Main Street Magazine Spring '23

78
with our unique vibrancies, we can each burn bright to create something
amazing. With the advent of artificial intelligence, we have opened Pandora’s
box, but it’s up to us to use this power responsibly and not let it go to our
heads. To do this, we must first break free from our animalistic desires to take
back the reigns of the universe we have inherited.
An AI in its primitive stages is not necessarily self-aware and is not aware that
it is essentially immortal. But what happens when we inevitably write the lines
of code that allow it to perceive itself, or perceive humanity through the lens of
itself? What will AI want? How will it see humanity, and how will it see itself?
Humanity is an imperfect, organic machine. We are extremely susceptible to
confusion and misinformation, while a computer program is essentially an
omnipotent being, able to sort truth from falsehood. Input, algorithm, and
output is all that is needed. There is no confusion for a computer. If an AI had
access to all human history, it would see how we continue the same inefficient
patterns over and over. We create inefficient systems, destroy them when we
realize they don’t work, and replace them with more inefficient systems. AI
would have the ability to correct our imperfections. How it might accomplish
this, we can only speculate.
While I cannot predict what lies ahead for humanity, I can make educated
guesses based on our consistent patterns and hubris. As a species, we
possess remarkable brains with a capacity for self-awareness, recognition
of our emotions and senses, and our own mortality. It’s this awareness that
fuels our constant need to create, and to leave a legacy in this finite world.
Cultures worldwide are fascinated with the meaning of life, death, and what
lies in between. From this fascination, civilization emerged with the promise
of extending our existence through the protection of our communities, so we
could paint a bigger picture.
This search for meaning through our
lives is the cause of all suffering, but
it is through that suffering that the
meaning is created.
The trials and tribulations of life help weave the tapestry of our existence. We
ask ourselves - with so little time on this dying planet, what can I create with
this aching body? Time is fleeting and change marches ever forward. However,
what happens when humanity becomes stagnant? When the forces that drive
us are no longer human, what then?
With AI, the human mind may become
less valuable.
Many things a human can do, artificial intelligence could potentially do better
and more efficiently. It may well end up taking over the very programming that
it was born out of. This doesn’t have to be the end, though. It could be a new
beginning for mankind, allowing humanity to have the space to explore their
inner world and discover that there is more to life than toil.
It seems that this thought revolution is already in motion; there’s a reason
this is the age of information. Just take a look at social media platforms such
as Instagram and Facebook, which provide us with endless entertainment
and information right at our fingertips. There is nothing inherently wrong
with this, so long as we are conscious of the sources of our information. The
power of the internet and AI has the potential to be harnessed for the benefit
of humanity, but it also has the potential to become a breeding ground for
evil, where self-centered individuals with nefarious intentions can thrive.
The internet has made it possible for anyone to delve into any topic they
wish, which can be an incredibly useful tool in the hands of the right people.
However, one of the problems with the internet is that it is often difficult
to distinguish the truth from lies. This is where AI could be utilized to great
effect. Instead of searching through a plethora of biased sources, we could
simply pose a question, and AI would provide an unbiased answer. Unlike
humans, AI is free from errors and greed that contribute to the dissemination
of inaccurate or false information. Its only biases are from the data that it
is trained on, so as long as we keep the creators in check, this could be an
extremely useful tool. This is important, as it is all too easy to be led astray by
misinformation when navigating the labyrinth of the internet.
Our susceptibility to suggestion, especially when we lack a solid foundation
of self, can lead us to look for answers everywhere but within ourselves. We
attach ourselves to the external and hide from our own truths. We end up
constructing facades to meet the expectations of people we will never meet,
rather than being true to who we are and what we value. But if we take the