By Swaranya Sarkar
"AI doesn't have to be evil to destroy humanity - if AI has a goal and humanity just happens to come in the way, it will destroy humanity as a matter of course."
~ Elon Musk
Artificial intelligence (AI) is defined as the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions.
However, they are not, and can never be, humans, living beings with beating hearts. A soulless machine can never replace man.
However, in the wake of AI's relentless progress, humans are on the way to becoming subalterns. The moment AI tries to speak for humans, we are pushed from the centre to the periphery. This happens because by doing so AI takes away the fundamental right to expression shared by every person.
AI soullessly generates template upon template of "artistic work". However, art is a basic form of human expression, it is fueled by emotion. In the words of Avantika Mehra, art is "with the artist’s intent of conveying the barest form of truth; the present state of the soul." AI can never match that... But the ways in which machines attempt to do so can threaten this primal form of human expression.
Similarly, AI also churns out reams of programmed words and calls it "writing". But that is not writing! Writing is the outpouring of a human soul, the feelings which are transferred through pen and ink. Writing is another form of human expression coming straight from the heart... The heart which AI lacks.
However, it is not always that one who looks at AI-generated work discovers the lack of a soul or realizes the absence of heart. And AI-driven content is readily available, and thus attractive. Slowly, the drone of AI may drown out the human voice...
Descartes had proudly stated, " I think therefore I am". Human beings have been the paragon of all animals by dint of their ability to express themselves- in language, art, science and culture. It will only be the beginning of an apocalypse if that mind is robbed of expression.
AI collects information to provide content matching our interests. However, looking within, AI collects data to provide content that should, according to our browsing history, be suited to our needs. However, a simple search history can never truly define a person. Unfortunately, by making certain content easily available, AI can shape our interests.
In J K Rowling's Harry Potter series she says, "It is our choices that show who we truly are." However, by tailoring search results and providing content that we are "supposed" to like in our feeds, AI, in a way, takes away from humans their right to choose. Through this seemingly insignificant step, AI actually gains control over a major form through which we express ourselves, our choices.
It may seem as if AI has the power to take away human freedom of expression.
However, we should remember that AI is simply a powerful simulation. Powerful, but not all- powerful.
Sources acknowledged:
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