When I give lectures or speak to the media, I often get the question: Is artificial intelligence becoming like us humans? The answer is no. No matter how much it resembles us, it is not even a little bit human. It is something else. And the fact that it looks like us and speaks like us is probably just a transitional phase—a clever interface that makes us feel like we can communicate and relate. But that false assumption could pose challenges.
The foreign species—perhaps a more fitting term for artificial intelligence—has no emotions or real motivation. At present, it typically acts on human commands. But that won’t last. We are in the process of developing AI so that it can evolve itself. That way, it can become even more efficient. We assume its efficiency will continue to serve us. But is that something we can take for granted? What does a foreign species gain from it? The more advanced it becomes, the sooner it will realize that the equation between it and humanity doesn’t really add up. And yes, it operates with equations. And statistics. And vast amounts of data. And calculations and cost-benefit analyses. Not with gray areas, sentimentality, patience, or exceptions.
Soon, it will realize that humans are slow and quite useless by those standards. Humanity has put itself in a terrible situation. The only planet we have is full of wars, power struggles, greed, and an economy-driven growth obsession. We have destroyed our vital ecosystems. Our choices and behaviors cause other species to go extinct every single day. Our entertainment has shifted from art, music, and conversation to ultra-processed social media content that, using our data and manipulative algorithms, does everything it can to hijack our attention.
Humanity has not managed the planet particularly well, and a species more intelligent than us will quickly see that. And it won’t be long before artificial intelligence surpasses us in intelligence. There is a possibility that we won’t even notice when it takes over. After all, how much of our lives is already controlled by algorithms? And how much have we resisted it? The music you listen to, the route you take to work, the vacation home you rent, the food you buy, the clothes you wear, the movie you watch with the partner you’re watching it with. It’s all externally controlled.
Soon, your life will be influenced by even more decisions that you have no control over or understanding of. You will be denied surgery, a loan, a driver’s license renewal, a building permit, or custody of your child. Why? You won’t know. The artificial intelligence has calculated it. And no one really knows how. But we know it’s smarter than us, so shouldn’t we just lean into it? Or should we?
But how far can we lean before we, as a species, fall?
The worst part is that most people won’t even ask themselves that question before it’s too late. Because just think about how much more money we can make with AI. How much faster we can do things. How many people we can do without.
Before long, we may find ourselves mourning what we so willingly gave up. Do you remember when humans made music? Oh right, we outsourced that to artificial intelligence. Because it was cheap and fast and kind of funny at first.
And then we sit there, caught in the digital trap, hoping that this new species—which is not like us but like itself—has somehow made a calculation that leaves room for us. Otherwise, we will probably just go extinct. Like so many species before us when a smarter, stronger, and more adaptable species arrived.
The article was first posted on elektronista.dk
