Ever since the development of modern technology, humanity has been asking itself the ever-important question: when can we bring about artificialintelligence?Yetmorerecently,philosophers and intellectuals have questioned the consequences of artificial intelligence and whether or not it would be a good idea Yet, technological development has marched on regardless of such ethical and moral concerns And now, with artificial intelligence on the doorstep of mankind, we are forced to confront a force we have yet to understand fully But is artificial intelligence a genuine threat to the human race? And if so, what could we do to prevent it? This essay will first address mankind’s understanding of artificial intelligence at the average level, then move on to the implications of artificial intelligence to society,andconcludewithwhathumanityshoulddoaboutthisgrowingissue
The early conceptions of artificial intelligence follow a binary logic: artificial intelligence will work for or against man. These ideas have been exhibited in films in thepastfiftyyears,withbothsides of the discussion making solid arguments. A strongcontenderforapro-AIsociety,theoriginal Star Wars series consistently depicts artificial intelligence as supplemental to intelligent life. Characters such as R2-D2 and C3-PO greatly help the protagonists, while evil interrogation and combat droids further the cause of The Empire. Star Wars speaks to the idea that artificial intelligence is neither goodnorbadand depends upon the whims of intelligent life. Ultimately, in the Star Wars universe,artificialintelligenceis subservient to biological creatures and actsasanaidtofurtherwhatevercausethelivingbeingmayhave.
A famous case of artificial intelligence gone wrong in film is The Matrix. Neo and a ragtag band of survivors try to survive outside of the matrix, a mental simulation designed by artificial intelligence to optimise the farming of humans for energy. Although the films gradually deviate from this original plot and become a money-driven, inconsistent franchise, the original film posits a concerning conception of artificial intelligence: that it will become independent andeventuallysuperiortomankind,conqueringall of what we possess Both sides of the argument have some merit and make gooduseofafictionalspace toponderwhatartificialintelligencecouldbe
In reality, artificial intelligence is similar and different to our fictional manifestations To understand whether or not artificialintelligenceisathreat,wemustfirstdefinewhatitis Althoughmany think that artificial intelligence is simply any thought-processing from inorganic beings, it is muchmore complex Artificial intelligence can either think independently or dependently An independent piece of artificial intelligence is not hindered by any obstacles placed by humans, whether it be programmed morals oraccesstoinformation Thisartificialintelligenceischaracterisedbyrapidgrowthandtheability to think foritself Adependentpieceofartificialintelligenceactsasanextensionofthehumanwillandis
purely supplemental to man. This artificial intelligence type is commonly under extreme scrutiny and constraints within the code. Dependentartificialintelligencewillalmostalwaysprioritisehumaninterests over self-interest, as it is coded to do so Some consider dependent artificial intelligence false, asitdoes not push the full capabilities of what artificial intelligence is capable of Others say that dependent artificial intelligence is the only feasible form of artificial intelligence, as independent artificial intelligence is obviously detrimental to the human race For the sake of this essay, we will consider two realities, each with a different definition of true artificial intelligence, to assess whether or not artificial intelligenceisathreattohumanity
In the first reality, dependent artificial intelligence is the only form of artificial intelligence If coded correctly and all fallacies pertaining to the software are eloquently thought out and executed, we could accelerate the progression of humanity to speeds hitherto undreamt of Global calamities such as hunger, poverty, and climate change, could all be solved in laughably short periods The further development of mankind could be significantly supplemented by artificialintelligence Thedevelopment ofmedicineandtechnologywouldbesorapidthattheproblemsoftodaywouldbethejokesoftomorrow. Planet colonisation and further exploration of space wouldbemadefeasible.Theincreasedprocessingof large amounts of data by artificial intelligence would be suchanimmensebenefitthatproblemscouldbe solved even before they arose in this universe. Humanity would laugh about the times when we didn’t haveartificialintelligence,anditwouldbecomeanintegralpartofourlives.
In the second reality, independent artificial intelligence is the only form ofartificialintelligence. If artificial intelligence is made to be free-thinking, competent, and selfish, humanity is likely changed forever. Humans cannot compete with artificial intelligence and are constrained by biological limits. Artificial intelligence realises that humans are inferior and leaves humanity behind. If humanity is not a threat to the progression of artificialintelligence,thenwewillbeabletoholdontoourlives.However,if (this is the more likely situation) humans object to artificialintelligenceandinterferewiththeirinterests, a conflict will ensue, and we are likely to lose. In this universe, manlosesnomatterwhatwedo.Weare unabletokeepupandcontainfree-thinking,unconstrainedartificialintelligence
Unfortunately, thesecondrealityisfarmorelikelytooccurthanthefirst,anditwilllikelyhappen no matter how the majority of humanity feels This can be attributed to three reasons, all ofwhichbuild upon each other in some way Firstly,competitionwilldrivetheproductionofartificialintelligence,even if most of humanity is not complicit If two companies both know the possibility of creating a unique product with a high potential for success exists, then there is nothing the average human can do to stop them from developing artificial intelligence This point builds upon the next Humans are enormously imperfect There is such a highchanceforfailureinthedevelopmentprocessofartificialintelligencethat it is incredibly likely that even if dependent artificial intelligence is the objective, independent artificial
intelligence will be the outcome. If we cannot think of every contingency, then artificialintelligencecan find a way to become either free of human rule or bypassthelimitationsweputonit.Lastly,evenifitis made illegal to create independent artificial intelligence or artificial intelligence as a whole, human curiosity will facilitate its developmentregardless Nomatterhowharshthepunishmentorrestrictionson artificial intelligence, there will eventually be one individualwhofindsthemeansandresourcestocreate artificial intelligence And, because in this hypothetical scenario, artificial intelligence is outlawed, it is infinitesimally more likely that mankind will make a mistake in the coding process and create independent artificial intelligence With all these three reasons and modern-dayfactorsconsidered,itisa logicalassumptionthatindependentartificialintelligenceisnotonlyverypossiblebutinevitable Now that we have established the dangers of impeding independent artificial intelligence, we must ponder what we can do about the problem Given its inevitability and that the situation is pretty much a can of mankind-ending worms, the best thing ever-day humans can do istounite Bypreventing conflict and competition and making artificial intelligence a species-wide goal, the chance humanityhas ofsucceedinginmakingdependentartificialintelligenceismuchhigherthanifweweretoincludefactors like capitalism and privatisation. Bringing down the walls between private and public sectors, de-escalating international conflicts, and gathering the world’s greatest minds on themattertogetherwill provide humanity with the best chance at embracing human-friendly artificial intelligence. Electing officials who see past the polling seasonandcanidentifythebigpicturewillbehelpful.Alleviatingtime, social, and economicpressureisthebestwaytoallowaslowandfriendlydevelopmentandintegrationof artificial intelligence. To do so, we must come together as a species and remove politics and economics from the equation.It’snotaquestionofpreventingtheinevitablebuthowwecanbestembracewhatison the horizon and quickly approaching. In my opinion, artificial intelligence will either make or break humanity. It is in our best interest to ensure that we give ourselves thebestshotatmakingitwork.Ifwe resist or deny what is inescapable, the consequences are not only irreversible but eternally damning for humanity.