This week it was
reported that top scientists signed a letter warning us of the
dangers of artificial intelligence. According to LiveScience staff
writer Tanya Lewis, one such scientist was Stephen Hawking. Hawking
and the other scientists are concerned that artificial intelligence
could be detrimental to the existence of the human race.
My question is why
do these people care about the future existence of humans? Why should
secular societies care? By signing the letter of warning these
scientists are voicing that they care about what happens to the next
generation. They do not want us to move from using human
intelligence to artificial intelligence. But does this concern
coincide with their worldview?
If these scientist
believe that we evolved from less intelligent beings into the beings
we are today, why should they be against progress that could evolve
into something better. Why do they want to stop the evolutionary
process that they may believe in. In evolutionary logic, why should one
care if humans die out and something “better” shows up. In secular
societies that legalize abortion, death with dignity, and euthanasia,
why would it matter that human existence could be threatened by
artificial intelligence when it is already being threatened by human
actions itself.
A positive aspect
of artificial intelligence is that it points to the realization that
intelligence can only come from intelligence. Artificial
intelligence can not exist on its own; humans need to create
it. This is a completely logically and reasonable conclusion, yet
there are many who reject the idea that an intelligent creator, God,
created intelligent human beings. Unlike God, who is perfect, humans
need to approach creating artificial intelligence with
caution. I am reminded of
the Pixar film The
Incredibles. Syndrome
created his own villainous robot that learns from the people it
interacts with. This eventually leads to the robot defeating
Syndrome, his creator. If we are not using the gifts God has given
us in a way that is responsible and honoring to Him, it can lead to
our own demise.
Great post Ivy! I love how you tied it back to the idea that we possess a unique intelligent creativity because we were made in the image of The Creator.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to suggest a couple recommendations for making your blog post a little more web-friendly - while you have a lot of good information, coming into your post was a bit like running into a brick wall. If you soften up the language a bit and maybe toy around with a font that's more easy on the eyes I think it would make your post all the more accessible. I also think it'd be effective if you found an image to accompany your post. Just a couple of thoughts! Great job!
Ivy, I appreciate so much the deep desire for understanding the world, philosophy and world views that drive the educators, scientists and politicians of today. You got me thinking of the ironic ways in which our minds justify certain actions or believes, even if they are opposite of what we hold most valuable to us.
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