We’ve entered the human and robot competition era
By: Odessa Hairapetian
While artificial intelligence (AI) becomes stronger, we become weaker. AI’s evolution has paralyzed the minds of many as it proceeds to out-perform and out-smart society. We’ve been met with a programmed force that tricks us into believing that our contribution to the world is no longer significant. Where does the rise of the AI regime leave humans?
A digitized world ruled by AI bots creates the illusion that humans no longer have to put their brains and creativity to use, as AI can do it all. The invention of AI eliminates the concept of individuality and innovation, as it was programmed to essentially create ideas for us. Each day, we inch closer to losing our sense of belonging as technology evolves and the trajectory of human and robot relationships continues to be abused.
The panicked and depressive state that has been drawn upon society due to robotic reformation is silenced by AI’s complexity. How can something so vast and beneficial do us any harm?
AI was initially designed to assist human needs, but the progression of its capabilities to match human-like qualities, skills, and emotions is quickly advancing. The tale that has been told throughout time, of robots coming to replace humans, is unfolding right before us, and we’re turning a blind eye to it. While bots are becoming more human-like, humans are shifting further away from an organic reality.
AI began as a platform to service individuals with specific tasks. It’s an effortless concept that allows people to access the information they were in search of in a simple manner. As if Google wasn’t enough to provide one with direct information on a certain topic, AI came into play, introducing an even quicker way to satisfy our needs.
It was originally structured as a product of furthering human intelligence. But with the various modifications that have come throughout the years, it now takes on the roles humans previously occupied prior to the invention, leaving universal fear of how their future could potentially be negatively impacted. The rise of advanced AI bots has blurred the lines between human and machine interactions, and their renewal is even stronger than we could have ever expected.
As our society has formed an alliance with AI, alarming issues of codependency, lack of original thought, and imposter syndrome will rise. Individuals have become reliant on AI as it’s the “easy way out” of surface-level complications. While AI is managing the heavy lifting, humans lie back and press a few buttons to reap the benefits. The loss of original thought and creativity leads many to wonder if there’s a place for them and their work in this new AI-dominated world.
Despite the overall benefits that come from AI, such as its persistence and accuracy in obtaining and sharing information, the invention calls for a loss of human contribution to life or, in other words, human purpose. AI’s gradual rise to a new and redefined technology continues to displace humans from all we had known in a world prior to advanced technology. The new age of proactive robots is the epitome of a desensitized society as humans turn jaded and put in a state of despair.
Though it’s appreciable that there is now a platform that provides assistance and problem-solving in an instant, the authenticity of where one’s knowledge is obtained becomes a topic of conversation. Our exposure to engage and inhabit knowledge has limits as a result of AI’s quick and incomparable ability to service us with answers.
PCC student Oniel Pacheco opened up about his personal struggles with AI in the means of education. As Pacheco has also taken advantage of the technology, he is self-aware that it’s interfered with his desire to patiently learn.
“It’s [AI] so easily accessible that it just makes it easy to integrate it into my normal study routine but I also won’t lie and say that it hasn’t hindered my ability to do research independently and patiently,” said Pacheco. “I feel I’ve become reliant on AI to make me a better student although it actually isn’t me putting in the real effort in becoming one. The use of AI has created this problem where I feel the need to use these AI programs to elevate my writing so that it reads at a higher level than my real work.”
In some cases, today’s youth have grown insecure and ashamed over the fact their knowledge is obtained through a source like AI. While our understanding of wisdom continues to evolve through new inventions, AI’s tremendous power and influence further alters the notion that modern expertise feels counterfeit and cheap as these new-age ideas lack rational, human reasoning.
“This instant access to vast amounts of knowledge has blurred traditional boundaries of expertise,” said self-publishing journalist Chris Collett in an article. “Is true expertise defined by the depth of knowledge gained over the years or by the ability to efficiently navigate and synthesize the wide array of information that technology now puts at our fingertips?”
Through AI’s unparalleled speed of gathering knowledge and problem-solving, humans have reached a new level of laziness and unmotivation. Members of society have become dazed and indolent now that AI’s capabilities have taken new measures. The eagerness to achieve something without the help of AI has become a lost cause.
Ironically, Geoffrey Hintin who is known as the “Godfather” of AI, grew afraid and helpless of what he helped create. Hinton resigned from his VP and engineering position at Google due to the anxiety of AI’s potential dangers, it was stated that “the more he used ChatGPT, an A.I. system trained on a vast corpus of human writing, the more uneasy he got,” in a New Yorker article.
Hinton warned others of the “existential threat” that could be brought upon humanity as a result of the advanced technology. The potent technology concerned Hinton out of his job at Google and that same worry guided him to alert society of the risks of AI in the near future.
Concerning levels of human emotion are being displayed as we step closer to a new digitized reality in favor of AI robots. To be human means to feel and be in touch with our senses emotionally, but as AI bots further develop and integrate into society, human emotion loses its value. The importance of emotional intelligence is neglected as machinery that’s been programmed to complete logical and statistical tasks without error has become the priority. This prejudice against human efficiency prompts the belief that humans are no longer significant or necessary for the evolution of civilization.
“Emotions play a vital role in human cognition, influencing everything from decision-making to creativity. They provide us with valuable information about our environment, our relationships, and ourselves,” said author Paulomi Sengupta in a Medium article. “To dismiss them as mere impediments to progress is to rob ourselves of a fundamental aspect of what makes us human.”
The anxiety-invoking robots that are AI-generated prompt conversation of common loneliness and fears of falling short. Online communities have openly shared similar feelings of AI and its signs of future superiority, a Reddit user wrote that their “Little life goal can be done with the snap of a finger,” and that the “instant gratification that’s coming our way with AI can’t be good for humanity.”
Life before AI feels unrecognizable and far away now that it’s become customary in our day-to-day lives. Not only have AI bots cheapened our human capabilities, but they’ve also deranged old humans’ ways.
With the advancements of AI and the toll it is taking on creativity and personality, people are moving further away from an organic reality and digressing from what it truly means to be human. While AI has benefited our society in many ways, its psychological impact and threat to the future of humanity is something that should be considered.
