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Raphael ThysEvolution of Robotics by kit8
As I sat at my desk, my eight-year-old son Quinn came running into my office with excitement in his eyes. “Daddy! Can ChatGPT help me build a video game?” he asked, his voice filled with a mixture of anticipation and curiosity. I was taken aback for a moment. How did he know about ChatGPT? So, I asked.
“Well, my friends were talking about it at school. They were telling me that AI can do anything. But why would we even want artificial intelligence to do anything? Why don’t we just use our brains?” he replied with a hint of skepticism in his voice.
I took a deep breath and decided that this was a teachable moment. I began to explain to him what AI is, how it works, and the endless possibilities it holds. Quinn listened intently, soaking in every word as I went on and on about this amazing technology. I couldn’t help but feel a little bit proud of myself for being able to keep up with his unrelenting curiosity; at the same time, I felt grateful I was not Miss. Allen, his teacher, because my patience was not anywhere where it needed to be for teaching a tiny human.
After what seemed like hours, although it was only 15 minutes, Quinn’s eyes widened with excitement as he asked, “So, ChatGPT can help me build a video game!?” I couldn’t help but smile at his infectious enthusiasm. “Technically, yes, it can,” I replied, “especially if you give it the right prompts.”
I showed him how it worked, and together we prompted ChatGPT to help us create a dope game! So, we entered the following prompt —
I’m looking to create a multiplayer game for kids aged 6–12, which they can play on their tablet (iPad, Amazon Fire) or Nintendo Switch. The game will be set in space and involve collaborative building and exploration, similar to a mix of Minecraft and Roblox. Players will work together to gather resources, design and construct their own space stations, and embark on adventures in the galaxy. As a game designer, what are the key steps you would take to develop this game?
As we sat there, the responses from ChatGPT came flooding in, providing us with a step-by-step guide to building the game of our dreams. Quinn was practically bouncing out of his seat with excitement.
I couldn’t help but think that this was just the beginning of my son’s journey into the world of AI. Who knows what he’ll create next with the help of this technology? The possibilities are endless.
As we began to dive deeper into the prompts, Quinn suddenly interrupted me with question number 47, “Does this mean ChatGPT is like Ultron? Will it try to take over the world like in Avengers?” I couldn’t help but laugh at his comparison. “No, son,” I replied, “ChatGPT is here to help us create, not destroy.”
In the shadowy corners of our tech world, a group of intrepid souls known as the Future of Life Institute work tirelessly to protect our future. Their mission is not for the faint of heart: to ward off global catastrophes and existential threats brought on by the very technologies we create.
But these aren’t your run-of-the-mill doomsday preppers. These guys are the real deal, hosting some of the most brilliant minds in the world of longtermism, a concept that has taken on quasi-religious overtones in the land of Silicon Valley.
The idea behind longtermism is simple: amass vast fortunes today so that we can direct them towards the problems that will face us in the far-flung future. And while the idea may seem like the stuff of science fiction, it has attracted no shortage of high-profile supporters, Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and the now notorious Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of FTX.
So, while the rest of us may be content to live in the here and now, these self-proclaimed, pseudo-religious, modern-day knights are fighting to keep us safe from the dangers that lie ahead.
This group concerns me more than the potential risks of a technological apocalypse, not due to their views or their goals of safeguarding humanity against superintelligent technologies, but because it is made up predominantly of wealthy White men, who have historically been associated with world domination and destruction.
According to the Future of Life Institutes website, “Once AI systems can themselves design smarter systems, we may hit an ‘intelligence explosion’, very quickly leaving humanity behind. This could eradicate poverty or war; it could also eradicate us…Humans could, for instance, lose control of a high-performing system programmed to do something destructive with devastating impact. And even if an AI is programmed to do something beneficial, it could still develop a destructive method to achieve that goal.”
To me, the fear-mongering response to technology seems profoundly rooted in irony. It reminds me of when my eight-year-old asked if ChatGPT was going to become Ultron, a villain created not by Artificial Intelligence but by its wealthy White creators, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.
GIF of Robert Downey Jr. playing Iron Man/Tony Stark
Now, before you Marvel nerds come at me with all your technicalities about Ultron and the Mindstone and try to discredit my argument, let me be clear: it’s a fictional universe. But the point I’m making here is that AI, just like Ultron, is a byproduct of its creator. In the real world, AI is not inherently good or evil. It’s humans whose ethics need to be addressed.
If there is indeed a time-traveling AI capable of traversing the space-time continuum, then surely it was not this entity that crafted the construct of race. No, this was the handiwork of humans, who sought to justify their own superiority, dominance, and marginalization over entire tribes of people. This insidious practice was said to have originated with the Egyptians but was undoubtedly perfected by the Europeans.
Similarly, it was not the product of any super-intelligence that women were placed below men in patriarchal societies. Instead, it was humans, primarily from Western societies, who concocted this system of inequity that continues to permeate our world today.
The notion that all men are created equal, except for certain groups, is another human invention. African slaves, Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, women, poor people, and anyone who did not belong to the wealthy White elite were deemed inferior and unworthy of equal rights.
Moreover, it was humans who declared war on drugs, terrorism, and each other, from World War I and II to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict of today and beyond.
It was a human who invented the gun around the year 1324. By the 16th century, guns had become a common sight on the battlefield, and by the 17th century, they had largely replaced traditional weapons in most armies.
This weapon, whose history chronicles an increase in the number of conflicts recorded over the past eight centuries, ended countless lives and shattered families and communities.
In the United States, it was by way of the signature of 39 men who etched into the nation's constitution its Second Amendment, the right to bear arms. I don't recall Jasper AI being one of the signatures.
When compared to other so-called developed countries, the United States has one of the highest rates of gun violence. The year 2021 witnessed the highest number of mass shootings and gun-related deaths ever recorded in the United States, underscoring the urgency for evidence-based reforms that have proven effective in reducing the incidence of gun violence.
Less than two weeks ago, another school shooting shook our nation to its core as an individual premeditated and carried out the massacre of innocent lives. And yet again, the subject of gun reform was subjected to the divisive politics of our time.
The president of our country delivered a canned, empty “My heart goes out to…” speech devoid of any genuine compassion or action.
The media followed its customary 72-hour news cycle, only to be replaced by another politicized debate, this time about race between two student-athletes. This conversation centered around the stark contrast between the treatment of a White basketball player, who was praised for her trash talk, using what is now known as the John Cena “You Can’t See Me” hand gesture/dance, and a Black athlete, who was vilified for her use of the same gesture. It should be noted that this gesture of confidence and flex originated in Black culture thanks to rapper Tony Yayo.
University of Iowa, Basketball Guard, Caitlin Clark
Louisiana State University, Basketball Forward, Angel Reese
The moral dichotomy that plagues our nation was not borne out of Artificial Intelligence, nor did AI ever sanction the insidious collusion between real estate developers, politicians, and business owners, who conspired to build highways, establish chemical wastelands and trash dumpsites, and neglect under-resourced communities of color and low-income individuals. The pervasive stain of Environmental Racism persists not only in the so-called ghettos and hoods of America but also across the globe.
I ask you, where is the open letter signed by the likes of Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and other wealthy White men, demanding that gun manufacturers cease producing military-grade weapons and urging the government to enact stricter rules and regulations? Where is the petition signed by 10k plus people demanding a moratorium on systemic racism, xenophobia, and hate? There will likely never be one.
Elon Musk hosting Saturday Night Live.
Technology has the potential to create more equitable outcomes, democratizing access and providing individuals with the ability to not only attain wealth but also to take control of their own destinies.
This is a profound possibility, one that is threatened by the powers that be who seek to maintain their grip on power and prevent the masses from realizing their full potential.
Fear regarding technology has less to do with the technology itself and more to do with the fear of losing control. Capitalism demands inequity.
Similar to certain members of the Church clergy in the 16th Century who perceived the printing press as a challenge to their authority and sway, this situation bears a resemblance. Prior to the printing press, books were written and duplicated by hand, making them costly and scarce. However, the printing press revolutionized the process by enabling speedy and cost-effective production of books, leading to their wider accessibility for the general public.
The impact of the printing press on human history has been profound, with its contribution to the democratization of knowledge, dissemination of ideas, and advancement of modern languages and industries such as publishing, newspapers, and other forms of mass media.
The rise of artificial intelligence is reminiscent of the impact of the printing press half a millennium ago, two technological innovations that have left a profound imprint on our society.
Although, as a technologist, designer, and entrepreneur, I am excited about these remarkable advancements, my heart is also aware of humanity’s primitive and barbaric way of thinking, which still prevails in many ways. As we stand on the threshold of such breakthroughs in technology, it is vital not only to contemplate the ethical and societal implications of these innovations but also to assess the limitations of our humanity and the need for our own evolution.
I believe that humanity’s tendency to point fingers and assign blame to others for their faults is not a sign of strength, but rather a symptom of our collective inability to confront our own imperfections. It is only when we turn our gaze inward and take responsibility for our actions that we can hope to move beyond our limitations and truly progress.
It’s easy to blame technology for the potential demise of human civilization, but we are the architects of this future. What’s challenging to do is acknowledge that, as a society, we have failed and continue to fail each other.
We perpetuate divisions based on social class, race, education, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability, or any self-prescribed label we use to organize each other and make sense of the world we have inherited. While I do believe that each person is entitled to have a sense of pride or even affinity toward a particular belief or group based on some intrinsic level of kinship, many of the issues we face in our society stem from certain groups' inherited dispositions of superiority.
The legacy of colonialism can still be seen in many aspects of the modern world, including patterns of economic development, political institutions, and cultural attitudes. Until we confront the roots of this disease, and heal the wounds it has inflicted upon our collective consciousness, we cannot claim to have truly evolved as a species.
Intelligence is not just one thing but rather a complex set of cognitive abilities that include reasoning, problem-solving, critical thinking, perception, learning, and memory. Various factors, socially manufactured through one’s environment, education, and life experiences, influence it. However, intelligence is not an absolute measure of a person’s worth or potential. It is important to recognize and value diverse forms of intelligence that may not fit so-called traditional measures.
Artificial intelligence, at its core, is an imitation of human intelligence. But what happens when this imitation is rooted in a dataset that reflects a narrow, Eurocentric perspective of the world, a world shaped by colonialism? It begs the question: whose intelligence is being simulated?
In the widely circulated Pause Giant AI Experiment: An Open Letter authored by the Future of Life Institute, the letter reads, “Should we let machines flood our information channels with propaganda and untruth? Should we automate away all the jobs, including the fulfilling ones? Should we develop nonhuman minds that might eventually outnumber, outsmart, obsolete and replace us? Should we risk loss of control of our civilization? Such decisions must not be delegated to unelected tech leaders.”
While artificial intelligence does raise concerns about the future of humanity, I believe these concerns should focus on the perpetuation of our inherited flaws as a society. It’s essential to recognize that we have already done significant harm to ourselves through our own actions.
Humans have a long history of spreading propaganda and misinformation, whether through traditional media channels or social media platforms. For example, the film “Birth of a Nation,” released in 1915, was problematic because it depicted black people as inferior and dangerous while portraying the Ku Klux Klan (“KKK”) as heroes who saved the South from the so-called threat of Black domination.
The film was essentially a piece of propaganda that helped to revive the KKK and perpetuate racist attitudes and violence toward Black Americans. It also helped to solidify the racial divisions that existed in the United States at the time and contributed to the ongoing oppression and marginalization of Black people in American society today.
We have also allowed our capitalist system to prioritize profit over the well-being and fulfillment of people, including workers, leading to the automation of jobs and the loss of meaning in work for many individuals.
How many times have large corporations decided to outsource jobs to individuals who are willing to work for lower wages, including in recent history? How many jobs have been eliminated due to the unanimous decision of corporate boards to reduce costs and increase profits? Do you know anyone who is unhappy with their job or is subjected to poor corporate culture and lousy management but continues to work to pay their bills?
Additionally, our history is filled with examples of humans dominating and exploiting other groups of humans. Colonialism refers to the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting its resources for the benefit of the colonial power.
This often involved the displacement or suppression of the indigenous population and their cultures and the imposition of the colonizer’s language, customs, and values. Colonialism deconstructed entire populations of people across the world, on every continent.
In small pockets of Brooklyn, Kansas City, Oakland, and various other communities, the phenomenon of gentrification has taken hold and erased the distinctive cultural identity of these areas, mimicking the patterns of colonialism. Is this very definition of colonialism not a reflection of the “loss of control of our civilization,” as stated in the open letter?
Even if ChatGPT and all the other forms of AI became a so-called super-intelligence and decided to launch nuclear missiles to destroy humanity, well, was it AI that justified the development of nuclear warheads in the first place, or was it man’s insecurity and longing for control?
You see, we humans allow our larger brains and what we call logic and reason to justify actions that are counter to the ethical laws of nature. We justify the murder of people through war in the name of democracy, God, and freedom.
Throughout history, those in power have used various justifications for the enslavement of others, such as the belief in the racial superiority of one group over another or the idea that certain groups were “born to serve” others. These justifications were often used to maintain economic and social power, as well as to support the interests of those in power.
It’s painful to hear that your baby is ugly, but fellow humans, we have birthed a society that makes Freddy Kruger a candidate for People Magazines’ Sexiest Man Alive.
Rather than simply pointing fingers at unelected tech leaders, we must take responsibility for our own actions and the systems we have created. We must work to address issues of inequality, prioritize the well-being of all individuals, and consider the ethical implications of our technological advancements. Only by acknowledging our own shortcomings and actively working towards a better future can we ensure that the negative consequences do not outweigh the potential benefits of technology.
The issue with alarmist rhetoric promoted by those whose bank accounts have grown, but have failed to expand their knowledge and empathy for others, is that their ideas are rooted in fantasy rather than the harsh reality faced by many. We cannot afford to be complacent or driven by fear when it comes to the ethical progress of humanity.
It should no longer be an option to tolerate the fear of dismantling systems that benefit the few and kill the many because of a faux sense of losing control. In other words, it’s not an option to live complacent with this world and the systems we have created to date.
“AI is a magnifying mirror of our society…” ~ Anne Bioulac, Women in Africa Initiative
Artificial Intelligence is not the problem. It is a mirror of our society, reflecting the best of who we are and our worst imperfections. In order for us to avoid the Ultron end-of-time revelation being flaunted by the likes of the longtermism community, we need to shift away from addressing the symptoms of adverse outcomes of AI and look deeply at addressing the cause of the ills of humanity.
In an ideal world, we would be able to completely dismantle the established systems and processes that currently govern our society. This would require a unified understanding and acknowledgment of the need for change. However, in reality, the situation is far from ideal. The powerful and wealthy will not easily relinquish their hold on the status quo, so drastic change is unlikely to happen.
Since there are numerous articles and think pieces available that discuss AI ethics in detail, I see no need to elaborate on the topic. Experts like Dr. Joy Buolamwini, Professor Ruha Benjamin, Timnit Gebru, and many others have delved in-depth into and provided solutions to ensure AI is developed equitably and responsibly.
My encouragement to you, particularly those who are uncertain, doubtful, or even intimidated by this technological revolution, is to not succumb to the fear-mongering tactics of those who seek to manipulate and dominate you. In my view, the concept of AI should not be labeled as “artificial intelligence” but rather be reconceptualized as “augmented intelligence” — a tool intended to enhance and amplify your aspirations, much like an eight-year-old child who seeks to create a video game.
As we embark upon a new era of civilization, empowered by the progress of emerging technologies, it is imperative that we reflect upon the state of our society and recognize, with genuine candor, that we must not only strive to improve technology but also radically transform ourselves for the better. Our destiny lies within our own hands.
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My name is Louis Byrd, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Zanago.
Remember, change happens by design…