent – chess-like style.

As Jay Leno put it in this specific case:

“This 56-year-old guy named Brian Doyle, the deputy press secretary of the Homeland Security Department, was arrested on 23 counts of using his government computer and cell phone to try and have sex with a 14-year-old girl. He would send these girls porno on the Web cam. Nice to see our surveillance cameras being used non-stop in the war against terror.” –Jay Leno

The writer is a corporate communications professional