How the first AI lifeforms on the planet might see humans
After many ambiguous trailers Samsung Neon has been unveiled. Neon is not going to be a project for a new AI assistant such as Bixby, or Siri. They want neons as they call them to be considered the first AI lifeforms on the planet. This concept of AI being a living organism is not unique to Samsung but has been pioneered throughout pop culture through such movies as Bicentennial Man, Bladerunner, The Matrix Trilogy, iRobot and others. It has also been showcased through popular series’ such as Westworld, and games of which the most prominent being the release of Fallout 4.
Many times science fiction predates technology and inspires it towards certain goals. Some concerns we may take away from pop culture futurism is making sure that actual humans are not disappearing and being replaced by artificial ones, limiting their powers (or lifetimes), and to ensure that AI’s are able to truly integrate into society without society seeing them as a threat. Which when you start discussing taking away even more jobs from an already precarious amount of automation could lead to large portions of the public both fearing and harboring anger towards their new competition. A competition that doesn’t sleep, doesn’t eat, never gets sick, and is always on time. This could in turn cause neons to see humans as enemies as they’re rejected or mistreated by individuals whose livlihoods have been compromised and then cause conflict in retaliation. Afterall, neons are supposed to emulate human responses and we do not have the most peaceful histories as a species. However, we are a long way from neons being interpreted as human or even being close to having this capability.
While they can generate content, they’re slow and lack fluid motion reaction in real time through Core R3. They lack verbal fluidity in the same way many AI that already exist do. While they want neons to defy that stereotype of the SIRI or Bixby assistant by not providing it with capabilities of superfluous information, it will take an over hall of both audio and a much quicker degree of processing before it can be taken seriously and seen as a new lifeform with comparable comprehension to a human.
One job they want neons to be able to integrate into are the positions of human actors and actresses. Something I feel as though they did not consider however are peoples emotional investment towards other humans. There is a certain pride in solidarity when you know that someone is vulnerable and overcomes that vulnerability to become a famous actor or actress. Would an AI have the substance to know the true feelings of a human struggle that contribute to their depth of character that is showcased on screen? If an actor or actress is a neon and they’re effortlessly attractive and never age, and never change, then can you really rally the public around their struggle? Or will they become bored quickly with the concept once the novelty wears off?
Another job they are hoping to replace are those of physicians. As things currently have been designed I’m sure if your loved one was dying and a neon physician was telling you the news, it would not be taken well. It is more comforting to get traumatic news from a human that can empathize with you, than an AI that can never know what it feels like. I believe it will only exacerbate frustration in the public as they will now be interacting with automated systems on all kinds of matters. No longer only just bank statements, or customer service, but things as serious as life and death. And while I do not want anyone or anything (depending on your perspective) to suffer, suffering is a part of life. And without suffering can we truly call neons alive?
I believe it would be in their best interest to give each neon mortality (as a failsafe, even our most evil humans eventually die), possibly a familial structure of other neons (for attachment), along with perhaps a backstory to ingratiate predictive personality and response (a good upbringing to create a propensity towards lawful behavior). If people never feared death, much in the way right now a Samsung neon does not, then they could never truly value life in the same way. These are important and necessary discussions as our ability to mimic life becomes more and more pronounced.
Whether you believe neons are truly alive, or not, is a point of perspective. It will be fascinating to see how they develop and further elaborate on their project, and what will happen in society when they become commonplace.
