The Narrative of Artificial Intelligence
The Cairn: Storytelling
The Web: Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Rights
I recently preordered a book called The New Breed by Kate Darling, “a deeply original analysis of our technological future and the ethical dilemmas that await us, The New Breed explains how the treatment of machines can reveal a new understanding of our own history, our own systems and how we relate―not just to non-humans, but also to each other” (Amazon.com). In briefly researching the book, I think Darling is onto a brilliant insight. She is raising a flag about the narratives we tell ourselves about technology.
Darling says, “we subconsciously compare robots to humans and AI to human intelligence. The comparison limits our imagination” (Corbyn). I think that the limitation tends to take the form of one of two narratives we tell ourselves today. To be clear, I have not yet read Darling’s work, though I look forward to it! The following are my thoughts extrapolated from the brief bits of information I’ve read of The New Breed.
The first limitation is the threat narrative: Technology and computational power is increasing at an ever rapid rate, and at some point in the future, we will reach the dreaded Singularity, that point at which artificial intelligence will surpass our capacity to leverage it for our own sake. This is the doom’s day scenario of technology that every Ludite fears.
And then there is the salvation narrative: technology as savior of humanity. Technology and computational power is increasing at an ever rapid rate, and because of this, it will soon solve all the world’s problems, from resource depletion to global warming to equity issues to governance. Human error will be a thing of the past. Technology will automate everything, and leave us to the joys of doing something other than screwing up the world.
But it seems to me that Darling is proposing a new narrative: one in which we begin to view technology as benign (not threatening) and augmentory of the human experience (not a salvation from the human experience). If we do this, then we can begin to partner with technology to create new and better ways of engaging with the world around us, with each other, and with AI. This seems a far healthier narrative, and it is one that does not require new advancements or new social institutions. It simply requires a new cultural perspective upon the material reality of our modern world.
But I think Darling’s metaphor has its limits, though, of course, she may address them in the book. The animal metaphor works today, but it won’t work forever. In an interview with The Guardian, she says, “I don’t disagree that robots would deserve rights if they became conscious or sentient. But that’s a far-future scenario” (Corbyn). But I don’t think the issue of self-aware AI is not so far away that we can’t worry about it. As the earliest generation of humans interacting with AI, it is our responsibility to set the precedents for how we do so.
AI is not simply a new form of animal-like intelligence. AI is changing and advancing at a rate far faster than that of animal intelligence. AI is also tapped into a network of human ideas that span the globe, span cultures, span time itself. These two differences can not be neglected as we move into a brave new world where artificial intelligence will demand rights and we would be hard pressed to deny them. But how, then, do we work alongside AIs that demand rights? How, then, do we interact with non-organic beings that have an intellectual capacity on par or exceeding our own? How, then, do we protect ourselves from whispering the threat narrative in the shadowy corners of our homes where we hope our smart-beds, our smart-phones, our smart-microwaves, our smart-TVs, our smart-thermostats, and our smart-underwear don’t hear us?
Because that is the most dangerous part of all of this. Not the AI. Not the technology. Not the rights. But the narrative. We must work toward telling ourselves the narrative that we want to live into, not the one we fear most. And that is what Darling understands. And that is why I am looking forward to reading this one.
