Sunday, May 05, 2024 | Shawwal 25, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Artificial intelligence, a curse or blessing?

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Artificial intelligence (AI) research and development has been gaining momentum day by day until we found ourselves in the face of a completely different digital era. Today, we have surpassed all former scientific concepts that were one day deemed science fiction and figments of human imagination. Oddly enough, science fiction has become a reality in the so-called digital revolution or artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence has transformed into a new digital shape that can be defined as artificial superintelligence (ASI) or artificial general intelligence (AGI). Artificial intelligence will invade all aspects of life, expand to all fields and handle various tasks in place of human beings with more effectiveness.


Approaching the digital mutation that has everything to do with the emergence of artificial general intelligence (AGI), is the beginning of what can be called the mind or artificial consciousness. I have always argued against the hypothesis that artificial intelligence would possess a brain or consciousness because artificial intelligence is close to a digital brain except that artificial mind is a simulation of the general awareness that characterizes human beings and enables them to simulate sensitive decisions and experience feelings which cannot be identical with the unique human rationality and mental capacity. The human mind is distinguished by spiritual emotions that are mixed with the feelings of joy, sadness, etc. The rationality of artificial intelligence, regardless of the level of the digital leap, will only be a false conscience and awareness that has nothing to do with the human mind and consciousness.


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Artificial intelligence is, up to now, linked to the principle of realizing human’s aims but it cannot realise its own existential objectives. AI is a digital object that has no ambition but it has a digital brain that depends on deep mathematical algorithms that allows it to keep on learning and developing through the big data.


Big data is the driving force and secret of survival of artificial intelligence. These algorithms have astonishingly made the AI look independent. This independence sets the foundation for a digital hegemony that diverts humans from the normal path. Artificial intelligence possesses enormous capabilities that work in economic, military and health fields and beyond. We are facing real concerns because we expect this digital giant to emerge out of human control. Hence, it is crucial to have clear governance of artificial intelligence before it reaches its general digital peak. That can be described as artificial rationality which allows artificial intelligence to act according to the digital boom that it had created inside its algorithm and within its digital mutation. However, it is difficult to predict the shape and make-up of digital mutations and its subcomponents.


Among the fearful digital mutations of artificial intelligence is the project of twinning AI and human beings through the humanization of artificial intelligence to replace human beings in all or some tasks and fields of life. Also the digitalisation of human beings in such a way as to become compatible with the smart digital model.


The closest description of this digitalisation is the concept of the superhuman. Such projects may be more akin to imagination than reality but they are getting closer to realization. Artificial intelligence seeks to achieve these projects that have unknown results which, from many perspectives, might be a scourge that threatens human existence, survival civilisation.


However, it is difficult to foresee the form of this digital twinning whether with regard to the humanization of artificial intelligence or the digitalisation of humans; however, its realization is imminent but it is difficult to predict its final shape. I am someone who uses conspiracy theories but the unbridled science is difficult to resist or curb as it leads us into a world that we are not used to and had never thought of accepting. That is why it has become necessary to pay attention to the understanding of the digital present and its future and to evoke awareness and readiness including the readiness of our understanding of this digital world and ways to tame it by activating governance and forcibly applying it.


The governance of artificial intelligence is still in the initial phase and is yet to reach the stages of digital supremacy. That requires defining the legislation and laws most importantly the ethics of the artificial intelligence which determines the course of artificial intelligence and its developments and ensure that it does not affect human existence, safety and freedoms. This can be likened to what happened to the systems for controlling nuclear activities and research and limiting the spread of nuclear weapons.


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