“We are at the iPhone moment of AI”

The biggest winner of the ChatGPT and AI boom is probably Nvidia – all these AI tools can’t be built without Nvidia’s GPU microchips.?

Nvidia surged to a $1 trillion valuation and is now one of the largest companies in the world.?

This is a clear indication of the rate at which we’re progressing, and the stage we’re at in this AI revolution.?

The thing about new technology, is the?unpredictability factor. And what we’re most afraid of, is precisely not knowing.?

Unlike in business where the outcome, the shoulds and should nots are more or less predictable within a certain area, the invention of any new technology opens up entirely new areas of possibilities and concerns.?

There have been so many instances – from Dolly the Sheep to CRISPR genome editing and now AI language models like ChatGPT – where the impact, fields of application and possible ethical concerns have been unpredicted. Even Geoffrey Hinton, the “godfather of AI”, could not accurately predict the rate of AI advancement and its implications… not until they begin to manifest.?

However, I believe there are some definite limits to AI.

Ultimately, AI will always serve human beings

Due to the?inherent difference in systems?(mechanical vs. biological),?

1. AI intelligence and human intelligence are inherently different.
2. AI does not and will not have consciousness. If somehow, “consciousness” becomes defined in a way that AI satisfies, AI “consciousness” and human consciousness will still be inherently different.?

AI cannot replicate human intelligence or consciousness.?It can only replicate the?expression?of human intelligence or consciousness.

Active choice, innate “self-generated” motivation and purpose, the pursuit of happiness and new experiences, the desire for a sense of value and a sense of security, the ability to feel and have emotions, the need to secure our livelihood and biological needs – these are?human nature?and?exclusive human privileges.?

AI doesn’t have innate desires that they are intrinsically motivated or compelled to satisfy. AI doesn’t have the ability or desire to enjoy things in life. They do not care if they don’t have a job, if their life is meaningless or if they don’t have happiness – they don’t feel.?

Only we have something to work for, something to live for.?

Hence, at the end of the day, whatever we ask AI to do, is?for our sake. AI has nothing it wants or needs. It has no motivation and does not willingly choose to replace our jobs, earn our money, or take over the world – unless this objective is pre-set by a human being.?

So perhaps what we’re really worried about, is human beings who are in control replacing our jobs with AI.?

Here then, we should consider the purpose and limitations of AI.?

We shouldn’t predict?future?unemployment by looking at the?present?number of jobs and the existing industries and job types.?

Some jobs will be replaced. But other jobs will be created.?

Over the decades, we’ve been through many technological revolutions and witnessed many world-changing inventions – e.g. railways, electricity, automobiles, and the iPhone.?

Each revolution brought about a new set of “common sense” – new ways to organise things, new ways to do things, new ways of looking at things, and new ways of defining our roles as individuals and as groups.?

Right now, “We are at the iPhone moment of AI,” says Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia.?

Although this is indeed a turning point for us, the significance and scale of the change we are about to face are not new to us. We’ve been through these “iPhone moments” before.?

We human beings have constantly been boosting our productivity, whether by upgrading our skill sets, possessing greater and more specialised abilities, having more complex and streamlined thought processes, or inventing tools to do them more effectively for us. There are also more and more people in the world.?Yet – there are unfinished jobs, new jobs, and jobs we never imagined before but are now doing.?

For instance, with the invention of satellites and the GPS came new needs like factories, companies, and research labs; new possibilities and businesses like ride-hailing and home delivery; and now driverless vehicles that are advancements built upon this invention.?

Pick out any individual idea, like Grab – how many new jobs, from executives to engineers to graphic designers to customer service personnel to Grab drivers, has this one app created??

Every new invention sprouts an array of new ideas, and every new idea sprouts an array of jobs previously unimagined or non-existent. It is an exponential increase and expansion.?

On top of the creation of new jobs, new skills will also be in demand. Certain abilities that may be previously overlooked also become noticed and valued more:

With ChatGPT and Midjourney, for instance, we are seeing a more apparent and specific emphasis on the?ability to ask questions?– the ability to give accurate, specific and purposeful prompts. It used to be more of a combination of the ability to ask questions (e.g. brainstorming, and generating ideas and solutions) and the ability to execute the idea.

Those who possess and learn these abilities will have new possibilities and opportunities.?

So, yes – the invention of new technology brings a lot of?unpredictability. But challenges and opportunities flourish together.?

Our work is constantly changing, expanding and being swapped out for something else in light of new inventions and advancements. I think it is more accurate to say that?we do not yet know?the possible jobs that will and can be created following this AI advancement.

We’re just currently in this transitional period of uncertainty and replacement.?

Human beings, not AI, will always make the final call.?

The?most “advanced” possibility and aspiration for AI that I’ve heard, is becoming?key leaders and decision-makers in our society.?

However, AI should not and is unable to become the centre of human society.

This is because the final judgement and choice must be made by humans as they pertain to human purpose, whether as individuals or as groups.?

Although AI is able to reference the past and make the most objectively accurate decisions,?it is not always our purpose or in our interest to make the most objective and accurate decisions.

I’m craving watermelon but AI tells me this is not a good idea as watermelons are expensive today. Thanks, but no thanks. This watermelon will make me very happy.?

The programmed purpose of AI does not always align with our purpose as human beings, as leaders, as decision-makers.?Depending on the context and circumstances, the most correct choice is not always the most desired.?In fact, it is often not that we don’t know what is objectively correct – but that we’re not so sure what we want.?

Human beings, as final decision-makers, are and will always be the centre of human society.?AI can and ideally should significantly increase the efficiency of decision-making, but again,?this is the limit of their role – helping us better achieve our goals.?

Ultimately, it goes back to AI not having consciousness, or free will to desire and to choose.?

To AI, we program, we prompt, we judge and we decide. AI will be a very brilliant tool – but it is still a tool, our tool.?

We don’t always trust AI.?

There will be lots of application contexts for AI that I am currently unable to imagine. However, I believe that certain boundaries will not and ethically, should not be crossed.?

For instance, driverless cars.?

We often talk about the ethical issue where there will be no one to take responsibility if an accident were to happen. Do we blame the engineers? The programmers? Elon Musk? Our own bad luck??

Whoever we blame, we know it’s no use blaming the AI.?

As mentioned, AI does not have human consciousness. It has no fear or will to live. It has no survival instinct. The issue isn’t just with AI not being able to take responsibility in the case of an accident, but the fact that throughout the entire ride, AI couldn’t care less whether it dies or not.?

How can we trust our lives with someone unafraid to lose theirs??

I believe it is only possible, or only ethical, for driverless vehicles to be where the area is not crowded with people. E.g., agricultural farms with pre-set routes are a brilliant application context.?

Raise our ceiling

1. AI serves to increase the efficiency of human behaviour.?

What we have been inventing all along has been to increase the efficiency of what we have always been engaged in – food, shelter, transport, entertainment, socialising, exploration or even competition.?

All these pursuits and behaviours have likely been present since the beginning of human civilisation. The processes are just becoming more effective and efficient (e.g. transporting by foot to cars to planes), and the methods for achieving them are evolving (e.g. entertainment via throwing stones to puppet shows to television drama).??

Truly, if we take a look at the mobile apps we use – Grab, Foodpanda, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, Tinder and so on. All these most frequently used apps also satisfy these core and basic needs.?

AI?is no exception. We cannot do what we have never known; we cannot create what we have never imagined.?

Ultimately,?AI makes achieving our goals much more efficient and effective. It pushes the degree and quality of achievement. This is the purpose, position and limit of AI.?

2. Pushes us to hone our competitive advantage.

“To replace graphic designers with Al, clients will need to accurately describe what they want.”?

I’ve seen this several times on LinkedIn, from the perspective of various industries.

There are actually several places that make money selling prompts – it has become an industry altogether as many people are unable to ask the right questions, or give the AI specific and discerning instructions for it to generate what they're looking for.?

No matter how much potential AI has, it is only as advanced as the person using it.?

Only when we can give brilliant prompts, can we get brilliant responses. No matter how advanced AI itself is, this “advancement” and “brilliance” only becomes relevant to us when we have the ability to ask the right questions and take full advantage of it.?

With AI advancement, we gradually sieve out work that can be more effectively done by AI – like having calculators in place of manual calculation – and narrowing it down to doing what human beings do best, should do, and want to do. Asking the right questions is just one of the many skills.?

Such an environment pushes us to become better at what we do best, and what only we, as human beings, can do.?

3. Freeing us up for other and higher-order pursuits.

What is a job to us?

Do we work for the sake of working??

What is the underlying motivation for working??

Working is not the ultimate goal. It is simply a means.?

On a practical level, we work because it brings us the money we need to survive and live the lives that we want. On an emotional and spiritual level, we work because it gives us a stable sense of security, a sense of meaning and value, and a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction – especially when our jobs best make use of our talents and abilities, and help us realise our pursuits e.g. positively impacting others.?

Working has always been an important and mainstream method of satisfying these needs and desires – but never the only method.?

AI may completely free us from manually doing many jobs e.g. harvesting, or it may significantly raise our efficiency – completing the same KPI in two hours instead of nine.?

When we are free from being physically and mentally occupied by our jobs, and need not worry about our livelihood, we naturally find other ways of spending our time. We are free to discover other ways we can enjoy life, we begin to focus on ourselves more, and we begin to pursue more ambitious goals like raising the ceiling of human discovery and potential.?

Even if in the beginning we spend most of our time on recreational activities, I believe it is sooner or later that we find true fulfilment when engaged in something impactful and meaningful for the world. This pursuit that is human nature will inevitably raise the ceiling of humankind.?

Hence, I disagree that human beings will become obsolete and unimportant.

In my opinion, it’s the exact opposite.?

Our feeling of uncertainty stems from being unable to predict the scale and contexts of AI applications.

Due to this unpredictable nature and what we’re currently seeing in the ability and potential of AI, purely manual, skill-based and theory-application jobs are at higher risk of becoming replaced. From simple to intricate work, from agriculture to even medical surgeries, AI will become more and more advanced and capable. In this area, human beings are likely unable to compete against the power of AI.?

However, I strongly believe that the boundaries of AI are definite – it will never replace human beings.?

This has been testified over and over in the past, in the present, and will continue to be testified in the future. With every invention or advancement of such significance e.g. railways, electricity or telecommunications, human beings have never once lost control and authority.?

No matter how quickly AI burgeons, and no matter how much AI advances,?the course of human civilisation will always be in the hands of human beings, not AI.?

However, AI is truly a very powerful tool. It is unprecedented.?

When we have access to such a tool – a tool that can enable us to accomplish almost anything to a very high degree and influence a very large area –

it becomes very worthwhile and practical to think about what exactly we want and should use it for.?

This is when traditional philosophical and psychological questions that probe at the root of being human and our purpose as individuals and as a whole come in:

1. What kind of world do we want to create and live in?
2. Who are we? Who am I??

Deliberately and carefully considering these questions, and having clarity and conviction in our purpose, motivation and reasons are what will give us direction and control over this tool.?

When we understand ourselves on top of understanding AI, we naturally gain control and make AI our tool for advancing our purposes.?

If not, the tool will be advancing, and we chasing after it.?

Hence, relatively abstract fields such as Psychology, Neuroscience, Philosophy, History and Art will become what is most important. They give us the bigger picture and direction – how will we move forward in this age of AI?