Technologies that change human nature must be treated with caution – Illinoisnewstoday.com

He writes that great care must be taken when humans experiment with transhuman and posthuman techniques. Paul Budde..

For those involved in technology from a government and industry perspective, as well as from a user perspective, we all have a responsibility to monitor the development of this area and ensure that it is being used for the benefit of society.

If you bring people from Stone ageEarly peasants from MesopotamiaWhen the Greek philosopher, the Florentine Renaissance merchant and one of us blindfolded and started chatting around the campfire, we soon realized that we had a lot in common.

After a few pints, we sing together and soon end up in a cheerful hug. At this level, human evolution has changed little.

Benefits and risks of AI and posthuman life

Philosophers involved in the theory of posthumanism and transhumanism are fascinated by the possibilities or dangers that the future brings to the understanding of human life.

What has changed is the environment in which we live using the tools we have developed. If you dig a little deeper here, its amazing to see that with the help of technology, the quality of life for humans has improved significantly. Even more daunting is the fact that most of it has happened in the last 50 years.

Our consciousness is what makes us human. Ongoing unprecedented technological developments allow us to increasingly reduce our dependence on the body, transplant organs, and other tools enhance our biological and cognitive function. can.

If these developments continue, why do we need a body? Aristoteles I asked the same question about 2,500 years ago.

Returning to the meetings around the campfire, even with its various group chats, we still cant find the answer to the big questions in life.

We cannot discover the exact meaning of life, free will, what the truth is, and so on. Nowadays, you can add issues of democracy, fake news, conspiracy theory, social media echo chambers, populism, and totalitarianism to the list. The human mind does not seem ready to tackle them.

What do you need to improve the current situation?

If history is a good measure, it is doubtful that humans 10,000 years from now will be very different from us. But our cognitive limits are already a problem for the great crisis we are facing today, not to mention the future.

It is not technology that prevents us from tackling these major issues, but human cognitive limitations in dealing with these situations.

But we are clearly at the forefront of inflection points as new technologies are being developed that change the meaning of being human.

The increasing number of tools today seems to enhance our cognitive abilities. For centuries and thousands of years, we are certain that our tool manufacturing capabilities will be greater and create a better environment. It would be difficult to claim that humans remain the same.

The tools we are creating and other developments around the corner show a logical and rational direction. Transhumanism..

So far, we have been able to keep control of the technology we have developed. But machine learning, DNA engineering, biotechnology, neurotechnology, and self-learning algorithms and developments of quantum mechanisms related to our consciousness are all opening Pandoras box.

Can we still maintain control? As a global society, there seems to be a lack of cognitive quality needed to manage these processes in the long run.

If we work to improve our cognitive qualities, we need to do this jointly. Alternatives can be catastrophic.

Do you need a crisis first to build a global consensus? Is it too late? Does our innate fighting instinct lead to selected groups of transhumanism?

As both Stephen hawking And Ray Kurzweil As we insist, we need to face these challenges. Otherwise, you will be defeated by transhumans and posthumans arriving at the scene.

Professor Stuart Russell Lists three principles that guide the development of profitable machines. He emphasizes that these principles are not intended to be explicitly coded on the machine. Rather, they are aimed at human developers.

Artificial intelligence is increasing

Paul Budde states that new developments and opportunities are being opened up in artificial intelligence.

The principles are as follows:

Instead of using artificial intelligence or other technologies to solve complex problems, we need to focus on developing better-equipped technologies to solve these problems faster and more effectively. ..

Last week the Australian Government Announcement We want to be a global leader in the development and adoption of responsible artificial intelligence (AI). This has secured $ 124.1 million. For this National Artificial Intelligence Center Within CSIRO, there are four AI and Digital Function Centers and a Next Generation AI Alumni Program.

Expect to adhere to the above principles to further develop unstoppable transhuman and potentially posthuman technologies while humans are still responsible.

Paul Budde Independent Australian columnist and Paul Budde Consulting, An independent telecommunications research and consulting organization. Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulBudde..

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Technologies that change human nature must be treated with caution - Illinoisnewstoday.com