The Narrative Within

The world has become such an aggressive place to be. But, as there is nowhere else to go, we try to survive. Sometimes it’s difficult just to be alive.

Author and historian, Yuval Noah Harari, writes in Sapiens that the cognitive revolution that permitted homo sapiens to oust the Neanderthals may happen to them as well. Sapiens risk extinction. We generally think of extinction as something provoked by a natural disaster. However, Harari offers a spookier scenario. He believes that humans will die out in the next 100-200 years. If, however, humans manage to survive, they will transform and change so radically that one day humans will no longer be sapiens but something else.

Geoffrey Hinton is considered the godfather of AI as he laid out its foundation. But that has not kept him from being critical of his own creation. He reflects on what technology is doing to the human race. AI will undoubtedly create a variety of problems because you can’t control something smarter than yourself.  That’s why Hinton believes, because of its super intelligence, AI could take control and make humans subservient then go out of control itself. It looks like the big fantasy of these tech lords is to create the new Masters of the Universe.

Powerful technologies are being developed so rapidly that we have no idea as to what their impact on our lives will be. One concern regarding AI is who will be using it and how. As we’ve seen in recent political history, there’s a complete lack of ethics on the part of those in charge. And, as AI regulations don’t exist, it will bring profit for the rich and poverty for the rest of us.

Another concern is that AI increases the risks of social discrimination. It will provoke massive job losses, continue to interfere in elections as well as manipulate the population with propaganda. It will be increasingly difficult to distinguish AI’s constructed reality with that of the natural world.

I, for one, do not trust these tech lords who are pushing AI development. Just what exactly are their intentions?

For now, I see these tech lords behaving as Doctor Frankenstein who is so full of himself that he thinks he can create life on his own. Unfortunately, consequences are not taken into consideration. The Creature, as Frankenstein’s monster was called, is so ugly that people run away when they see him. The continual suffering turns his heart into stone. When the Creature sees himself in a pool of water for the first time, he is repulsed by his own reflection. He now understands why everyone avoids him. Feeling rejected and alone, the Creature feels the hatred growing inside of him. And that was the beginning of his life as a serial killer. He began by killing the doctor’s brother then the doctor’s wife.

Dr. Frankenstein now regrets the hubris that fueled his need to create the creature. Now all he wants to do is to find the Creature and to stop him. But is it too late?

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Related: Godfather of AI: I Tried to Warn Them, But We’ve Already Lost Control! Geoffrey Hinton + “Godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton: The 60 Minutes Interview + The Godfather of AI says most tech leaders downplay the risks — except one +

AI has some extremely beneficial aspects, too…China’s desertification control efforts embrace high-tech solutions +

AI supremacy: The artificial intelligence battle between China, USA and Europe | DW Documentary

Frankenstein’s Fish