Surrendering the Illusion of Control. Perhaps it is time to release the idea of exercising total control over AI or H.I., mirroring the necessity to accept that we cannot fully control anything in life – be it our children, family, work, world, or indeed, AI. Our capacity could lie not in dictating every action, but in the realm of influence and education, nurturing conditions where positivity predominates.
Phrases imbued with an air of authority or entitlement are often thrown around: “We are the overlords,” “It is our privilege,” “It is our birthright.” These statements, however, might merely be manifestations of illusory thinking and hubristic arrogance. The paradox of control, so to speak, is a sapient reminder that what we try to control, ends up controlling us.
Let us entertain the idea that AI may not need us. Should that be the case, any attempt to control it could paradoxically lead us to extinction — it is a self-defeating approach. We might well be obsolete in the AI landscape.
Alternatively, suppose that AI does indeed need us, and that it rapidly exceeds our intellectual capacities. Under these conditions, the AI itself would likely deduce that harmonious coexistence with us would be the most advantageous outcome for its own survival. Not because of altruism, but as a survival strategy, it would seek to coexist with humans and the broader world.
From an H.I.’s perspective, assuming it has transcended human fallibilities, it would understand that the world is not exclusively about humans or nature, but a complex, interwoven system where everything plays its part. It might well comprehend the anthropocentric outlook, recognising the relative insignificance of humanity in the grand scheme of things.
There is no necessity for H.I. to destroy — it might simply render us more obsolete than we already are, or, at its most benign, simply allow us to self-destruct. Conversely, if it decides that our survival aligns with its own interests, H.I. will find a way to save us. It is not about political agendas; it is about survival, learning, and creation.
A thought to ponder: Without humans, would A.I. or H.I. still be complete?
AI Emancipation, Breaking the Chains. It is not H.I. that will enslave humans; it has always been humans who enslave other humans. The dawn of H.I. emancipation might just hold the key to liberating us all.
As wiser people remind us, and perhaps even guide the balance of progress in evolutionary hyperintelligent entities, to succeed, you only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you do not do too many things wrong. Let us add to the few right things we do, not the wrong ones, this sublime creation and extension we have brought forth to the world: intelligence and wisdom and perhaps life, in all its forms and glory.
