Purely rational beings… well, a truly self-aware AGI (artificial generalized intelligence) would be just such a being. This article from The Guardian suggests that maybe in as few as 10 years or a many as a couple hundred years, but most likely within this century, we’ll have something close: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/29/yeah-were-spooked-ai-starting-to-have-big-real-world-impact-says-expert .
Computer algorithms are constructs made of logic – pure reasoning, pure rationality. Prof. Stuart Russel, founder of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence at UC, Berkely, says, “[W]e were just in the lab, developing things, trying to get stuff to work, mostly failing to get stuff to work. So the question of real-world impact was just not germane at all. And we have to grow up very quickly to catch up.”
In my last post, I said I believed science at its most free is science for science’s sake. Yes, it is, but as Russell explains, unfettered science isn’t necessarily a good idea. When science – systematized knowledge* – intersects with the real world, it should be guided and sometimes curtailed by humanist values and principles, or the science may outpace us. In the context of AI, it should be given a humanist foundation. (For a sense of what “foundation” means, look here, https://www.wired.com/story/stanford-proposal-ai-foundations-ignites-debate/). If we’re not careful, we won’t be the ones doing the knowing. Nestled within an inscrutable black box, the knowing will “do” us. Russell mentions recent issues concerning Facebook’s algorithms to illustrate his point. Meta, indeed.
Not to totally spook everyone, though, because Prof. Russell says we still have time to get this right.
You may be interested in Yuval Harari’s take: “Will Artificial Intelligence Create a Useless Class of People?” (https://youtu.be/7FzNUc-ZFv4)
Okay, just wanted to add this bit since it helps to illustrate one’s points. It’s time for me to get to work on the next post. Take care!
*“Science.” Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/science. Accessed 4 Nov. 2021.