THE AGE OF AI
The AGE of AI and Our Human Future is a book by Henry A Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Daniel Huttenlocher. This focuses on the current status of AI, its future impact on society, and what regulations need to be implemented for AI.
Introduction
In 1450, Johannes Gutenburg, a goldsmith in the German City of Mainz, borrowed money to fund the creation of a printing press. By 1455, he printed the first-ever book, Gutenburg Bible. His printing press brought about a revolution. People could learn about the true meaning of the bible and its teachings. As more printed books became widely available, the relationship between individuals and knowledge changed. New ideas spread, leading to adaptations in religion, revolutions in politics, and new understandings in sciences. Today, a new epoch begins. As the printing press revolutionized thought, ideas, and science, today, AI will transform knowledge, discovery, communication, and individual thought.
WHAT IS AI?
AI is not human. It does not hope, pray, or feel. Nor does it have reflective capabilities. It is a human creation, reflecting human-designed processes on human-created machines. Sometimes, it produces results that humans cannot even comprehend. At other times, it makes mistakes that even a five-year-old child would not. As the name suggests, it is artificial. It cannot match our conscious experience of reality. AI is also highly unpredictable. It makes decisions and evolves in ways its creators do not understand. For example, we cannot fully explain why applications such as TIK Tok and Instagram recommend some videos over others,
AI AND HUMAN IDENTITY
One of the most critical challenges AI poses is to our human identity. In an age in which machines perform tasks that humans used to be capable of, what will constitute our identities? When we no longer explore reality on our own, enlisting AI to create our perceptions and thoughts, what happens to our role in the world? With the RISE of AI, the definitions of human role, aspiration, and fulfillment will change. This is because AI can predict, approximate, and stimulate our reality. Human reason will change. Human acceptance of AI will also change. For example, AI can recommend one employee over another, suggest a longer route for a truck driver, or deny a credit card application for no apparent reason. The outcome of AI will only sometimes be fulfilling; it will challenge self-perception. AI will jeopardize people’s sense of identity.
Can AI alter our reality?
Can AI alter our experience of reality? The Age of Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was an intellectual period that used science and philosophy to challenge organized religion. During this period, thousands of new scientific discoveries were made, and technology began to advance. Similarly, the age of AI will challenge our understanding of reality. Each historical epoch has been characterized by interlocking explanations of reality social and political arrangements. The classical world, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the modern world all cultivated their concepts of the individual and society. When prevailing understandings no longer sufficed to explain perceptions of reality, a new epoch was born. The emergence of AI is posing epochal challenges to today’s concept of reality. The question of whether reality had a single proper objective form — and whether human minds could access it — had preoccupied philosophers since Plato. As human minds approached their cognitive capacity, they started enlisting machines to augment their thinking to transcend those limitations. AI perceives things we cannot, not because we do not have the time to reason with it but because it exists in a realm that our minds cannot conceptualize. The human quest to fully know the world will be transformed, allowing us to explore new realities.
Impacts of AI
The impacts of AI are enormous. Network systems heavily rely on AI to feed us content. AI-enabled network platforms can shape human activity in ways that may not be clearly understood. The problem is that these AI-backed network systems can spread disinformation and influence people greatly. They may foster a level of connection and control over the citizens of a country. For example, TIK TOK. It is a prime example of AI that shapes communication. Their AI algorithms recommend content and can easily influence others. Due to government concerns, it was banned in India and heavily regulated in the US. Effective systems need to be implemented to combat the disinformation these network systems can spread. World security and order is also another significant concern. AI weapons and AI-enabled weapons are dangerous methods of warfare. Since AI is still very unpredictable in combat, these AI weapons can act independently and create severe political and global consequences. Like nuclear weapons, AI weapons should have a doctrine that dictates their use and other important aspects. Groups of scientists, philosophers, and world leaders need to create a practical doctrine for AI-enabled weapons.
Our next steps
Created by humans, AI should be overseen by humans. In every way, we find ourselves on the precipice of a new epoch. We must draw on our deepest resources — reason, faith, tradition, and technology, to adapt our relationship with reality so that it remains human. The last time human consciousness was changed significantly was during the Enlightenment. A transformation occurred because new technology engendered new philosophical insights, which, in turn, were spread by the technology. In our period, new technology has been developed that is altering our understanding of reality but remains in need of a guiding philosophy.
Hundreds of billions of dollars are being poured into new AI and technology by the biggest and brightest minds and companies of the 21st century. As AI increasingly becomes an integral part of our lives, it will leave us with three choices: to partner with it, to defer it, or to confine it. What decisions we make will determine the future of humanity.
