Meeting the Challenge of the Rise of AI

 

Adrienne LaFrance, Executive Editor of "The Atlantic", has written an eloquent and important essay, titled,  “In Defense of Humanity – We Need a Cultural and Philosophical Movement to Meet the Rise of Artificial Intelligence”/

 

Her essay treats the importance of how we respond to the introduction of Artificial Intelligence.  She believes it is the most important technological innovation in our time and perhaps in history. 

 

Some of her most poignant comments: it “can seem as though ordinary people have no hope of influencing the machines that will soon be cognitively superior to us all, but there is tremendous power in defining ideals, even if they ultimately remain out of reach.  Considering all that is at stake, we have to at least try.”

 

These same words describe the importance of the ideals embedded in the Declaration of Independence and those, too, in Procter & Gamble’s Statement of Purpose.  They pertain also to the ideal of enabling every young person to grow up with the opportunity to fulfill their mission and destiny. 

 

LaFrance continues:  “Transparency should be a core tenet in the new human exchange of ideas—people ought to disclose whenever an Artificial Intelligence is present or has been used in communication.”

“Now is the time as well to recommit to making deeper connections with other people.  Live video chats can collapse time and distance, but such technologies are a poor substitute for face-to-face communication, especially in settings where creative collaboration or learning is paramount.  Relationships cannot and should not be sustained in the digital realm alone, especially as AI further erodes our understanding of what is real.  Tapping a ‘like’ button is not friendship.  It’s a data-point.”

 

She continues:  “We should trust human ingenuity and creative intuition, and resist over-reliance on tools that dull the wisdom of our own aesthetics and intellect.  We can and should layer on technological tools that will aid us in this endeavor, but never at the expense of seeing, feeling and ultimately knowing for ourselves.”

 

This, it seems to me, once again underscores the importance of deep archival research, of experiencing nature in the raw, and having access to personal, “in-the-moment” diaries and journals. 

 

Finally, I will quote these words from LaFrance:  “We should put more emphasis on contemplation as a way of being.  We should embrace an unfinished state of thinking, the constant work of challenging our preconceived notions, and seeking out those with whom we disagree and sometimes still not knowing.  We are mortal beings, driven to know more than we ever will or ever can.”

 

How true that is.

 

And this, finally:  “What remains is the fact that we are on this planet to seek knowledge, truth and beauty—and we only get so much time to do it.”