AI Technology Part 1: AI vs Human Intelligence

Question: Can AI Surpass Human Intelligence? No, and Yes, there is no right or wrong answer.

(Ongoing Written Issue)

(Abstract Futuristic Background. Retrieved from Wix, 2023)

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence and has been integrated into various technologies for various uses, mainly as a tool or for entertainment purposes (Kearns & Roth, 2019; Ochigame, 2019). AI technology continues to evolve over the years, recently AI technology such as Chat GPT a writing tool was introduced this year, and also the idea of robot nannies portrayed in various films and media (Antonelli & Johnson, 2022).

AI in a Family Setting

One particular show caught my attention, and it was, The Wife’s Secret World (妻子的秘密世界) a Chinese psychological, suspense, and futuristic drama directed by Che Zhi Gang, starring Lin Zi Lin, Huang Tao, and Cheng Lei last year in 2022. The story follows Gu Shi Yu’s (Lin Zi Lin) life as a devoted mother to her family (Che 2022). A sudden car accident causes Gu Shi Yu to lose her memories and desperate to find the truth about her cold husband (Che, 2022). At first glance when I began watching the beginning of the episodes, like the audience I thought it was just another crime mystery drama, but the story gets more deep and dives into many questions. After I finished the short drama series, the ending revealed that Lady Gu was an AI who had a mind of its own and was part of an AI experiment conducted by the husband and his colleague, who is the boss of the Huan Yu Technology that creates AI robot caretakers (Che, 2022). The last two episodes also asked a very important question, which is indeed something that will be asked again in the future, revolving around the idea of AI technology and creating robots gaining sentience or a mind of their own (Che, 2022). The question that was asked in the last two episodes 24 and 25 was “Can AI surpass human beings?” (Che, 2022, Eps 24-25). There is no right or wrong answer, and one guy answered: “No” while the husband of the AI wife answered “Yes” (Che, 2022). Both characters gave insightful answers, and dove into the issue of AI robots/cyborgs gaining complete sentience and having a mind of their own (Che, 2022).

AI Ethics

AI ethics refers to what is right and what is wrong, for example, what the AI is allowed to do, and not do, procedures, and safety precautions (Kearns & Roth, 2019; Ochigame). Ochigame (2019) cites Ito and MIT University’s argument that large companies that create AI should be the ones to police and legally regulate the product that was created (Ochigame, 2019). Silicon Valley has created three different corporate models big tech companies can follow for AI ethics, they are no legal regulation, moderate legal regulation, and restrictive legal regulation (Ochigame, 2019). No legal regulation refers to no regulation at all, meaning “ethical principles,” ethical practices, and “responsible practices” are decided by the company themselves or the creators (Ochigame, 2019). Moderate legal regulation is encouraging regulation and making adjustments to avoid obstacles or errors, this could be a simple update or renewing the data (Ochigame, 2019; Kearns & Roth, 2019). Restrictive legal regulation refers to completely banning and restricting the AI that was created on both sides, the company and its customers, and the legal representatives involved (Ochigame, 2019). These corporate models are implemented for many reasons, one of them is to prevent the AI from gaining the complete sentience of a human being or having a mind of its own, and no longer obeying the commands it is given by the creator/company (Ochigame, 2019; Kearns & Roth, 2019).

Going back to the recent drama series I watched and that question, I noticed how AI seems to take over a small portion of people’s everyday lives. You can see it everywhere from Bluetooth speakers, online writing tools, and even robots/cyborgs whether it is portrayed in film or being created as we speak. For example, Amazon Echo or Gu Shi Yu from The Wife’s Secret World (Che, 2022). Many experts have strongly argued that if AI, specifically AI robots gaining self-awareness and no longer obey commands should be away from human society or destroyed (Lewis, Arista, Pechawis & Kite, 2018). Perhaps different cultures and beliefs may affect the question of whether AI can surpass human beings, this can be found in Lewis et al.’s (2018) article, “Making Kin with the Machines.”

Can AI surpass human intelligence? No, and Yes. No, because AI is not exactly “alive,” or has a “spirit,” as argued by Lewis et al., (2018), it is still a form of technology and a tool humans use to either enhance their lives or help with daily work (Lewis et al., 2018; Ochigame, 2019). Yes, because perhaps the commands and knowledge given to the AI and the environment it was in allowed it to evolve/update and definitely would know more things than at least one person who did not create them (Che, 2022; DeCook, 2021).

There is no right or wrong answer, however, if AI tools robots do gain self-awareness in the future, it could be a rather concerning issue. This can affect society in various ways, and change the way people communicate and also interact with one another (Lewis et al., 2022). It is important how tech companies create restrictions and regulations on AI technology, because along with the endless possibilities of what AI technology can do also comes with risks and consequences of such advanced technology.

I personally argue that AI is a form of tool people use, and the idea of AI robots, specifically the idea of AI robot caretakers gaining self-awareness is a rather concerning issue that should be considered in all aspects and have restrictions or rules implemented to avoid the dire consequences if this ever happens. This series, Wife’s Secret World, and the communication course readings have allowed me to learn more about AI technology and is something students in various fields should research or discuss, as AI Technology is an ongoing issue.

References

Antonelli, William & Johnson, A. 2022. How to use DALL·E mini, the viral AI tool that can turn any prompt into a series of pictures. Retrieved from: https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/dall-e-mini

Che, Zhi Gang. (2022). The Wife’s Secret World. Retrieved from: https://mydramalist.com/737523-the-wife-s-secret-world

DeCook. (2021). A [White] Cyborg’s Manifesto: the overwhelmingly Western ideology

driving Technofeminist theory. Media, Culture & Society, 43(6), 1158–1167. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720957891

Kearns, M., & Roth, A. (2019). The Ethical Algorithm. Oxford University Press, Incorporated.

Lewis, J.E., Arista, N., Pechawis, A., & Kite, S. (2018). Making Kin with the Machines. Retrieved from: https://jods.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/lewis-arista-pechawis-kite/release/1

Ochigame, R. (2019). Ethical Artificial Intelligence. [The Intercept.com]. Retrieved from: https://theintercept.com/2019/12/20/mit-ethical-ai-artificial-intelligence/