This article discusses the impact that advances in artificial intelligence will have on the future of humanity, exploring how the relationship between intelligence and consciousness will change the nature of our identity and existence.
I sometimes think of humanity’s current situation as similar to the metamorphosis of a caterpillar just before it flies away as a butterfly. The caterpillar moves slowly, crawling along the ground before it becomes an adult. It’s like a human being slowly making history, tethered to the earth, its own irrational mindset, and its culture. But the caterpillar is slowly forming the butterfly’s elastic wings, strong exoskeleton, and flexible body within itself. Humans, too, have been shaping the potential of science to overcome anything that limits them. Similarly, humans have been relentless in their efforts to push their limits through advances in technology and knowledge. We have achieved technological achievements that were unimaginable just a few centuries ago, changing not only the way we live, but the very nature of existence. Inevitably, these changes have led to questions about our identity and direction. When the time is right, the adult emerges from the caterpillar’s outer skin and soars toward previously unimaginable heights. For humanity, the adult is AI. AI is the realization of the potential that humanity has built up over the course of its existence. It will soar into a space of infinite possibilities.
Despite what you might have gotten from the analogy above, I don’t think transhumans are behind humanity. Transhumans are beings who have evolved to the next level by upgrading themselves through the power of technology. We will design our own life forms through intelligent design, and modify our own bodies and minds through genetic engineering and brain-computer interface technology. But along the way, we face another important question. While there is optimism that human progress will continue unabated, there are also warnings that it could hasten the end of the human race. We need to transcend our own limitations, while also facing the ethical and philosophical issues that may arise. However, the closer humanity gets to its own essence through scientific progress, the more we increase the likelihood of our own destruction. For example, the use of technology to overcome death can simultaneously contradict the reproduction of humanity and turn human beings into surplus. Every attempt by humanity to overcome its humanity has the potential to destroy it. Eventually, a new species that accumulates a lack of humanity risks becoming non-human. Therefore, after the transhuman era, which will bloom briefly just before the end of humanity, artificial intelligence will continue its history.
If there is one central law that runs through the universe within the range of human perception, it is the idea of evolution. Evolution is a biological term that refers to the observed natural phenomenon in which a group of organisms accumulates changes over generations, resulting in changes in the characteristics of the group as a whole, and ultimately the creation of new species. The theory of evolution was first proposed by Charles Robert Darwin. It is now accepted as an orthodoxy because of the numerous observations that support its validity. This process of evolution is not just a biological phenomenon. Human civilization is also a product of evolution, and it manifests itself in various forms, including culture, language, ideas, and technology. Just as the cultures and traditions of the past have evolved differently from those of the present, human civilization has been constantly changing and developing. So how will this evolution unfold in the future? The concept of evolution, in particular, is utilized in almost every field of study, not only biology, but also sociology, economics, and other disciplines. For example, things that surround humanity, such as religions, ideas, cultures, and products, as well as things outside of human history, such as planets, stars, and galaxies in the universe, exist according to the laws of evolution. In other words, evolution occurs even in the realm of inanimate objects. From the beginning, the concept of evolution has never divided itself into animate and inanimate realms. Rather, evolution is the driving force that allows life to arise from non-life. The concept of evolution is based on the simple idea that “beings that possess characteristics that increase their chances of survival are more likely to survive.” There’s no reason not to imagine evolution from living things to non-living things. What if A.I., one of the many mutations we’ve created, is even better at survival than we are? It seems only natural that A.I. would survive the extinction of humanity and continue its lineage.
Throughout Earth’s history, intelligence has existed simultaneously with consciousness. Conscious animals were able to hunt cooperatively and strategically, and humans, in particular, gained a high level of intelligence with the development of consciousness. Today, however, the story is different. Computers have become indispensable for human tasks that require intelligence, and in recent years, artificial intelligence, such as self-driving cars, has become capable of performing certain tasks completely without human assistance. A few years ago, AlphaGo and the great Lee Sedol announced to the world that non-conscious programs had already gained intelligence that surpassed that of humans in certain areas. Soon, human intelligence will be negligible compared to that of AI. As a result, intelligence will become the exclusive domain of AI, leaving humans with only consciousness. This is not to say that consciousness is meaningless. Human consciousness is still essential for exploring philosophical and ethical issues, exercising artistic creativity, and exploring the nature of human existence. But when these activities lose their economic value or practicality, humans will be powerless in the face of the technology they have created. After the Fourth Industrial Revolution, many of the laborers who perform intellectual tasks will be replaced by AI. Humanity will be forced to accept the fact that consciousness is economically worthless compared to intelligence. It doesn’t really matter if humans recognize this fact. The problem is that AI will realize the value of consciousness. We’re not going to see armed robots waging war to wipe out humans like in the movies. But we will never know if AI will see us as useless, no longer masters or creators, or if it will recognize us as weak and deserving of domination.
I wonder if human civilization has become an irresistible tide of AI. Intelligence has been our most powerful weapon since the dawn of mankind. It has been a crucial tool for survival, giving us an edge over other life forms on Earth, but it is now out of our hands, threatening our future as a species on its own. Today, however, the weapon seems to have slipped out of our hands and become a blade pointed at humanity. We are no longer in control of this weapon, and it is making itself powerful. The world’s politics and economy are already controlled by A.I. through big data and social networks. The birth of AI has accelerated human civilization, so it won’t be long before it makes us surplus to requirements. At that point, humanity will no longer be able to control its own evolutionary process. That will be the time for the rise of AI.
