Future Shock
Artificial intelligence and human evolution
Mike Laverty
Perhaps more than at any other time in human history, people from all walks of life have an understanding of scientific progress and its implications. What separates our generation from other eras is that researchers today can clearly see where our technology can take us. Science fiction literature is filled with machines of the future, depicting anticipated discoveries.
The birth of modern technology as well as humanist philosophy can be traced back to the Renaissance. Intellectuals were becoming more aware of the restraints placed on their research by the doctrines of the church. Humanism embraced rationality and placed faith in self-determination.
Galileo Galilee published his masterpiece the Dialogue in 1623. His close friend Maffeo Barberini had just become Pope Urban VIII and consented to his publishing of a controversial heliocentric view of the universe. From this point on the probing, of existence by experimentation became driven by observation and not theology.
Biologist Julian Huxley coined the term transhumanism amidst the technological advances of the second half of the 20th century. He believed that his philosophy could help man transcend humanity and achieve great things while still remaining human.
Dr. Max Moore, perhaps the preeminent thinker behind transhumanism, radically altered the definition by stating that the ultimate goal of transhumanism was to “guide us towards a posthuman condition.” It seems that society is on the edge of another technological revolution.
Through thousands of years of adversity, humans have gone through countless biological and social evolutionary stages. Life expectancy has risen steadily, mostly due to advances in medical science and social organization. An attempt to accelerate this process is taking place in laboratories such as the Extropy Institute.
Extropy is an extension of transhumanism created by Max Moore and it stresses “the capability and drive for improvement and growth.” Advancing the evolution of the human species through means such as artificial intelligence, genetic programming and integration with computers are approaching full realization.
Children born this year will likely graduate in 2023, a time when the “intelligence explosion” is predicted to begin. The culture that they will be socialized in will no doubt be dominated by information and interaction with machine intelligence. Raw processing power produced by increasingly complex computers is the steam in our technological revolution.
Mathematician Vernor Vinge introduced the concept of the “singularity” while delivering a speech to his colleagues at San Diego State University in 1993. He predicted that sometime in the first few decades of the 21st century, machine intelligence will supersede human intelligence.
In 1623, as Galileo was helping to usher in a new age of discovery, Wilhelm Schickard developed a calculating machine that was used by astronomers. Schickard’s invention would form the basis for computers. Different branches of discovery merged with one another and with philosophies such as humanism, a situation that appears to be paralleled in this century.
The singularity has been incorporated into the philosophy of transhumanism and is dependent on the convergence of many technological disciplines. For example, genetics, nanotechnology and robotics have all recently matured as areas of specialization.
Transhumanists foresee humanity being faced with the option of merging with A.I, either furthering our evolution or sealing humanity’s demise. Anticipating the emergence of A.I. is in many ways akin to preparing for a cold war with technology.
Countless generations have told the story of humanity’s ultimate destruction. The singularity looms in the not so distant future, awaiting its realization. Are scientists re-telling the same story of rapture for the 21st century? (This time delivered to us from an exponentially escalating source of intelligence.)
Transhumanists anticipate the inevitable discoveries that await us and prepare for change. Their particular view of existence is regarded as an advanced philosophy, one that would better serve humanity as we progress further into unknown scientific frontiers. These self-proclaimed visionaries are awaiting a time when current explorations into nanotechnology and artificial intelligence fully mature.
The validity of their philosophy will most likely be determined during the first half of this century. If humanity (in whatever form) can prosper, what will the historical significance of our times be for the people of 2423? As we look to the future, one thing remains certain: our explorers will continue to expand the frontiers and enhance our view of the terrain.
Mike Laverty is a second-year computer science student.
