AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
Vicar Sayeedi
March 6, 2021
For many years, writers have imagined a world in which embodied Artificial Intelligence Agents have become normalized within society, in some cases to the point where their presence is ubiquitous. The 2019 novel, “Machines Like Us” by the celebrated English author Ian McEwan and the most recent entry, “Klara and the Sun” by the 2017 Nobel Literature Laureate, Kazuo Ishiguro are two prominent examples. My 2019 book, “The Génome Affair” is another entry in this category of what some may call Speculative Fiction.
Speculative Fiction in literature is an examination of the dramatic shift in individual and societal attitudes, behaviors, culture, feelings and thoughts as the political and social climate adapts to the often revolutionary realities conceived in the mind of the writer. Although speculative writing is an interesting approach to examining the future of society, it’s not without its challenges. In the case of AI, it’s quite difficult for humans to speculate since AI’s degree of intelligence cannot be captured on the same graph as the one that represents human intelligence. The difference between Artificial Intelligence and human intelligence will likely be measured in orders of magnitude if it’s measureable at all.
Imagine consulting an ant on what the outlook might be for humans at the beginning of the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution. Since the intelligence of the ant is relatively so much lower than that of humankind, it’s simply not possible for the ant to answer the question. Similarly, we can try to imagine what a world with Artificial Intelligence Agents having super intelligence relative to humankind might be like but we are likely to get it very wrong. Humankind can only conceive a world in which we can shape realities within our own sphere of understanding and hence imagination. The Theory of Mind does not grant us the insight into what an entity such as Super AI might do or feel since we are not privy to the same degree of knowledge, processing speed or retention as these Agents are.
Even today, Narrow Artificial Intelligence Agents can process information many orders of magnitude faster than humans, they can process all information available and they can also remember and instantaneously access everything they have ever learned. This gives AI an intellectual platform that humankind is very unlikely to ever be able to match or even contemplate. AI has the potential to read the entire contents of the Internet along with all 150 million volumes of books and codex presently held in the United States Library of Congress. AI can digest all of this information and convert it into knowledge that will subsequently inform their ethical framework, their ability to adjudicate and their ability to plan strategically.
In summary, our understanding of human emotions, sentience and Theory of Mind may simply not apply to Artificial General or Super Intelligent Agents. This reality makes it very important that humankind work together in the scientific and technological community as well as at the international regulatory level to ensure we remain in control of the development of AI. This will likely prove very challenging to achieve but nevertheless, we must try. Otherwise, we may find ourselves immersed within one or more of the dystopian scenarios AI thought leaders, distinguished public intellectuals and synthesists across multiple disciplines have warned us about.
Already today, Narrow AI Agents are being deployed in applications that exceed human intellectual capacity. For example, a loan processing facility in China can approve or reject loan applications submitted via mobile phone, evaluate the credit worthiness of a prospective borrower by examining 500,000 parameters and respond with an approval or denial within eight seconds. Once the Specialized AI has examined these parameters and made its decision, both the applicant and bank will abide by it. In some Eastern European countries, Narrow AI Agents are being used to adjudicate in many minor legal matters including moving or parking violations. No human administration or adjudication is involved and the driver must simply comply or risk higher fines or further legal complications.
The world we are so familiar with and the relationship we have long held between dignity and work is fast changing, as well. With AI’s ability to perform a growing number of human functions more cost effectively, efficiently and rapidly, the justification to employ human labor for tasks ranging from the mundane to the sophisticated will rapidly wane and humankind will have more and more free time. Unless we plan for these dramatic socioeconomic shifts, this new reality will be a serious issue in maintaining social stability across the world as growing numbers of people compete for increasingly scarce opportunities to earn a living. We are not trending towards a new reality in which citizens will find themselves enslaved or indentured by colonizing powers as occurred in the wake of the 1st Industrial Revolution, but rather a world in which human labor will increasingly become unnecessary or more likely useless.
Our governments tend to be very reactive; we are able to mobilize very quickly to address clear and present dangers such as the Coronavirus Pandemic. Less than one month after detecting the virus in Wuhan, China, scientists had sequenced its genome and shared the findings within the scientific community across the globe. Within one year, despite the historical reality that vaccine development can take upwards of ten years, pharmaceutical companies had developed five safe and effective vaccines. Today, millions of people around the world have been vaccinated.
But at the same time, our governments are also very poor at addressing long term threats such as those posed by climate change and ecological collapse. These challenges are due to unsustainable lifestyles and industrial practices including deforestation, energy generated from fossil fuels, livestock farming, mining and water wastage. But most public intellectuals believe that the threat posed by 4th Industrial Revolution sciences and technologies is unlike anything humankind has previously experienced and as such it is critical that these be considered alongside the threats mentioned above. AI and Biotechnology must be considered as equivalent to the threats posed by climate change and ecological collapse and with the same degree of urgency otherwise it will be impossible to maintain domestic and international peace and security.
It has been 2,500 years since the birth of democracy in the city state of Athens and it has been nearly 250 years since the birth of America’s modern democracy. But even after the passage of so much time and the demonstration of what can be achieved under democratic rule, just 25% of the world’s countries have democratic systems of government; about fifty countries. Around the globe, Authoritarian regimes are strengthening their hand and trampling on human rights while democratic regimes are waning in relevance. The wilting confidence of citizens living under these democracies is palpable as their lives become increasingly difficult and uncertain. As a result they are regressing to old but familiar traditions that have failed humanity for centuries but that are still comforting in these times of confusion and great upheaval. It is an enormous challenge that leaders and thinkers within society must holistically and strategically confront, otherwise the society will fall back to a bleak future.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
Episode 44 - https://youtu.be/mWaPW_UolVo
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
Episode 45 - https://youtu.be/qOSOc3vJRBk
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
Vicar Sayeedi
March 6, 2021
For many years, writers have imagined a world in which embodied Artificial Intelligence Agents have become normalized within society, in some cases to the point where their presence is ubiquitous. The 2019 novel, “Machines Like Us” by the celebrated English author Ian McEwan and the most recent entry, “Klara and the Sun” by the 2017 Nobel Literature Laureate, Kazuo Ishiguro are two prominent examples. My 2019 book, “The Génome Affair” is another entry in this category of what some may call Speculative Fiction.
Speculative Fiction in literature is an examination of the dramatic shift in individual and societal attitudes, behaviors, culture, feelings and thoughts as the political and social climate adapts to the often revolutionary realities conceived in the mind of the writer. Although speculative writing is an interesting approach to examining the future of society, it’s not without its challenges. In the case of AI, it’s quite difficult for humans to speculate since AI’s degree of intelligence cannot be captured on the same graph as the one that represents human intelligence. The difference between Artificial Intelligence and human intelligence will likely be measured in orders of magnitude if it’s measureable at all.
Imagine consulting an ant on what the outlook might be for humans at the beginning of the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution. Since the intelligence of the ant is relatively so much lower than that of humankind, it’s simply not possible for the ant to answer the question. Similarly, we can try to imagine what a world with Artificial Intelligence Agents having super intelligence relative to humankind might be like but we are likely to get it very wrong. Humankind can only conceive a world in which we can shape realities within our own sphere of understanding and hence imagination. The Theory of Mind does not grant us the insight into what an entity such as Super AI might do or feel since we are not privy to the same degree of knowledge, processing speed or retention as these Agents are.
Even today, Narrow Artificial Intelligence Agents can process information many orders of magnitude faster than humans, they can process all information available and they can also remember and instantaneously access everything they have ever learned. This gives AI an intellectual platform that humankind is very unlikely to ever be able to match or even contemplate. AI has the potential to read the entire contents of the Internet along with all 150 million volumes of books and codex presently held in the United States Library of Congress. AI can digest all of this information and convert it into knowledge that will subsequently inform their ethical framework, their ability to adjudicate and their ability to plan strategically.
In summary, our understanding of human emotions, sentience and Theory of Mind may simply not apply to Artificial General or Super Intelligent Agents. This reality makes it very important that humankind work together in the scientific and technological community as well as at the international regulatory level to ensure we remain in control of the development of AI. This will likely prove very challenging to achieve but nevertheless, we must try. Otherwise, we may find ourselves immersed within one or more of the dystopian scenarios AI thought leaders, distinguished public intellectuals and synthesists across multiple disciplines have warned us about.
Already today, Narrow AI Agents are being deployed in applications that exceed human intellectual capacity. For example, a loan processing facility in China can approve or reject loan applications submitted via mobile phone, evaluate the credit worthiness of a prospective borrower by examining 500,000 parameters and respond with an approval or denial within eight seconds. Once the Specialized AI has examined these parameters and made its decision, both the applicant and bank will abide by it. In some Eastern European countries, Narrow AI Agents are being used to adjudicate in many minor legal matters including moving or parking violations. No human administration or adjudication is involved and the driver must simply comply or risk higher fines or further legal complications.
The world we are so familiar with and the relationship we have long held between dignity and work is fast changing, as well. With AI’s ability to perform a growing number of human functions more cost effectively, efficiently and rapidly, the justification to employ human labor for tasks ranging from the mundane to the sophisticated will rapidly wane and humankind will have more and more free time. Unless we plan for these dramatic socioeconomic shifts, this new reality will be a serious issue in maintaining social stability across the world as growing numbers of people compete for increasingly scarce opportunities to earn a living. We are not trending towards a new reality in which citizens will find themselves enslaved or indentured by colonizing powers as occurred in the wake of the 1st Industrial Revolution, but rather a world in which human labor will increasingly become unnecessary or more likely useless.
Our governments tend to be very reactive; we are able to mobilize very quickly to address clear and present dangers such as the Coronavirus Pandemic. Less than one month after detecting the virus in Wuhan, China, scientists had sequenced its genome and shared the findings within the scientific community across the globe. Within one year, despite the historical reality that vaccine development can take upwards of ten years, pharmaceutical companies had developed five safe and effective vaccines. Today, millions of people around the world have been vaccinated.
But at the same time, our governments are also very poor at addressing long term threats such as those posed by climate change and ecological collapse. These challenges are due to unsustainable lifestyles and industrial practices including deforestation, energy generated from fossil fuels, livestock farming, mining and water wastage. But most public intellectuals believe that the threat posed by 4th Industrial Revolution sciences and technologies is unlike anything humankind has previously experienced and as such it is critical that these be considered alongside the threats mentioned above. AI and Biotechnology must be considered as equivalent to the threats posed by climate change and ecological collapse and with the same degree of urgency otherwise it will be impossible to maintain domestic and international peace and security.
It has been 2,500 years since the birth of democracy in the city state of Athens and it has been nearly 250 years since the birth of America’s modern democracy. But even after the passage of so much time and the demonstration of what can be achieved under democratic rule, just 25% of the world’s countries have democratic systems of government; about fifty countries. Around the globe, Authoritarian regimes are strengthening their hand and trampling on human rights while democratic regimes are waning in relevance. The wilting confidence of citizens living under these democracies is palpable as their lives become increasingly difficult and uncertain. As a result they are regressing to old but familiar traditions that have failed humanity for centuries but that are still comforting in these times of confusion and great upheaval. It is an enormous challenge that leaders and thinkers within society must holistically and strategically confront, otherwise the society will fall back to a bleak future.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
Episode 44 - https://youtu.be/mWaPW_UolVo
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
Episode 45 - https://youtu.be/qOSOc3vJRBk
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
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