From: mk_thisisit
The rapid advancement of technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) and genetic engineering, is profoundly impacting the concept of humanity and technological entities and raising significant ethical considerations in AI development [00:00:13]. This shift challenges traditional definitions of life, self, and societal structures.
The Evolving Definition of Humanity
The discussion revolves around whether humanity is a fixed concept or one that is constantly modified and negotiated under the influence of various pressures, including technology and environmental changes [02:35:58].
Some views suggest that a “crisis of humanity” occurs when one’s beliefs about what defines a human are being outmaneuvered, leading to a feeling of being in the minority [02:49:58]. A more academic understanding sees this crisis as the blurring of the very concept of humanity [03:17:09]. This blurring comes from two directions:
- Nature: Beings like animals and plants are increasingly covered by categories previously assigned exclusively to humanity [03:27:06].
- Technology: New entities developed by technology, such as AI or material beings inhabited by AI, are also increasingly included in categories of humanity [03:39:10].
The idea is that what is created within the “black box” of artificial neural networks might one day fall into the category of humanity, not as “humanity” itself, but as an entity exhibiting human-like characteristics [04:14:57].
AI and the Concept of Life
Artificial intelligence and its derivatives are not traditionally considered alive but can exhibit features of life [00:00:24], [07:17:02]. Examples include evolving cellular automata, which, after many iterations, show characteristics of life such as reproduction, growth, and evolution within a digital environment without biological material basis [07:27:54].
The definition of “life” itself is complex; biologists may focus on material transmission, while physicists look for differences in atoms via entropy [06:40:02]. In real-world terms, life is often defined by organic (carbon-based) or inorganic chemistry [07:06:06]. However, digital entities can create seemingly “living” ecosystems, where entities behave, react, and interact like living matter, even developing their own languages [08:42:06].
The Question of AI Feeling Pain
A key ethical implication of AI is whether artificial neural networks can generate pain or other feelings [09:37:47]. The concept of pain involves both information transfer (like a nerve sending a signal) and the subjective experience of feeling that pain [10:17:09]. If a system is programmed to react to damage by “shouting” in pain, the question arises whether it is actually hurting or merely successfully simulating pain [11:41:07].
It is suggested that we may never truly know what is happening inside the “black box” of AI, just as we cannot definitively know the inner experiences of other organic beings, including humans [12:15:02]. Our understanding of others’ experiences is based on:
- Behavioral analogy: Observing actions and reactions (e.g., a dog squealing when injured) [12:36:06].
- Anatomical similarity: Inferring similar internal processes based on similar neural networks or endocrine systems [12:53:07]. This argument is used by philosophers like Peter Singer to advocate against cruelty to animals [13:12:02].
However, this argument cannot be applied to inorganic entities or programs that lack biological equivalents of nervous and endocrine systems, leaving only behavioral signals as a basis for inference [13:35:05].
Impact of AI on Society
Within the next decade, AI is expected to be the technology with the greatest impact on human society [15:37:07]. This impact will manifest on two levels:
- Digital Interface: AI will become the natural interface between humans and reality, mediating interactions between people and the world, thus becoming a natural part of the social fabric of civilization [15:56:06].
- Meta-technology: AI will accelerate the development of other technologies by being applied to research and development across various fields, causing them to grow exponentially [16:26:01].
Genetic Engineering and the End of Traditional Evolution
The application of AI to biology and genetic engineering will lead to the ability to freely manipulate the genetic code of humans, animals, and plants [16:41:07]. This marks the “end of evolution in the traditional sense of the word” because human genetic foundations can be altered [17:14:02]. The combination of CRISPR methods with AI could, within 10 years, provide tools for widespread genetic manipulation [17:20:00].
This means that while the majority of the population will still be born through biological processes, the tools will exist to plan and modify offspring genetically (e.g., selecting genes) [18:42:07]. Genetic manipulation will primarily impact medicine (curing incurable diseases) and cosmetic genetic engineering (making people younger, healthier, stronger) [19:51:00]. This may lead to people having “slightly changed genetic code” rather than distinct new species like “homo technicus” [20:23:07].
Societal Control and Privacy
The development of AI raises concerns about societal control and privacy [27:00:07]. Governments and corporations are increasingly seeking to regulate lives and directly manipulate individuals, as evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic, by collecting data and wanting more access to privacy [27:16:05].
There is a narrative that global problems like climate change and inequality require experts to gain control and compromise individual freedoms, as solutions cannot be achieved from the level of a single country or without sacrificing principles and freedoms [27:52:03]. However, global unification in this effort is unlikely due to ongoing rivalries between states and corporate entities [29:03:00]. The dilemma is between letting technology run wild (and becoming its slaves) or attempting to limit it through draconian laws and totalitarian governance, which would sacrifice individual freedom [26:08:08]. The current trajectory suggests a loss of privacy and subjectivity through technocratic supranational efforts, without necessarily halting the development of technology in potentially negative directions [29:37:11].
Decline of the Written Word
Statistics show a decline in reading habits, particularly for fiction after college age, with men less likely to return to reading than women [21:26:09]. Free time once spent on reading is now increasingly dedicated to television and, more recently, to interactions with computers on the network, such as computer games and social media [22:56:04].
Jacek Dukaj and Stanisław Lem
Jacek Dukaj is a writer, futurologist, and entrepreneur [01:06:06]. He is asked if he is a successor to Stanisław Lem, a Polish science fiction writer [00:45:00]. Dukaj states that defining someone as a “successor” is derogatory and that cultural and civilizational eras are incomparable [02:48:00]. The role Lem filled in his era, as a type of “Omnibus” with significant production potential, does not have a comparable place in current culture [02:50:00]. Despite being a fan and influenced by Lem, Dukaj will not willingly adopt the label of “successor” [02:50:00].
An exhibition at the Planet Lem center in Krakow, for which Dukaj was the author of an older, now outdated project, highlights the rapid pace of technological change [03:14:02]. Concepts considered “futurological oddities” when the project was conceived years ago (like avatars and digital beings) have become commonplace internet experiences, making the exhibition’s original premise a “cliché” [03:17:09].