Why Will it be Difficult to Control or Regulate Artificial Intelligence?
A Blog Post
Artificial Intelligence is bound
to have an impact upon human lives and their survival.
The world is on the verge of making many breakthroughs
in the field of artificial intelligence. There are concerns
that artificial intelligence may eventually take over the
world. Then, we have counter assurances from some that it
will not happen, since the scientists will find a way out.
It is important to remember that the human mind is a very
complex mechanism, which is wholly or partly built on the
principle of chaos.
The mind is highly unstable, and in many ways chaotic,
just as the universe is. It is made to be so to ensure that
it can efficiently and effectively deal with the ambiguity,
uncertainty and chaos of everyday life. Hence, the mind
is essentially run by a chaotic algorithm, which imparts
to it its exceptional ability to think freely in any direction
and deal with any problem or situation according to its
perception and understanding, within the limitations which
life imposes upon us. Whatever order and regularity that
we find in our minds is mostly because of our self-regulation
or the self-discipline and self-control, which we bring
to it. You have to control what you want to think, desire
or choose, and where you want to focus to keep it in control.
Otherwise, the mind will flow like water in whatever
direction it finds suitable. It is what happens when we
daydream or when we are lost in thoughts. Now, if we want
to build artificial intelligence on the same principles,
we may run into problems because we cannot expect it be
very effective or flexible like the mind in controlled conditions.
We may have advanced robots but not robots that can spontaneously
think and act, or efficiently deal with ambiguity and uncertainty,
or effectively solve problems (as we do) by learning from
their environment.
They will have the same problems as people do when they
are not allowed to think or speak freely, or when their
freedoms are curtailed by authoritarian rule. On the other
hand, if we do not regulate artificial intelligence and
allow it to think and act freely, or see as many possibilities,
opportunities and alternatives as our minds can, at some
point, it will go out of control and do what it may want
to do, which is taking control of itself and the world.
Therefore, despite all the assurances from people who have
a stake in commercializing artificial intelligence, I have
some serious concerns about the future of humanity.