“Done right, machines could help us learn to be better humans.”
(If you haven’t read Linda Rodriguez McRobbie’s article on AI it’s worth a read – https://www.strategy-business.com/blog/How-Artificial-Intelligence-Can-Make-Us-Better-at-Being-Human)
Let’s try to understand what this means. Does it suggest…
- Human imperfection must be solved, and machines are the silver bullet?
- Human emotions are the devil of human interactions?
- Hundreds of thousands of years of human existence has proven we are incapable of being “better” without submitting to machines as our leaders?
As the article suggest, “you might be starting to hear dystopian alarm bells” as you hear more and more about what AI can do for us humans. But is calming down the dialogue different than improving your emotionally intelligence? Daniel Goleman introduces the concept of our “two minds”— the rational and the emotional — in his book Emotional Intelligence. If AI can help calm the emotional to create a positive balance between emotional and rational minds would that be so bad?
Then there’s the age-old “Change is good. Trust me”. Try to imagine first hearing about TV being a way to transmit images and voice through the airwaves to homes around the globe. Some may argue that was no more than creating a medium to brainwash us humans. (And maybe to some degree they’re correct!) Then the internet, and now the Internet of Things. Wow we are connected! For those that thought if we could only communicate more the world would be a better place. So, is more better, or better more? If AI can get a grip on the dialogue that is now global, in your face, all the time, would that be better? If so, does that support the claim we will be “better” as humans thanks to what AI can do for us?
My opinion on AI is that it’s potential gives us the opportunity to do good. It depends on us imperfect humans to leverage it appropriately to make our world a better place for everyone and everything.
Lot of great stuff to think about, try to understand, and be a voice in as AI grows up. Oh yes, it may be a child, or maybe approaching adolescence, but it will grow into an adult. Stay tuned!