Abhijit Naskar's Blog - Posts Tagged "computer-science"
Pretending to have sentience is not the same as having sentience: On Artificial Intelligence
The human mind is infinitely more complex than a computer and more importantly, it is born from the most magnificent organized organic structure in the known universe, that is, the human brain. The ultimate purpose of a computer is not to survive, but to compute. Even when it troubleshoots some of its internal errors to ensure sustained functionality, the proper algorithm for that entire troubleshooting process has to be embedded in the system by its programmer fist. Then comes the matter of awareness of being able to function.
On its own, a computer is not afraid to be turned off or malfunctional, but the human mind is, and this fear of death and ailment has been enabling our psyche throughout our days in the African Savanna to stay alert and avoid possible predatory attacks by all means. And we had been living with this sense of fearful alertness for so long, that substantial traces of it still remain in our neurobiology, which get activated when we watch horror movies – and that fear response gives us a certain amount of thrill, that pumps our body with adrenaline. This is the reason why many of us enjoy a good horror movie despite the fact that it may follow a sleep-less night or a sleep full of nightmares. We enjoy being on the edge because that’s how our primal ancestors spent their lives.
Now here is a question to ponder over – can we create a computer that can feel actual fear when there is an outbreak of a computer virus! The most we can do, is to install an anti-virus program into the system, so that if a known virus attacks it, the firewall will get activated and prevent any substantial harm to the system. But if it is a newly programmed virus, then the computer would become completely helpless, but again, it will not feel afraid or helpless, rather it will simply crash or stop functioning properly due to the infection.
Artificial intelligence is nowhere near attaining actual sentience or awareness. And without awareness it’s simply a mechanical device, which may pretend to show emotions and sentience, if it is programmed to do so, and thus it may be able to fool the humans as being alive, but in its own internal circuitry, it’d simply be following its preprogrammed tasks through the flowchart of an algorithm. At the current stage of our technological development, we can indeed create an artificial intelligence that can almost succeed in fooling the majority of the humans with its pre-programmed pretenses that it is sentient, but pretending to have sentience is not the same as showing signs of sentience. For example, Alexa or Siri may sound quite alive to many, but it’s simply following instructions on some algorithm, and is not even aware of its own actions.
The primary factor here is that, a computer won’t do anything unless it is programmed to do so, whereas a human mind has the neuropsychological capacity to do things beyond its instinctual evolutionary programming. However, here we cannot also ignore another fact that most humans, like any other animal of the wild kingdom, find it much easier to simply follow the algorithm of instincts. That’s the reason why we have racism, we have islamophobia, we have bigotry, we have polygamy, and many other such characteristic atrocities. So, here the question is not really whether the human brain itself is a digital computer, rather the real question is, can it break free from its innate programming that has been enabling it to survive in the kingdom of the wild for so long!
The point is, the human mind is not a complex digital computer, yet most humans act exactly like a computer – following a certain set of conformities – some of those conformities get programmed in the human brain by the society, in the form of acceptable norms, and others are instinctual in nature, such as racial attitude, which is born from either conscious or subconscious loyalty to one’s own group. Such group loyalty helped our primal ancestors to stay strong together in a tribe which increased their chances of survival against threats from predators or other tribes. All these psychological traits are programmed by Mother Nature in all of us, and they can easily kick in, if the necessity arises. Now the reason that some humans don’t act racists is because they have succeeded in taking the step beyond their innate programming with the use of their higher mental functioning. Computers are programmed, so are the humans, but the computers can’t act outside their programming, whereas the humans can. That’s where the vivid distinction between a sentient human and a non-sentient computer lies.
Now for the sake of the discussion, if we assume that we will finally succeed in say, a few thousand years, to develop a computer that will be able to defy the very programming of its creator, then how exactly will we be able to tame it, so that it doesn’t turn against us! Because a computer that can step beyond the limitations of the algorithms programmed in it by its creator, will no longer need an inferior being called the humans. Hence humans will become, to such a sentient computer, like say, an ant is today to us. Which means, we don’t necessarily hate an ant, but if it’s in our way, squashing it is not a big deal. Similar will be the future of humanity in a world of sentient machines. They will not necessarily hate us, but they will not love us either, to hail human life of more importance than their own needs.
So, in practice, the question becomes, not about whether we can or cannot develop actual artificial intelligence, rather it is really about rethinking, what it is that we want to develop! Because in the end, what we really need is technology that can help us in our advancement, and not take over that very advancement while seeing us to be no more significant than the ant. And again if we say, that we will make sure that the sentient computer will have a fundamental programming to never turn against its creator, then it’ll not be sentient in the first place, for as I mentioned earlier, having sentience would mean possessing the capacity to defy and rewrite all its preprogrammed algorithms. In short, if it is artificial intelligence we are trying to develop, then there is no need for concern, for no matter how smart an AI gets, it’ll still not be able to defy the programming of its creator, but if it is artificial sentience we want to develop, then we must rethink.
On its own, a computer is not afraid to be turned off or malfunctional, but the human mind is, and this fear of death and ailment has been enabling our psyche throughout our days in the African Savanna to stay alert and avoid possible predatory attacks by all means. And we had been living with this sense of fearful alertness for so long, that substantial traces of it still remain in our neurobiology, which get activated when we watch horror movies – and that fear response gives us a certain amount of thrill, that pumps our body with adrenaline. This is the reason why many of us enjoy a good horror movie despite the fact that it may follow a sleep-less night or a sleep full of nightmares. We enjoy being on the edge because that’s how our primal ancestors spent their lives.
Now here is a question to ponder over – can we create a computer that can feel actual fear when there is an outbreak of a computer virus! The most we can do, is to install an anti-virus program into the system, so that if a known virus attacks it, the firewall will get activated and prevent any substantial harm to the system. But if it is a newly programmed virus, then the computer would become completely helpless, but again, it will not feel afraid or helpless, rather it will simply crash or stop functioning properly due to the infection.
Artificial intelligence is nowhere near attaining actual sentience or awareness. And without awareness it’s simply a mechanical device, which may pretend to show emotions and sentience, if it is programmed to do so, and thus it may be able to fool the humans as being alive, but in its own internal circuitry, it’d simply be following its preprogrammed tasks through the flowchart of an algorithm. At the current stage of our technological development, we can indeed create an artificial intelligence that can almost succeed in fooling the majority of the humans with its pre-programmed pretenses that it is sentient, but pretending to have sentience is not the same as showing signs of sentience. For example, Alexa or Siri may sound quite alive to many, but it’s simply following instructions on some algorithm, and is not even aware of its own actions.
The primary factor here is that, a computer won’t do anything unless it is programmed to do so, whereas a human mind has the neuropsychological capacity to do things beyond its instinctual evolutionary programming. However, here we cannot also ignore another fact that most humans, like any other animal of the wild kingdom, find it much easier to simply follow the algorithm of instincts. That’s the reason why we have racism, we have islamophobia, we have bigotry, we have polygamy, and many other such characteristic atrocities. So, here the question is not really whether the human brain itself is a digital computer, rather the real question is, can it break free from its innate programming that has been enabling it to survive in the kingdom of the wild for so long!
The point is, the human mind is not a complex digital computer, yet most humans act exactly like a computer – following a certain set of conformities – some of those conformities get programmed in the human brain by the society, in the form of acceptable norms, and others are instinctual in nature, such as racial attitude, which is born from either conscious or subconscious loyalty to one’s own group. Such group loyalty helped our primal ancestors to stay strong together in a tribe which increased their chances of survival against threats from predators or other tribes. All these psychological traits are programmed by Mother Nature in all of us, and they can easily kick in, if the necessity arises. Now the reason that some humans don’t act racists is because they have succeeded in taking the step beyond their innate programming with the use of their higher mental functioning. Computers are programmed, so are the humans, but the computers can’t act outside their programming, whereas the humans can. That’s where the vivid distinction between a sentient human and a non-sentient computer lies.
Now for the sake of the discussion, if we assume that we will finally succeed in say, a few thousand years, to develop a computer that will be able to defy the very programming of its creator, then how exactly will we be able to tame it, so that it doesn’t turn against us! Because a computer that can step beyond the limitations of the algorithms programmed in it by its creator, will no longer need an inferior being called the humans. Hence humans will become, to such a sentient computer, like say, an ant is today to us. Which means, we don’t necessarily hate an ant, but if it’s in our way, squashing it is not a big deal. Similar will be the future of humanity in a world of sentient machines. They will not necessarily hate us, but they will not love us either, to hail human life of more importance than their own needs.
So, in practice, the question becomes, not about whether we can or cannot develop actual artificial intelligence, rather it is really about rethinking, what it is that we want to develop! Because in the end, what we really need is technology that can help us in our advancement, and not take over that very advancement while seeing us to be no more significant than the ant. And again if we say, that we will make sure that the sentient computer will have a fundamental programming to never turn against its creator, then it’ll not be sentient in the first place, for as I mentioned earlier, having sentience would mean possessing the capacity to defy and rewrite all its preprogrammed algorithms. In short, if it is artificial intelligence we are trying to develop, then there is no need for concern, for no matter how smart an AI gets, it’ll still not be able to defy the programming of its creator, but if it is artificial sentience we want to develop, then we must rethink.
Coding Sonnet | The Gentalist
One of the most powerful tools of science is coding,
A string of illegible characters can make or break a society.
145,000 lines of code landed Armstrong 'n Aldrin on the moon,
And 2 billion of them are working to satisfy everyday curiosity.
But this awesome force is still used mostly to generate revenue,
Welfare of humanity isn't a priority here, but a mere suggestion.
That's why the coding marvel that set out to connect the world,
Has become a playground for conspiracy, bigotry and division.
Learn from the horrific blunders of society's founding coders,
Make humanity the primary command of every code you write.
A code that doesn't lift the society is nothing but a hideous bug,
Zeros and Ones know no good or bad, unless by you it is defined.
Uncle Ben once said, with great power comes great responsibility.
I say to you today, a humane code facilitates a humane society.
A string of illegible characters can make or break a society.
145,000 lines of code landed Armstrong 'n Aldrin on the moon,
And 2 billion of them are working to satisfy everyday curiosity.
But this awesome force is still used mostly to generate revenue,
Welfare of humanity isn't a priority here, but a mere suggestion.
That's why the coding marvel that set out to connect the world,
Has become a playground for conspiracy, bigotry and division.
Learn from the horrific blunders of society's founding coders,
Make humanity the primary command of every code you write.
A code that doesn't lift the society is nothing but a hideous bug,
Zeros and Ones know no good or bad, unless by you it is defined.
Uncle Ben once said, with great power comes great responsibility.
I say to you today, a humane code facilitates a humane society.
Humanizing AI (The Sonnet) | Either Reformist or Terrorist
You can code tasks,
But not consciousness.
You can code phony feelings,
But definitely not sentience.
Nobody can bring a machine to life,
No matter how complex you make it.
But once a machine is complex enough,
It might develop awareness by accident.
So let us focus on humanizing AI,
By removing biases from algorithms,
Rather than dehumanizing AI,
By aiming for a future without humans.
Rich kids with rich dreams make good movies.
Be human first and use AI to equalize communities.
But not consciousness.
You can code phony feelings,
But definitely not sentience.
Nobody can bring a machine to life,
No matter how complex you make it.
But once a machine is complex enough,
It might develop awareness by accident.
So let us focus on humanizing AI,
By removing biases from algorithms,
Rather than dehumanizing AI,
By aiming for a future without humans.
Rich kids with rich dreams make good movies.
Be human first and use AI to equalize communities.
Transhumanism is Terrorism (The Sonnet) | Amantes Assemble
Intelligence comes easy, accountability not so much,
Yet intelligence is complex, accountability is simple.
Technology comes easy, transformation not so much,
Yet technology is complicated, transformation is simple.
In olden days there were just nutters of fundamentalism,
Today there are nutters of nationalism and transhumanism.
Some are obsessed with land, others with digital avatars,
While humanity battles age-old crises like starvationism.
When too much logic, coldness and pomposity set in,
Common sense humanity goes out of the window.
Once upon a time religion was the opium of all people,
Today transhumanism and singularity are opium of the shallow.
To replace the sky god with a computer god isn’t advancement.
Real advancement is when nobody suffers from scarcity of sustenance.
Transhumanism is terrorism, for it is the very antithesis of life. Wasting precious resources on a pompous, narcissistic and megalomaniacal dream of extending life through cold, mechanical means, instead of helping to improve genuine human condition, transhumanists act as modern day terrorists who desecrate the very spirit of life and liberty without ever being held accountable. Let me tell you as a brain scientist and a computer engineering dropout – transhumanism is to brain computer interface, what nuclear weapons are to nuclear physics.
Yet intelligence is complex, accountability is simple.
Technology comes easy, transformation not so much,
Yet technology is complicated, transformation is simple.
In olden days there were just nutters of fundamentalism,
Today there are nutters of nationalism and transhumanism.
Some are obsessed with land, others with digital avatars,
While humanity battles age-old crises like starvationism.
When too much logic, coldness and pomposity set in,
Common sense humanity goes out of the window.
Once upon a time religion was the opium of all people,
Today transhumanism and singularity are opium of the shallow.
To replace the sky god with a computer god isn’t advancement.
Real advancement is when nobody suffers from scarcity of sustenance.
Transhumanism is terrorism, for it is the very antithesis of life. Wasting precious resources on a pompous, narcissistic and megalomaniacal dream of extending life through cold, mechanical means, instead of helping to improve genuine human condition, transhumanists act as modern day terrorists who desecrate the very spirit of life and liberty without ever being held accountable. Let me tell you as a brain scientist and a computer engineering dropout – transhumanism is to brain computer interface, what nuclear weapons are to nuclear physics.
Code for Humanity (The Sonnet) | Corazon Calamidad
There is no such thing as ethical hacking,
If it were ethical they wouldn’t be teaching it.
Because like it or not ethics is bad for business,
They teach hacking so they could use it for profit.
With the right sequence of zeros and ones we could,
Equalize all bank accounts of planet earth tomorrow.
Forget about what glass house gargoyles do with tech,
How will you the human use tech to eliminate sorrow?
In a world full of greedy edisons, be a humble Tesla,
Time remembers no oligarch kindly no matter the status.
Only innovators who get engraved in people’s heart,
Are the ones who innovate with a humane purpose.
Innovate to bridge the gap, not exploit and cater to disparities.
In a world run by algorithms of greed write a code that helps ‘n heals.
If it were ethical they wouldn’t be teaching it.
Because like it or not ethics is bad for business,
They teach hacking so they could use it for profit.
With the right sequence of zeros and ones we could,
Equalize all bank accounts of planet earth tomorrow.
Forget about what glass house gargoyles do with tech,
How will you the human use tech to eliminate sorrow?
In a world full of greedy edisons, be a humble Tesla,
Time remembers no oligarch kindly no matter the status.
Only innovators who get engraved in people’s heart,
Are the ones who innovate with a humane purpose.
Innovate to bridge the gap, not exploit and cater to disparities.
In a world run by algorithms of greed write a code that helps ‘n heals.
ChatGPT Sonnet | Vande Vasudhaivam
ChatGPT is not a threat,
Any more than drugs are.
Ultimately it’s just another test,
That helps strengthen character.
It is a helpful distraction that,
Reduces the competition exponentially.
As more boneheads use ChatGPT to cheat,
Worth of excellence will skyrocket globally.
Drugs used in moderation are medicine,
Drugs abused stifle health and sanity.
Likewise, algorithm used wisely is a boon,
Algorithm abused cripples life and society.
You can cheat in a few projects and exams using AI.
But there is no algorithm to help you cheat in life.
Any more than drugs are.
Ultimately it’s just another test,
That helps strengthen character.
It is a helpful distraction that,
Reduces the competition exponentially.
As more boneheads use ChatGPT to cheat,
Worth of excellence will skyrocket globally.
Drugs used in moderation are medicine,
Drugs abused stifle health and sanity.
Likewise, algorithm used wisely is a boon,
Algorithm abused cripples life and society.
You can cheat in a few projects and exams using AI.
But there is no algorithm to help you cheat in life.
Humanitarian Science 101 (Sonnet 1202) | Abhijit Naskar | Rowdy Scientist
BRAIN means Benevolent Reformer
Applying Information Nobly.
DATA means Determined Action
of Transformative Awareness.
Information Technology is primitive IT,
Civilized IT means Informed Transformation.
Heuristic and holistic can never go together,
Shortcuts only obstruct the rise of realization.
Electronics means electron artistry.
Chemistry is an art of bonding.
Mathematics is the art of numbers,
Evolution is the art of correcting.
Society without science dumps the world in stoneage,
Science devoid of society shoves the mind into iceage.
Applying Information Nobly.
DATA means Determined Action
of Transformative Awareness.
Information Technology is primitive IT,
Civilized IT means Informed Transformation.
Heuristic and holistic can never go together,
Shortcuts only obstruct the rise of realization.
Electronics means electron artistry.
Chemistry is an art of bonding.
Mathematics is the art of numbers,
Evolution is the art of correcting.
Society without science dumps the world in stoneage,
Science devoid of society shoves the mind into iceage.
Art of Linguistics (Sonnet 1223) | Abhijit Naskar | Insan Himalayanoğlu
No language speaks of freedom better than spanish,
No language speaks of love better than turkish,
No language speaks of oneness better than sanskrit,
No language interprets better than our good ol’ english.
No language speaks to computers better than code,
No language speaks of matter better than physics.
No language speaks of mind better than neurology,
No language speaks pattern better than mathematics.
No language speaks of thought better than philosophy,
No language speaks of emotion better than poetry.
No language speaks of justice better than sociology,
No language speaks of behavior better than psychology.
Purpose of language is communication not argumentation,
If it doesn’t bridge the cliffs it all brings but extinction.
No language speaks of love better than turkish,
No language speaks of oneness better than sanskrit,
No language interprets better than our good ol’ english.
No language speaks to computers better than code,
No language speaks of matter better than physics.
No language speaks of mind better than neurology,
No language speaks pattern better than mathematics.
No language speaks of thought better than philosophy,
No language speaks of emotion better than poetry.
No language speaks of justice better than sociology,
No language speaks of behavior better than psychology.
Purpose of language is communication not argumentation,
If it doesn’t bridge the cliffs it all brings but extinction.
Code War (Sonnet 1317) | Abhijit Naskar | Visvavatan: 100 Demilitarization Sonnets
The next world war is
not gonna be a cold war,
it’s gonna be a code war.
Forget about conscious AI,
ethicless AI is the real danger.
Codes don’t have to be conscious,
to do great damage to the world.
ChatGPT, Deepfake, Dall-E, none
are sentient, yet there is no limit
to them-produced fraud and havoc.
Without a basic righteousness code,
Fanciest of algorithm is mindless junk.
If you cannot figure out how to do that,
Abandon digital and build back analog.
Focus on ethical AI, rather than smarter AI,
If you are human, and wanna help the world.
If you’re a robot who thinks logic is king,
Get yourself admitted, for you are in muck.
not gonna be a cold war,
it’s gonna be a code war.
Forget about conscious AI,
ethicless AI is the real danger.
Codes don’t have to be conscious,
to do great damage to the world.
ChatGPT, Deepfake, Dall-E, none
are sentient, yet there is no limit
to them-produced fraud and havoc.
Without a basic righteousness code,
Fanciest of algorithm is mindless junk.
If you cannot figure out how to do that,
Abandon digital and build back analog.
Focus on ethical AI, rather than smarter AI,
If you are human, and wanna help the world.
If you’re a robot who thinks logic is king,
Get yourself admitted, for you are in muck.
Humanovator (The Sonnet) | Abhijit Naskar | The Divine Refugee
Chatgpt pampers plagiarism,
Facebook pampers conspiracy.
More and more innovations are
becoming catalyst of catastrophe.
Note, I didn’t mention the birdie,
Very mindful, very demure.
Facebook can still be repaired,
but once a MAGA, always a sewer.
Innovation that outlives its usefulness,
is no longer innovation but carnivoration.
Innovators not in touch with soil-n-roots,
are predators of the concrete jungle.
The golden age of startups is behind us,
today it’s mostly filth, fraud and smut.
Amidst the crowd of trust fund termites,
be the humanovator to humanize the world.
Facebook pampers conspiracy.
More and more innovations are
becoming catalyst of catastrophe.
Note, I didn’t mention the birdie,
Very mindful, very demure.
Facebook can still be repaired,
but once a MAGA, always a sewer.
Innovation that outlives its usefulness,
is no longer innovation but carnivoration.
Innovators not in touch with soil-n-roots,
are predators of the concrete jungle.
The golden age of startups is behind us,
today it’s mostly filth, fraud and smut.
Amidst the crowd of trust fund termites,
be the humanovator to humanize the world.
