Artificial Intelligence and the Thing
It’s too late, many would say. The cat’s out of the bag; defying the odds, it slid in underneath a closed door when no one was looking. No one even knows this cat or the cat’s owner, but every time you try to kick it out: there it is again. Such an image is too appealing, so it does not fit. The subject is actually more of a beast, a beast not so wholesome as a being with a beating heart. It’s more like the box tossed up on the beach in Phil Harris’ 1950 song “The Thing,” surprising, perhaps intriguing, even useful, but it reveals itself to be sinister. This beast is artificial intelligence, A.I., and to be fair, A.I. has legitimate and helpful uses, but like many advances, it’s being slurped down like Kool-Aid without enough critical thought. I anticipate people dreading it far after the road back seems impossible.
The most obvious issue is that for whatever jobs the A.I. industry has generated, it also is slowly murdering work for creatives and other humans whose calling falls within the domain of the humanities. The practical politician favors jobs, promises revenues, and may roll his eyes at the people who haven’t gotten real when it comes to the practicalities of the modern economy. The arts and humanities, however, require knowledge, skill, and talent. Perhaps the lowered standards of the modern world has devalued the arts and humanities in order to uplift those who are less talented but deeply aspiring, and that is why society didn’t work hard to protect creatives. On the other hand, it may be that people are losing sight of the universal value of the arts and humanities. The arts and humanities may seem like luxuries or meaningless entertainment. These views are rather cynical and lose sight of the more important issue: that people deserve to earn the fruits of their mind’s labor regardless of the field. Artificial intelligence that replaces human art in whatever guise is anti-human, and no amount of money justifies this.
Another problem with A.I. is that it gives users an artificial sense of accomplishment. By generating art, music, and writing for them, they see themselves in a more positive light, yet their skill had nothing to do with the A.I. output. It’s like a trophy for doing nothing but having an inclination, which is unfair to true artists. This type of distorted self-satisfaction can only intensify the negative attitudes permeating communities around the world where people think they are entitled to achievements rather than working hard to earn them or realizing their gifts lie elsewhere. It also encourages people to do less of their own learning since they can rely on a time saving crutch. By doing this, they miss opportunities to better themselves and grow. If they are relying on A.I. for information acquisition, they also may become more close minded and biased. A.I. propaganda has a far reach, and even educated people can become subject to its manipulation.
For businesses, A.I. can mean huge advances, filling in the gaps that business owners may lack. It can optimize marketing, streamline processes, and complete tasks formerly done by humans. However, business ethics are essential. Unfortunately, businesses may not realize that replacing human workers with A.I. is unethical until they find themselves watching the economy destabilize or on the bad end of a lawsuit that hasn’t even been imagined yet. Businesses should wisely assess their ethical obligations before adopting A.I. as what can be of benefit short term can cause serious long term effects beyond the business itself. Other economic effects from corrupt uses of A.I., such as money generating schemes and their ripple effects, loom ahead.
The battle over how much free reign artificial intelligence operators have continues, but many children are being painted a biased and benign picture of artificial intelligence, one that will potentially allow artificial intelligence producers the upper hand for generations to come. This conditioning is dangerous. It obscures the economic and health risks that come hand and hand with artificial intelligence. For example, artificial intelligence viruses can take over people’s algorithms and based on people’s search patterns, it can create a menacing hall of mirrors. For sensitive populations, this may increase narcissism, neuroticism, or even induce psychosis. Youth who utilize A.I. may not realize that they are placing themselves in a vulnerable position until it is too late.
To condition the youth to see A.I. as essential and benign is especially alarming in the face of political turmoil and human malevolence, the likes of which do not die easily, playing out their heartbreaking effects as the centuries march on. With so many on earth holding their breath, hoping the next conflict won’t bloom to atomic death, the possibility of artificial intelligence conducting or dominating warfare is a gruesome future reality regardless of the sales pitches delivered by people who make it seem like that is the least of anyone’s worries. The power obsessed nihilists in whatever disguise they wear can not be wished away. They exist, and they don’t care about anyone’s positive assumptions about what a government should or should not do. There may come a time when they decide that the machines should determine the right time and the right targets to destroy their enemies, and they may elect to use A.I. that is designed not to hold back.
Ultimately, the negative consequences to come are bad for the human spirit, something that is too often dismissed unless it boosts profit in some way. There is already a mental health crisis under way, a feeling of despair, of resentment, and disaffection. To give artificial intelligence supremacy is to generate more hopelessness and despair. It’s to make nihilism mainstream, the tool of convenience may yet become a tool of our undoing. For all the good humans do, it is important not to be blind to all the harm we do unto ourselves.
Recommended Sources
“The Good, the Bad, and the Scary. Virginia Tech Engineer. Fall 2023.
Vervaeke, John, Dr. Creating Solutions to the Meaning Crisis Series. YouTube
