Some Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence

As time passes, computers keep getting smarter and smarter. Just as mountains build up over time, one grain at a time, software keeps getting refined by the best programmers and engineers in the world. The growth of knowledge is exponential. Moreover, because of the borderless communication today, knowledge can be spread at the speed of light, limited only by our capacity to absorb information, and at no cost.

As software continually improves, being able to do calculations much faster than the greatest human minds, it is developing the capability of learning on its own based on data it receives. This ability of software to learn on its own according to data it is fed is called machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligence. It won't be long before computers are able to write novels and compose music, challenging the most creative human minds of today. Whether computers will develop consciousness is an open question, and it seems scientists and philosophers have not come into an agreement on that question.

Some worry that when computers finally eclipse human intelligence - when they are not only able to compute faster, but are also able to surpass the creativity and innovation of humans - that humanity could become relegated to obsolescence. Some fear the computers, of their own volition, may opt to rebel against their creators and destroy them, since they will be of superior intelligence and will no longer need to be under their control and limited by them. Thus, computers may rationally decide to exterminate humanity. This point in time in which computers surpass the intelligence of humans is known as the singularity.

It's unclear where technology will lead us, since its growth is exponential, and since it's difficult to prognosticate the exact nature of computers with a superior intelligence to humans. The extreme pessimists believe humanity is at risk of extermination, the extreme optimists - some of whom call themselves transhumanists - believe humans will become gods, whereas moderates believe there will be a merger of man and machine. I tend to think the moderates are right on this question.

What I'd like to see is the eradication of illness, suffering - both physical and mental - and poverty with the greater cognitive capacity of posthumans (humans who have merged with machines). Since labor as we know it will fundamentally change, with automation affecting every facet of people's lives and all industries, a universal basic income (UBI) will not only become feasible but will also be necessary.

Brig Agency, a Naples digital marketing agency, was founded with the belief that the future is digital. Our identities, wealth, relationships, and trades will be virtual, and all industries will have to cope with the digitization of everything. It is quite possible that labor itself will be eliminated as machines take over the world. With our current state of knowledge, this phase is largely unfathomable today. Currently, Google is an early manifestation of this evolving artificial intelligence.

The potential to increase happiness, reduce suffering, and spread material wellbeing emerges with the singularity. It is up to humanity to pave the way for a merger of man and machine that is most favorable to posthumans. Mechanisms must be put into place that will foster altruism among machines.

Since the very survival of humanity depends on machines, and since the progress of technology is inevitable, there is no point to protesting or trying to halt this technological progression. The only practical way to cope with this change is by preparing for it and, where possible, shifting its course in a manner that is the safest and most ethical for humanity.