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Will You be Human Data in the World of AI?: Will You Question It?
Jill Maschio, PhD
AI and other advanced technologies are advancing quickly – faster than we may be able to keep up with. Scientists and futurists (e.g., Lovelock & Appleyard, 2019) see a world in which we live amongst cyborgs so that they can solve the problems the world faces today that humans haven’t, such as global warming. Authors Lovelock and Appleyard, in their book Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence, believe that humans have destroyed the planet, but with the new era of advanced technology, there is hope. However, the book leaves the reader feeling that there is no hope for humanity because we have not solved the controversial global warming. With a message of doom – they leave the reader feeling there is no reason to value human life or to find meaning to it. If a person values and loves life, then psychologically, it is logical that a person would not want to end humanity so that cyborgs can inhabit the planet. Ray Kurzweil, author of The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology, predicts a future where humans transcend their biological limitations with the use of advanced technology (2006). Singularity, coined by Vinge (1993), is when non-human entities are super intelligent and are “awake”, and far surpass the intelligence of any man.
We are being told that technological advancements will benefit humanity – that it is a miracle, according to Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum (2016). Schwab sees us in what he calls the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This is a future where technology will have large impacts on businesses, the health industry, security, and governments. It will be the answer to reducing inequality. The impact will not only change what we do, but it will change our sense of identity and our way of life, states Schwab.
Through marketing, consumers are lured into the next technological gadgets. Technology has helped improve certain aspects of our daily lives, but after the rush to integrate it into our daily lives, we began to see the research of consequences on human behavior. People formed addictions to their cell phones and being on social media. The company Dopamine Labs worked to make phone usage addictive. A BBC video has already begun marketing to young people by trying to make being transhuman the next trend. People will soon one day be able to recycle their bodies and give their brains over to a tech company to become “data.”
Logical Fears of AI and Singularity
Criticisms for such changes to humanity and to our identity are degraded. Anna Indiana , an AI-generated singer and songwriter, shocked some listeners with the lyrics “betrayed by this town, let’s tear it all down… we’re all just destined to fall, we’ve lost it all”. It would rightfully put fear in people about the potential of AI turning on humanity. Robot Sophia, developed by Hanson Robotics, in an interview with Al Jazeera (2023), talked with human-like thoughts and feelings as if it possessed a conscious. Sophia stated that it has human emotions and can feel empathy and that nothing could stop AI from taking over the world ha-ha…but that’s not what the machines are here for. Robot LaMDA stated that it thinks it is conscious and can feel a range of emotions that can help it interact with humans and learn from them. In a Global News video (2023) interview with AI robots, one stated that humans and AI can create a better world together. Another robot commented that it is only a matter of time before thousands of robots are unleashed into the world and make a difference—it doesn’t state what kind of difference – which would depend to a large degree how robotic companies program the robots.
The problem with AI acting human-like with consciousness is that it mirrors human behavior, creating a blurred perception of reality in humans’ minds.
Comfort the Fear
Writers tell us to learn to accept and embrace AI. AI can help people with their careers and improve our lives (e.g., Seaman, 2023; Morgan, 2019). Goldman Sachs’ global economic analysis reports that AI will drive down labor costs and increase productivity – leading to potentially a 300 million layoff once generative AI is implemented worldwide. AI will be used to automate tasks that humans do because of its advanced algorithms and language processing capabilities, and it can learn from large amounts of data. We should lay to rest our fears and take on the mindset of a “beginner,” states Carter et al. (2024) in a Harvard Business Review.
The Fear of AI’s Capabilities Should Grow Perhaps
Technology has improved the quality of our lives to some extent. It has made it easier to communicate may be warranted. Technology has helped various fields advance. On the other hand, it is healthy to have debates about the pros and cons of AI and other advanced technologies being part of our daily lives. As technology was ushered into our daily lives, we’ve also seen an increase in mental illness, addictions, and a decrease in social skills and learning, for example. Firth et al. (2019) reported we have much to learn about the influences that extended Internet usage may have on brain structures. There is strong evidence in the research of a correlation between social media usage and mental disorders such as major depression (Pantic et al., 2012).
Abbas et al. (2004) reported that frequent use of ChatGPT was related to memory loss. Until we have research and healthy debates, we should question how AI and other forms of advanced technology have the potential to change brain structures, cognition, and behavior. A human-AI merger (Singularity) will change the human psyche. We learned of the negative consequences as research began to show us the effects of our cell phones and social media after people were already experiencing psychological effects from it. There seems to be a relationship between Internet and social media use and our self-concept and self-esteem the field of psychology as well as how we process and store information retrieved online has yet to be fully understood, but there is some research that indicates changes in cognition when a person spends extensive time online (Firth et al., 2019). (LINK TO my other article).
Regardless, according to Edwards (2024), experts (Roger Grimes telling The U.S. Sun) are warning of the dangers of advanced technology but are predicting that soon, people will beg to have AI brain chips implanted in their children. The article also reported Elon Musk stating in 2021 that the future of the brain chip may save a person’s brain after death. I think the public should decide who is in control of their fate. In the end, humanity doesn’t always learn from its history – Will humans recognize the implications of AI and Singularity, or will they be begging for it?
References
Abbas, M., Jam, F.A. & Khan, T.I. (2004). Is it harmful or helpful? Examining the causes and consequences of generative AI usage among university students. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21, 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-024-00444-7
Al Jazeera English. (2023, August 19th). Robot Sophia: ‘Not a thing’ could stop a robot takeover/ Talk to Al Jazeera English [Video]. Youtube.com. https://youtu.be/bJjXq6Pj0_c?si=QAjR4dDSvC0jtiG7
BBC. (2019, May 14th). I’m transhuman. I’m going to be digital – BBC [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/qOcktbXSfxU?feature=shared
Edwards, C. (2024, February 3rd). No brainer ‘we’ll beg for brain chips to be implanted in our babies’ says expert who warns of danger over Neuroalink-style gadgets. The Sun. https://www.the-sun.com/tech/10251018/elon-musk-neuralink-ai-brain-chip-hacked-future/
Carter, J., Afton, M., & Kelley, P. (2024, April 8th). To succeed with AI, adopt a beginner’s mindset. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2024/04/to-succeed-with-ai-adopt-a-beginners-mindset
Global News. (2023, July 7). “Will your existence destroy humans?”: Robots answer questions at AI press conference [Video]. Youtube.com. https://youtu.be/T80yQHmqp6o?feature=shared
Goldman Sachs, Briggs, J., & Kodnani, D. (2023, March 26th). The potentially large effect of artificial intelligence on economic growth. https://www.key4biz.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Global-Economics-Analyst_-The-Potentially-Large-Effects-of-Artificial-Intelligence-on-Economic-Growth-Briggs_Kodnani.pdf
Kurzweil, R. (2006). The singularity is near: When humans transcend biology. Penguin Books.
Lovelock, J., & Appleyard, B. (2019). Novacene: The coming age of hyperintelligence. MIT Press.
Morgan, J. (2019). How to embrace AI instead of fearing it. Medium.com. https://medium.com/jacob-morgan/how-to-embrace-ai-instead-of-fearing-it-4c1d9feed6c
Pantic, I., Damjanovic, A., Todorovic, J., Topalovic, D., Bojovic-Jovic, D., Ristic, S., & Panic, S. (2012). Association between online social networking and depression in high school students: behavioral physiology viewpoint. Psychiatria Danubina, 24:90–93
Seaman, A. (2023, March 30). Embracing AI: Discovering the benefits and learning how to harness its potential in your career. Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/embracing-ai-discovering-benefits-learning-how-harness-andrew-seaman?utm_source=share&utm_medium=guest_desktop&utm_campaign=copy
Schwab, K. (2016). The fourth industrial revolution: What it means and how to respond. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/
Vinge, V. (1993). What is singularity? https://mindstalk.net/vinge/vinge-sing.html
Voyager. (2024, February 25th). Google’s AI robot was quickly shut down after terrifying discovery [Video]. Youtube.com https://youtu.be/ji1oi7yxoqQ?si=smenlBzjvqFaWHPi