Berke, A. (2016). The future of artificial intelligence. Strategic Studies Quarterly, (3), 114. (MACKENZIE STENGER)

From Digital Culture & Society

This article takes on the perspective of three experts within the artificial intelligence field in order to analyze the feasibility, potential dangers and ethical and philosophical implications that artificial intelligence will no doubt have on society. The first expert testimonial used is that of Ray Kurzweil, an inventor, technologist, futurist, and author within the artificial intelligence industry he is mostly well known for specializing in speech processing technology. Kurzweil believes that artificial intelligence is just an inevitable creation of mankind, he firmly and optimistically stands behind his work within the industry which he believes will lead to the creation of artificial intelligence. Finally, Kurzweil is a strong advocate that the creation of artificial intelligence will improve and aid humanity. The second expert that this article discusses is that of James Barrat, a documentary filmmaker/author that concentrates on history and inventions. Barrat takes a more cautious and pessimistic view on artificial intelligence, he believes that artificial intelligence with superintelligence capabilities will no doubt overthrow humanity, deplete all of earth's natural resources and dominate the world. Therefore, Barrat creates popular culture content such as films and books on the topic of artificial intelligence in order to warn humanity and remain up to date and prepare for artificial intelligence to overtake humanity. Finally, the third expert perspective analyzed is of Nick Bostrom, a professor of philosophy and founder of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford university. Bostrom is globally known for his specialization in super intelligence risks, existential risks and human enhancement ethics. Due to his philosophical background Bostrom takes a broader perspective to the effects that artificial intelligence may have on society: he believes that artificial intelligence will be created within the next 20-30 years, and believes that both a positive of negative outcomes is possible due to humanities lack of knowledge revolving around super intelligence. He argues that because there are still so many unanswered questions regarding super intelligence that both outcomes are a possibility. He also argues that if humanity could come together as one and decide what is best for our future survival then the need for artificial intelligence would no longer exist. This is a strong article that analyzes multiple expert opinions and perspectives regarding the creation of artificial intelligence and its implications on society. The author provides a very well rounded perspective, with each expert being in a different aspect of the industry and each with their own unique perspective. While Kurzweil is blindly optimistic, Barrat is overly cautious and pessimistic when it comes to the development of artificial intelligence, therefore the author provided readers with a binary opposition in order to see two extremely opposite opinions. This articles gives readers a general idea of where humanity is at in the development of artificial intelligence and where the experts in this field believe that the creation of artificial intelligence will take us as a whole. Overall the article argues that while a doomsday perspective seems unnecessary, it is a good idea however moving forward in artificial intelligence development that humanity remain cautious and understand the importance of including safety and security measures in artificial intelligence for our own safety.

Mackenzie Stenger