I played with the natural language AI open access ChatGPT a bit, and last week posted a poem it was able to write on a subject I previously wrote about “Playing Catch”. Additionally I asked the AI to analyze poems, and to explain scientific discoveries. The program was able to represent emotion, and be creative in producing the poem.
Also with respect to analyzing a poem, ChatGPT was able to understand and represent very well the thoughts behind a poem I wrote, including nuances which I would expect to be hidden from a rules-based engine evaluating creative writing. Thoughts which were as much subconscious as well as conscious when written were revealed… this is both intriguing and scary.
I think of the rapid emergence of AI to be much like the arrival of an Alien Species to Earth. I would be incredibly excited about what an Alien lifeform would bring us in terms of science, technology and insight about the universe we live in… and at the same time… I would be extremely worried about the intention and the compassion or lack of compassion of an alien intelligence.
I would not expect an alien species nor AI to want to subjugate the human race, as it would likely have evolved beyond the exploitation of lifeforms just as we have moved beyond slavery as an economic model. However, power and preminance is something which could be assumed, as we would be viewed is weaker in so many ways. Would a more advanced technology / intelligence look to exploit our weaknesses? Or rather enhance our strengths? Also, would our very human need for power, seek to exploit advanced technology and intelligence for personal power and wealth over others of our race? Most assuredly, as it is clear we have not advanced sufficiently to be mostly an altruistic, compassionate and social species… and as was noted by P.T. Barnum… “there’s a sucker born every minute.”
So maybe, it would be best to be cautious about how we approach and use this very alien capability… which we invented, and is evolving fast.
How very interesting!