Jeff Caplan’s Minute of News: It’s getting harder to prove you’re human

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SALT LAKE CITY — Are you a human?

Sometimes you might have doubts like when a computer asks, “Are you human?” and then gives you an impossible test meant to suss out automated computers you know of a kind that are up to no good.

“Are you human?” it asks. And then you’re given a mind-boggling task to prove your humanity. And if you’ve noticed lately, the Wall Street Journal points out CAPTCHA tests are getting harder. 

CAPTCHA stands for “completely automated public Turing test” to tell computers and humans apart” — CAPTCHA.

For a while, you had to retype graphically displayed scribbled alphabet letters. Then it became find-the-bicycle-in-photos or, as it’s known to many of us, find-the-dang-bicycle-I-did-why-doesn’t-this-thing-work test?

A test that’s now getting doubly frustrating and impossibly harder.

Have you noticed new tests like “rotate the dog till it’s pointing at the hand?” Or “slide the puzzle piece?” Or — I kid you not — they have you play Space Invaders to get into your bank.

And it gets worse thanks to AI images. I want to log into a site I love and I have to manipulate an AI-generated hand with two fingers and two toes attached to a gnarled wrist. And by doing this, I prove I’m human?

I think we can all agree that when you invariably fail and start muttering farm words, it’s the muttering that makes you human.

Jeff Caplan is the host of Jeff Caplan’s Afternoon News on KSL NewsRadio. Follow him on Facebook and X. 

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