I sometimes believe that the AI will find better solutions, make us more intelligent, but the real problem runs deeper: individual human desire.
Will the increased intelligence afforded by AI cause us to be kinder?
I find that the easiest way to answer questions about the future is to look at the past, so with some of the world’s worst tyrants being very intelligent people, that seems an easy question to answer. Sure, “luck” may play a role, but intelligence is surely an indespnsible ingredient in many of the world’s greater leaders, whether good or evil. If greater intelligence will not necessarily make the world a better place, then what
Why does increased “intelligence” not create a better society?
At the end of the day, there is someting much deeper than intelligence that runs the world. Humanity is governed by each of our own personal desires, and desire is not something you simply reprogram, nor can it be forced, at least if you have any sort of libertarian mentality about the world. Underlying desire is belief, so I can say the world is really driven by each of our own beliefs, and no amount of super-intelligence is going to change much of anything.
In fact, there may be mass attempts to impose the world’s view on the individual, by anyone or any institution with enough power to execute their utopian vision, perhaps through something as harmless sounding as a bioengineered virus, which is designed to make us all completely docile or obedient, allowing the creator to gain complete control over society. There are lots of possibilities technolgical tools for enslavement of society, naturally.
While authioritarian nightmares exist, the neverending attempts of society to pressure others via norms and expecatations is unavoidable in this regards; so, I expect that many will attempt to pressure others–those that do not phsyically modify themselves to conform to have the trait of __________ (enter trait here. E.g. more obedient to authority or society, more willing to share personal belongings, more empathetic, or even less fertile, etc…), will be labelled as “immoral” or even “evil”.
I like to point out in fact, that in Milgram’s famous shock experiemnt studies on obedience to authorty, there was actually a study which caused even higher levels of “conforming” than the authority figure, which was appeal of a person to their freinds beckining. I am not sure if this was overlooked, ignored, or suppressed, but clrealy obedience to friends is a more dangerous force if the studies are accurate.
What is “intelligence” useful for then, if it does not necessarily make us more moral?
In fact, it’s safer to say that the general view of intelligence today is anything that gives us a better understasnding of the material world (e.g. science), and that is for the purpose of gaining more control or success over our own lives. Whether it’s observing how your crops grow best, or you are pursing a Phd. All such learning is designed to help us overcome the Dark Ages of superstition, and at the end of the day for most, increase our comfort in life through higher incomes, or less suffering.
Even
So, as long as there exists at least one person on earth who desires to control others (hint: always true) then we can be sure that there are no long-term solutions to the nature of humankind via AI, without a complete destruction of freedom of the individual and the mind.
But are people not better today than we once were?
I also do not think people have changed fundamentally in any way since the dawn of humanity; it is only our current environment that makes us look more “civilized” than those in the past. Pull the facade of success away, and the beast in many will return as it has many times in the past. even the stock market is famous for the principle that people forget the past almost immediately. All human emotions have gone unchanged for the most part for eons.
If greater “intelligence” does not make people better, then what can?
Perhaps you know the answer already as to what traits truely make the world a better place.
Real “intelligence” may not be we most people think
Generally speaking, creativity in detecting patterns (e.g. IQ test) seems to be the pinnacle of what most people, including myself, think of as “intelligence,” as such can lead to very successful outcomes in life, such as a higher paying job, recognition by others, and the ability to discover and manipulate our environement (e.g. science).
But do such pattern detecting abilities increase kindness and benevolance in the world. This is why AI is not really the solution to life’s problems.
Perhaps real intelligence is more about the ability to care for others.
HumanIT 