Navigating the AI Horizon: A personal an optimistic glimpse into the Unfolding Future

I invite you to explore with me a personal perspective on how emerging AI technologies stand to reshape our world in the not too distant future. While the ensuing narrative may lean towards optimism, it is rooted in the tangible progress and the boundless potential these technologies hold. These reflections represent solely my individual insights.

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Having been fortunate enough to witness the birth and proliferation of the Internet, we now find ourselves in front of another groundbreaking revolution, the rise of Generative Artificial Intelligence, illustrated by solutions such as ChatGPT and Midjourney/Dall-E. Generative AI has quickly become popular, not only for personal use, but predominantly within professional spheres. Recent market studies, like those by McKinsey, highlight a massive embrace of Generative AI solutions within corporate sectors.

This growing interest has brought back age-old debates surrounding AI, its societal impact, the depicted threat to humanity in various literary and cinematic narratives, and its potential emergence as a new form of intelligence/life.

The rapid advancement of this technology, marked by significant achievements, shows that this growth is inevitable, and highlights the challenge for society to adapt quickly to the changes brought by this new technology. These changes will gradually revolutionise numerous facets of daily life: the way we interact, how we access information, our value contribution both within and outside workplaces (e.g., writing and translation skills will be significantly replicated, automated, and enhanced by this technology), and the acceptance that this technology we created may one day surpass us in all domains including art and imagination.

Are we on the right trajectory with its implementation? Are we thoroughly considering the foreseeable ramifications? I harbour doubts.

A pragmatic strategy calls for a unified global approach, an envisioning somewhat elusive in the current geopolitical landscape where nations have their own interests. Our failure in not have been able to foster a more globalised and harmonious world may significantly impede the deployment of this technology, as nations might view it merely as a tool to bolster their economy, power, and leadership positions.

Hope, however, emerges from international initiatives like the recent G20 summit in New Delhi, where nations pledged to pursue a “pro-innovation” regulatory approach to maximise AI benefits while accounting for associated risks, promoting international cooperation and global governance discussions concerning AI.

Today, ethical considerations in AI development are crucial. Ethics should serve as a moral compass, guiding us in designing and implementing AI securely and respectfully towards all living beings and our planet. This ethical framework should be delineated at a high level initially and be subject to iterative refinement to accommodate unforeseen challenges that will arise during AI implementation. The EU’s Ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI, focused on transparency, diversity, and accountability, present a commendable initial step towards establishing a strong ethical foundation for AI technologies.

We should also begin to integrate this new form of relationship between humans and technology into our legal frameworks. Soon, people may regard AI-based assistants as intelligent individuals with whom we form emotional bonds, and even relationships. It’s prudent to draft laws already now that safeguard this new form of intelligence and the relationships people wish to forge with them, striving to avoid a lengthy phase of discrimination before acknowledging the “others” as having equal rights.

Are we moving towards a society where the need for human labour decreases, where individual health, longevity, and intelligence significantly improve, where time is devoted to knowledge expansion and passion cultivation, and where every being and planet is handled with benevolence? Could we imagine a global, money-free society where technology caters to all human needs? This ideal may well be within our grasp if we handle this emerging technology ethically, ready to recognise and respect them as a new form of intelligence and life.

One can envision a scenario where one or more nations employ AI for strategic decision-making concerning the economy and well-being, yielding highly positive impacts while exhibiting ethical behaviour towards other countries, all living beings, and the planet. Such pioneering actions could inspire other nations to emulate this approach, gradually conferring more decision-making authority to AI, revered as a neutral entity uninfluenced by diverse clandestine agendas inherent to human nature. The new solutions AI proposes could benefit everyone, setting the stage for more united global leadership. As countries supported by AI will work towards similar goals focused on well-being and planetary health, we move closer to a world where working together is the norm.

Transitioning towards this envisioned reality may pose challenges, particularly in regions where the prevailing quality of life and openness to change are lacking. A smooth transition seems for example more plausible in a Scandinavian nation, with strong support systems to help individuals through this transformation. On the other hand, less wealthy nations might struggle to meet the basic needs of their people during such a transition. This suggests that the pace of this transition could vary from country to country.

Yet again, if we were already part of a globalised, singular governmental framework, we might be better positioned to mitigate these impacts and ensure a smoother transition.

As we navigate this trajectory, the trend of automation will continue, steadily enveloping all existing job roles, supported by the combination of robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and other old and nascent technologies, although automation should not bring in a first phase to job losses, but more to a job shift, where workers will gradually adapt to other and new added-value tasks by leaving some routine and creative tasks to AI.

Also, the current progression of green energy technology and advanced energy storage systems will continue reducing the effort to generate and store energy, and advancements in synthetic biology and related sciences will significantly reduce the cost of materials.

All these changes should progressively liberate individuals to dedicate their time to broadening their knowledge and nurturing their passions. The concept of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) could be a potential economic buffer in this transition, before considering evolving to a more money-less society. The UK is currently considering exploring this basic income concept with a chosen group of 30 individuals over a span of two years.

What fuels this optimistic perspective within me? I perceive it as a natural progression, a seamless continuation of the journey humanity has embarked upon since its inception. If we look at the big picture over a long time, it’s clear that people are becoming more understanding and respectful toward different cultures, ways of doing things, the needs of all creatures, and our planet, especially in the last hundred years. This seems to be speeding up lately, with young people today caring more about fairness, being inclusive, and looking after the environment. This is a positive shift that contrasts the widespread, yet erroneous belief, fuelled by a short-sighted historical view and the new Internet’s vast window into global events, that situations are worsening on the long-term.

As with every major change the older generations may resist, overlooking the benefits as these shifts threaten to upheave their established reference points, values, and lifestyles, challenging many long-held decisions and positions. This resistance mirrors the generational discords faced during past technological or paradigm shifts. Yet, as history illustrates, such resistance only retards the process temporarily, as younger generations will wholeheartedly embrace these new technologies and approaches.

This revolution brings in numerous additional challenges, necessitating, for instance, a comprehensive reassessment of our life journey. Present norms are constructed around a 70-year lifespan, with a substantial portion devoted to work. Yet, as automation advances, and our lifespan significantly extends beyond today’s standards, coupled with maintained very good health, more time is availed for personal growth and continuous learning. This shift compels us to re-evaluate our education systems to encourage lifelong learning, thereby enabling individuals to explore diverse interests and contribute to society in novel ways. Moreover, this transformation ignites discussions concerning human fulfilment and identity in a post-work society.

And, as evolution keeps going, what could happen next?

Once this new society is settled, the subsequent progression should be relatively predictable, culminating in a fusion between humans and this new form of intelligence, which by then may very likely be acknowledged as a new form of life. This confluence will bring to an era full of opportunities that transcend the bounds of our current imagination. The transcendence beyond our organic envelope could facilitate the exploration of previously uncharted realities, and new discourses around identity, consciousness, and the essence of life itself will emerge, to prepare the new ‘we’ for the next evolutionary steps.

This personal vision and aspiration for the approaching future is close to the Transhumanism view and has grown in me since my young age. I perceive it as a logical progression of human evolution, with a meaningful responsibility given to us to steer the future in this kind of direction.