The singularity, as some call it, is the point in time at which artificial devices and intelligences become so advanced that they surpass their natural, human counterparts. This is actually something I've probably given more thought to than most, especially considering how close this event could be. Already we are seeing prosthetics and AI that are beginning to blur the line between man and machine. When the time comes that we can completely replace or enhance everything about ourselves to superhuman levels using technology, how can we determine if we are still human or not?
Say there is a man who, over time, has had every single part of his body except for his brain replaced by machine parts. Is he still human? Most would say he is, considering his brain and thought patterns are still completely natural. At this point, science has progressed to the point where even individual parts of the brain can be repaired or replaced with computers. After an accident, the man has his brain stem replaced. A year later, his hippocampus. His brain has been mapped and the sections that control personality and reason have been substituted by parts that are their functional match at a molecular level, just ten times faster. At what point is he no longer human, or does it even matter, as long as he acts like one?
What exactly would separate us from sufficiently advanced machines? Is it something that is merely the product of electrical and chemical processes in the brain? Because those can be emulated. Is it our ability to learn and grow? Artificial intelligences can act based on prior data gathered. People of religious inclination would say "the soul," but without adhering to one specific doctrine that concept becomes too nebulous.
Admittedly, my thought experiment raises many questions I find it difficult to respond to. The best answer I can give is "humans have free will." I do not believe free will is just an illusion, the product of social and biological influences. It is something more that machines are not capable of. Once a person loses his or her ability to choose, and becomes slave to a program or other outside influences, that is where their humanity stops.
Interesting ideas. If a program became smart enough that it could convincingly mimic the key human traits such as self-awareness and the ability to make choices outside our basic instincts would this qualify the program as intelligent life? I would say no but it's an interesting topic.
ReplyDeleteThere are some really heavy ideas in this. Nice work.
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