What does it mean to be alive? What does it mean to be human? We, as humans, do not typically ask these questions because we know what it means to be alive and human. But we are in an era where technology is slowing advancing in a new direction that is requiring us to debate these questions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is advancing for various reasons and it seems that we are trying to catch up. For some, tradition is holding people back from accepting AI's ability to fully operate as a conscious human. Would an AI be classified as a human? Since it has consciousness. The movie Transcendence (2104) projects a not so distant reality. We currently live in a time where social media, cookies, and other programs are set to remember one's likes and dislikes. In Transcendence a whole human being's consciousness is uploaded to a computer where he can possibly live for ever by surfing the web.Brian Christian, author of The Most Human Human, presents a very compelling point of view that can turn some non-believers of AI into believers. If we think about what it means to be alive, we encounter monotony routines. Does waking up, eating breakfast, going to work, eating lunch, getting off work, eating dinner, and going to sleep and then doing it all over again tomorrow sound human? Not really but that is just the reality we are in. Most of us are or will be stuck in a career that zaps creativity from our conscious. Christian calls this site- specificity and believes creativity is something that can save us from being, if not, feeling like a robot. We are humans and should be spontaneous and creative.
Will Caster, the man that uploaded himself to the internet in Transcendence, is showing the not so far future. We are currently building a virtual profile by uploading pictures, biographies, and other personal information to social media and websites that interest us. We have technically created a virtual fingerprint that represents ourselves in the real world and we use this profile to shop for cloths, food, and even pets, to name a few. Now-days when I download and app, it asks me if I want to connect my Facebook profile to the app. It saves time! I can also create a grocery list on Walmart's website and pick up my groceries like a fast food restaurant. Though, my consciousness is not there, like in the movie, my virtual fingerprint is and it makes our web surfing easier and more personal.
In addition to this, supporters of AI, claim that AIs will facilitate human work. Could you imagine a life without work where one can fully express laziness without being criticized? If one actually thinks about it, we are already working like robots day in and day out. We have to remain creative in order for us to remain human, otherwise, there is very little that separates us from being a robot. If anything Christian is showing that being human can be more than what it is. Creating AI will not be the end of the human race; rather, the beginning of a new chapter in our human story.
I think that creativity does add to the human experience; however, it is not what make people human. AI perhaps have some creativity of its own. Take the Turing test AI for instance the computer comes up with a variety of ways of responding to statements, and each computer may respond very differently from the other. Nevertheless, as you said, spontaneity and creativity are important parts of the human experience. This made me think of the theory that work dilutes the human experience and make us indifferent to one another. It is important to have a change in routine or a creative expression rather it's voicing opinions or writing songs. The simple reminders of human capabilities that we can enjoy even the ability to distinguish flavors enhance our experiences.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting on my post. I agree with you that creativity is not the only thing that makes humans what they are. However, I would like to add that human creativity is the cause of AIs. Creativity is something special that distinguishes us from others. Our level of consciousness helps us realize what is going on around the world and with it we are able to create and sure the Turing test is capable of measuring an AI's ability to respond. But can an AI actually create? I find this very difficult because I do not believe and AI will ever be capable of solving a real life problem, I am not saying world peace or hunger, like coming up with the idea of creating a bridge where there is a ditch. The reason I am talking about this is because an AI cannot fully be conscious without the experience of the sensible world. Sure they can play chess all day and beat you but can they actually create a solution to a concrete problem not inputed into its code?
DeleteHi David,
ReplyDeleteYou had a really interesting article! I've seen Transcendence before and it was rather mind-blowing because it was hard to really process how Depp's mind was sent into the computer and he continued from there. Granted the "human experience" can be complex, tiring, and rewarding; I couldn't see myself becoming a computer to live on. If it's my time to go, its my time to go. I also liked your point about Christian pointing out in Humanity, that we have creativity and spontaneity which sets us apart from being uniformed and metallic entities carrying out duties day to day.
David,
ReplyDeleteI really like your article because while discussing this in class we were mainly focused on the negative aspect in the breakthrough of AI. We were mainly focused on how AIs could threaten to take over the world and then who knows. But with this article it has me in more of a positive space. The creation of AI would allow humans to focus MORE on the creative aspects of our civilization, with even more breakthroughs than that of AI. We have created music that can communicate emotion and allow a response to that emotion. We have created dance as a physical interpretation of emotion and meaning, and so on and so forth. The use of AI could continue to facilitate this process in humans rather than relinquish it. Thank you so much for this blog post.