Writing 08
Is artificial intelligence something that should be embraced or feared? Do you believe in the hype?
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are probably the two hottest button topics in modern computing and have been subject of much debate. We've been talking about these issues in pop culture for a long time though, specifically in film, television, and books. As technology advances, however, these sci-fi realities of "conscious computers" are becoming more probable.
Whether or not you believe a computer could ever truly be a conscious being heavily depends on how you view consciousness and "the mind" as a whole. Functionalist theories of mind (that the mind and consciousness are simply a collection of their function, or "what they do") seem to support the idea that an advanced computer could in fact represent a mind. If a computer is advanced enough to perform all the same functions as a human mind, why wouldn't it be conscious? This functional view of the mind is compelling to me, but I'm not sure I'm totally sold on it.
I have a lot of trouble thinking about how we would even be able to tell if computers ever reach "sentience," as typical measures like the Turing Test simply won't cut it. We already have technologies today (with natural language processing, AI, and speech generation) that can "beat" the Turing Test, and we know for certain that these machines are not actually "intelligent." All of their behavior has been determined by us in one way or another, and they don't have any real "desires" or "emotions." With that being said, as the technology advances, the line is bound to become blurred, and I'm curious and nervous to think how we would go about determining the true intelligence of a machine.
In comparing computers to humans, I do see a lot of similarities. It seems that a lot of, if not most, of our behaviors have been environmentally learned, even if by the smallest microtriggers and events. A person doesn't seem to come into the world knowing anything about it, and they pick it all up as they go along. Nature has evolved us to advance cognitively and be able to learn what we do. I don't really see why we as humans can't be the "nature" to computers, setting up advanced AI and giving them the "opportunity" to take in the world around them and learn "how to be conscious."
Regardless of whether or not computers may ever gain consciousness, I do believe that artificial intelligence is a field with near limitless benefits that absolutely should be explored. I know there is much concern about job displacement, but I don't believe we should artificially stifle such great innovation to artificially preserve certain jobs. We should make considerations for those whose jobs are bound to disappear, though (drivers, factory workers, etc, and even more skilled jobs like medical lab technicians), and I think universal basic income is a great idea to explore. I just see too many benefits in AI and automation to not let it happen. Robots can product faster, more efficiently, and more consistently. Computers can see things in medical tests/scans that human actors simply can't. These technologies offer unprecedented avenues to make life better, and I think we should embrace them.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are probably the two hottest button topics in modern computing and have been subject of much debate. We've been talking about these issues in pop culture for a long time though, specifically in film, television, and books. As technology advances, however, these sci-fi realities of "conscious computers" are becoming more probable.
Whether or not you believe a computer could ever truly be a conscious being heavily depends on how you view consciousness and "the mind" as a whole. Functionalist theories of mind (that the mind and consciousness are simply a collection of their function, or "what they do") seem to support the idea that an advanced computer could in fact represent a mind. If a computer is advanced enough to perform all the same functions as a human mind, why wouldn't it be conscious? This functional view of the mind is compelling to me, but I'm not sure I'm totally sold on it.
I have a lot of trouble thinking about how we would even be able to tell if computers ever reach "sentience," as typical measures like the Turing Test simply won't cut it. We already have technologies today (with natural language processing, AI, and speech generation) that can "beat" the Turing Test, and we know for certain that these machines are not actually "intelligent." All of their behavior has been determined by us in one way or another, and they don't have any real "desires" or "emotions." With that being said, as the technology advances, the line is bound to become blurred, and I'm curious and nervous to think how we would go about determining the true intelligence of a machine.
In comparing computers to humans, I do see a lot of similarities. It seems that a lot of, if not most, of our behaviors have been environmentally learned, even if by the smallest microtriggers and events. A person doesn't seem to come into the world knowing anything about it, and they pick it all up as they go along. Nature has evolved us to advance cognitively and be able to learn what we do. I don't really see why we as humans can't be the "nature" to computers, setting up advanced AI and giving them the "opportunity" to take in the world around them and learn "how to be conscious."
Regardless of whether or not computers may ever gain consciousness, I do believe that artificial intelligence is a field with near limitless benefits that absolutely should be explored. I know there is much concern about job displacement, but I don't believe we should artificially stifle such great innovation to artificially preserve certain jobs. We should make considerations for those whose jobs are bound to disappear, though (drivers, factory workers, etc, and even more skilled jobs like medical lab technicians), and I think universal basic income is a great idea to explore. I just see too many benefits in AI and automation to not let it happen. Robots can product faster, more efficiently, and more consistently. Computers can see things in medical tests/scans that human actors simply can't. These technologies offer unprecedented avenues to make life better, and I think we should embrace them.
Comments
Post a Comment