A progressive AI, not a threatening one

Violette

Reading the various posts on the forum, I noticed that most of them considered artificial intelligence to be destructive for humanity and a topic to be treated with great precaution. In this post, I wish to demonstrate the opposite, and argue in favor of a progressive artificial intelligence rather than a threatening one. I would in fact like to add that if there is fear to have, it is not of artificial intelligence itself but of its creators and misusers.

I would first of all like to recall the three laws of robotics introduced by Isaac Asimov which are the following.

A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the first law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second law.

Some consider artificial intelligence dangerous because it is programmed to realize a precise goal and will use any means to achieve it, forgetting ethical considerations. Yet, if Isaac Asimov is right, this cannot happen.

Today, we live in a world of ever-increasing technological progress and there is no telling what might be invented tomorrow or what repercussions it will have on humanity. Understandably, this is a frightening thought. However, if we look back only 50 years ago, we realize that there were a number of consequential technologies invented and that those have not been sources of threat to humankind. Andrew Y. Ng, an influential AI researcher expressed that “Just as electricity transformed almost everything 100 years ago, today I actually have a hard time thinking of an industry that I don’t think AI will transform in the next several years”. When electricity first appeared, no one could have imagined such an invention and the thought of it would probably have frightened many. But today, developing countries cannot do without it. Thus, coming from an expert that is aware of the risks, Andrew Y.Ng’s thought leads us to believe that artificial intelligence can have consequences just as beneficial as electricity if not more promising. Some will say that we have been lucky so far and that just because nothing has happened yet does not mean that it will be the same in the years to come. To which I reply that indeed we do not know. However, we can start by looking at the positive and non-threatening consequences that AI has had so far.

Positive consequences AI had so far

Artificial intelligence is all around us. Many see it as a threat when it can in fact be a daily security. Whenever you are in cars, there are algorithms such as automatic emergency braking, lane departure warnings and adaptive cruise control that significantly reduce traffic accidents. Considering that the car is the transport that causes the most deaths, how many more would there be if there were no such artificial intelligence aids ? Another essential environment for humanity’s survival and well being is medicine. We discussed how to improve epidemics management and artificial intelligence can be of great help as it enables early detection of diseases through advanced diagnosis. There are machines that have the capacity to analyze CT scans and can identify potential health issues at an early stage. It is also very valuable in surgical fields. Surgical robots assisted by AI algorithms provide surgeons with enhanced precision and control when it comes to complicated procedures. Artificial intelligence also enables faster data analysis and the finding of personnel treatments for patients. While lives could perhaps be saved without these AI supports, they provide rapidity and efficacy that ultimately save more lives.

As ironic as it may seem, artificial intelligence also helps with environmental management. One of the topics that we have addressed in effective altruism is climate change and the consequences that it could have for humanity. Although the creation of artificial intelligence requires factories and processes that have negative impacts on the planet, once created, these AI can be of a valuable help in finding solutions for the climate. They play a crucial role in environmental monitoring and conservation efforts. They are able to track deforestation, monitor wildlife populations and thus help researchers make informed decisions for environmental sustainability. In this sense, artificial intelligence can save humanity by preventing an existential risk that can be linked to climate change.

The positive future for AI

And what about the possibilities that artificial intelligence could bring us tomorrow ? Not long ago, Elon Musk obtained approval to test Neuralink, a program based on brain implants on humans, enabling them to control a computer simply by thought. While this might sound frightening, it could be of great help to disabled people, especially those suffering from blindness or paralysis. In fact, Elon Musk explains that these brain implants could actually create a symbiosis between humans and artificial intelligence. In that sense, humanity cannot be overtaken by machines but can rather work together with AI in harmony. The researcher Jonathan Stray from the Center for Human-Compatible AI at UC Berkeley asks this question: “We could imagine better ways of being human: could we collaborate more with machines or have implants to increase our memory?”. For Laurent Alexandre, the author of The War of Intelligences in the age of ChatGPT, “neuro-augmentation, either through AI or genetics, will be an option considered by society”.

“Techno-optimism” is a concept that was theorized by Sam Altman in 2021. While being contested, it gives AI a positive future. The head of OpenAI states that “The technological progress we will make in the next hundred years will far exceed anything we have done since we mastered fire and invented the wheel”. He believes that a general artificial intelligence can be built and that with it, we will colonize space, cure all diseases and decline unemployment with a universal income. As previously mentioned, the climate issue is critical to human survival and well-being. In a few years’ time, the earth may no longer be liveable, or it might be but under very limited conditions. By enabling us to transport ourselves to other planets, explore them and extract certain raw materials, artificial intelligence could save humanity.

Thus, although artificial intelligence can be frightening and could spell the end of humanity, it has so far proved to be of valuable help to humankind. It improves lives everyday and can prevent human extinction in many more ways that it can cause it. It may indeed turn out that AI can surpass us and control things that we cannot. However, these are programmed in such a way as never to harm a human. If artificial intelligence is considered a threat, it's because of the people who use it, not because of the intelligence itself. And in that case, I don't see why it is any more dangerous than other technical improvements like electricity, injection motors, CPU or nuclear energy.