In this blog post, we explore whether artificial intelligence can simply serve as a tool to improve our lives, or if it has the potential to emerge as a new ruler.
It is no exaggeration to say that the keyword “artificial intelligence” has completely taken over the 21st century in which we live. What is it about artificial intelligence that has so many people so enthusiastic, and why are they so eager to use it across all fields? As technology advances rapidly, artificial intelligence is no longer confined to scientists’ laboratories or the realm of fiction in movies; it has become a reality we encounter easily in our daily lives. The voice recognition feature on our smartphones, the autocomplete function of search engines, and even the recommendation algorithms on social media are all products of artificial intelligence.
First, we need to clarify exactly what artificial intelligence is. What comes to mind when you hear the term “artificial intelligence”? Public interest has clearly grown following media reports on relatively recent events, such as the AlphaGo incident and the fact that Watson is on the verge of entering the domestic hospital market. However, the image of AI imprinted on the public through the media is somewhat unrealistic. Sometimes, they treat AI itself as a conscious living being—a kind of “Big Brother” that seems poised to dominate us. Do you look at a calculator lying around your house and feel a sense of dread, wondering, “How does it process such complex calculations in less than a second?”
Let’s take a sober look at what AI actually is. First, it’s best to stop associating the term “artificial intelligence” with robots and science fiction movies. Artificial intelligence covers a very broad field. It’s already part of our daily lives and is a type of tool you’re using, whether you realize it or not. Artificial intelligence is generally a technology that analyzes data, identifies patterns, and uses that information to make predictions or decisions. As a result, we’re achieving faster and more accurate results in countless tasks with the help of AI.
John McCarthy, who first coined the term “artificial intelligence” in 1956, used to complain, “As soon as something was implemented as AI, people stopped calling it AI.” Today, AI is far more closely intertwined with our lives than ever before. Therefore, while we should recognize that AI is already a valuable and useful tool, we must avoid attributing excessive meaning to it or letting our imaginations run wild.
Let’s return to the topic of “Big Brother.” In George Orwell’s novel *1984*, a massive structural power known as Big Brother restrains and monitors the masses through telescreens. Today’s public is projecting this image of surveillance and restraint onto artificial intelligence. In other words, they fear that AI will advance to the point of surpassing human intelligence and reigning as something superior to Homo sapiens. This may be a vague fear of unfamiliar technology, but the crucial question we’re missing in this worst-case scenario is, “Why would AI want to stand above us?” It’s highly unlikely that it has any such motive. We move when we see a green traffic light and stop when we see a red one, but no one thinks they are being “dominated” by the traffic light. The traffic light is simply an answer to the question of how to rationally maintain social order. This is because the system that manages the complex traffic network of a metropolis falls within the realm of “intelligence” that pursues rational choices, not the realm of “consciousness” filled with desires and emotions.
In fact, this intelligence-consciousness dichotomy is not absolute and can be broken at any time. However, for the sake of clarity, let us distinguish human thought into intelligence and consciousness. Artificial intelligence seeks to surpass humans in this realm of “intelligence.” As mentioned earlier, since they lack consciousness, they are viewed as no different from calculators. Recently, artificial neural networks that mimic the human brain have become a key technology in artificial intelligence. However, the part of the brain they mimic is primarily the neocortex—the region that evolved most recently in human history and is responsible for rational thought, sophisticated calculations, and learning. This is clearly the realm of intelligence. In contrast, research into the realm of “consciousness” remains shrouded in mystery. So, what can humans—whose consciousness is so difficult to replicate technologically—actually do?
Professions currently considered to require advanced knowledge may become nothing more than menial labor for AI, and the very system of employment itself could collapse. On the other hand, since the world is constantly changing, we cannot rule out the possibility of political forces emerging to curb the indiscriminate development of AI. If we consider one scenario, as technology advances, the computational power of AI will develop exponentially, and people who benefit from this in various fields will emerge. Generally, these will be people who understand AI well and know how to exploit it. Ultimately, the divide between the privileged few and the rest will depend on one’s ability to use AI effectively, and the barriers preventing this polarization will be greater than ever before. As technology advances further and they become able to fully internalize the “intelligent” elements of the AI they use, they will begin to upgrade their own intellectual bodies, ultimately leading to the rise of transhumanism.
Such a scenario might be dismissed as something possible only in science fiction. However, an era in which the boundary between humans and machines becomes blurred is indeed approaching, and we need to consider in advance the social and ethical issues that may arise as a result. We must prepare for the changes that technological advancements will bring and establish new norms and systems accordingly.
So, what is the point the author wishes to emphasize? No one races against a car. What matters is not running faster than a car, but what we can do by utilizing the car’s high speed. The same applies to artificial intelligence. Since we are not discussing “artificial consciousness,” we must regard AI as a tool and make use of it. It is said that accountants are highly likely to lose their jobs to AI in the future. But what about accountants who know how to use AI? Have they lost their jobs, or have they transformed into a new profession that integrates with AI? While the power of Big Brother is wielded through AI, we need to focus on who is behind it. To reiterate, AI is not an object of competition but an object of use.
Ultimately, to survive in the age of AI, we must cultivate the ability to understand and utilize machines. As technology advances, the human role will increasingly focus on creativity and solving complex problems. This implies that AI is not merely a tool, but a powerful partner that expands our thinking and capabilities. How we grow alongside AI will be a critical challenge for future society.
