Technology in Service of Good and Evil
Closely following everything related to AI, where we inevitably find ourselves at the intersection of the Information Age and a new revolution, I cannot help but notice that the narrative surrounding boundaries and safeguards is not as prominent as that of new scientific discoveries, which are either in their infancy or show theoretical potential for the realization of ideas—whether they are necessary for humanity or not, useful or not, or even entirely exhibitionist. Indeed, the announced laws and acts are in the making, with initial proposals and frameworks being discussed, available for public critique, amendments, and revisions, and are expected to come into effect within the next 2–3 years. The logical and reasonable justification for monitoring this lies in several facts: the legal framework is never a “sexy” topic but is viewed as a necessary evil and the boring part of administration. Secondly, there is a distinction between the potential of technology—what it can achieve within a theoretical framework—and what will actually materialize to warrant regulation. Thirdly, such endeavors require a deep understanding of the technology and its workings, which is equivalent to the expertise of technical specialists—of whom there are few due to the novelty and emerging nature of the technology.
“Laws are made for the meek, not the mighty” goes the saying. Originating from the people, likely with good reason both then and now, as it is not uncommon to see news reports of the largest giants in the financial world being hit with massive fines for non-compliance with regulations. These entities, whose responsibility should be the greatest, ought to serve as a guiding example for smaller players on how to operate as a model of best practices. The top three industries where AI regulation is most critical due to their high impact on human lives, safety, and societal well-being are: healthcare, autonomous transportation and finance.
These industries demand urgent and robust AI regulations because the stakes involve public trust, human lives, and systemic stability.
Technological futurism, and even exhibitionism, as we know it, has already been hinted at and communicated to us in both recent and distant history. Specifically, Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the teleportation of humans through quantum waves in multiple action movies. Of course, this statement does not support any conspiracy theories about the world, but rather the fact that many areas have been discovered and existed since ancient times, yet their development and progress, including concretization through software solutions, were out of the public eye because there was no significant progress worthy of attention.
Today, in a simplified and layman’s form, ideas are being promoted that we can communicate with animals thanks to AI, create robot ants, talk to the deceased, how in just 3 hours of conversation with a machine, a profile and likeness of that same person can be recreated, i.e., a clone can be made with an authentic voice, gestures, and appearance, how atoms do not exist but only energy, how parallel worlds exist, etc. All of this is hard to believe, not only because AI processes information from the internet in a still questionable manner and pattern, which hasn’t undergone censorship, and anyone on the internet can seem smart, but also because just a year ago, anyone who claimed to have replaced their marketing team and graphic designers with AI was seen as choosing the lowest possible quality that everyone had outgrown and discarded.
Speaking from personal experience, ChatGPT only responds to the last query, not connecting it with previous questions and answers, makes mistakes in translating some sentences I give it in the original language because I think faster, so ironically, I end up being its proofreader, makes logical errors in understanding the relationships between things and situations, and as soon as another element is added, it gets confused, with a tendency to give positive and confirming answers. I mention all of this with the intention of pointing out that we are being communicated the best-case scenario of technology and ideas, as well as the problems it solves, which is not for today or tomorrow, but rather over the years, if it doesn’t lose its validity and value due to rapid changes.
The Nobel Prize winner in AI, in his rare public appearances, speaks or rather warns about the negative consequences for humanity and humanness if the boundaries of AI usage are crossed. They argue that quantum technology, not AI, is what can fully replace a human. However, the technology available for use and testing at this moment of writing the blog is still far from that. And even when it is close, the ethical code and legal framework should play a key role and serve as the voice of reason, as these disciplines inherently are, and the last bastion of defense to prevent everything from going too far into the absurdity of life and existence.
De facto, we don’t know what comes after quantum but my personal and lifelong belief is that it is always sad when, out of all the beauty in the world and everything we have been given—everything available to us and the world itself, which has been created, built, and enriched by people through their artistic expression, sense of aesthetics, desire for something different, for change, for something new, for innovation—someone chooses to dedicate their intellect to serving evil, whether through technology or through other actions and ways of thinking while the entire world is shaped by our efforts, it stands as a testament to our immense power.
Still, the motto “do not do all you can” does not govern the world as it is today. It is not led by reason, boundaries, and ethics, but by slogans like “the sky is the limit,” and in the pursuit of such ideals, values are often compromised.
And like everything else in the world that has been compromised and misused, AI will be no exception. Let us only hope that the consequences are curable and less severe for people, the environment, and the planet.
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