A Humanist View of Ai

We are officially in the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR). We've moved beyond the information age and into a phase of boundless innovation, and a step further to evolution as man and machine converge.

It's fantastic. It's terrifying.

5IR is bringing a new lens on artificial intelligence, this time art and life aren't sure who is imitating who.

Generating Ai, Art & Ownership

Those seeing artificial intelligence (Ai) as the solution to everything are missing the beauty of being human. ChatGPT can't replace poetic license and generative Ai lacks the subtle messages that inspire great art.

Where is the line drawn between art and artificial?

There is an existential crisis brewing in the creative community. It is only now feeling real because we've crossed that line between speculative fiction and reality. Those that dreamed, wrote, and acted in tales of dystopian futures -- are now seeing it as a reality of our own creation.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) on strike are likely the first of many industries to push against boundaryless innovation. The strike advocates for fair wages, but more importantly, reflects on the Black Mirror-esque future where our being is no longer our own.

“AI will affect everybody. There’s definitely always been the feeling that if it isn’t solved now, how do we ever solve it in the future?" - Susan Sarandon, Actress, July 2023

Perhaps, we are headed into the plot of Battlestar Galactica, Blade Runner, or Terminator 2. Though, one can hope, that as a society, we figure out a way to use the tools for good.

A Humanist Lens of Ai

I've been working with artificial intelligence (Ai), robotics, and machine learning for a decade. My role in innovation is not to code, but to explore how these new innovations can be applied to improve the human experience.

Human-centered design is a way of designing products, services, or processes that puts people first. It puts the user at the center of innovation and builds around how they encounter a problem, context, and unmet emotional need.

Ai can seamlessly integrate into everyday experiences to solve complicated problems. I've used Ai to improve accessibility - giving equal access to those with different needs, robotics to support the lives of seniors, machine learning to fix infrastructure before it breaks, as well as intuitive tools to add delight to a stressful experience. These are practical applications that work with humans, and not in their place.

Perhaps, the future of ethical Ai is a vow to use it through the lens of human-centered design. The Ai can support those writers who need that automated tool for reference or the actor who is unable to perform a scene without a bit of Ai magic. Maybe Ai could reduce injury? Or, create an equitable way to approach inclusion?

To embrace a positive future, we need to integrate cyborg philosophy into our own ethical frameworks. Let Socrates be our guide for what is good or bad with Ai.

Because like humans, it likely has a bit of both.

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