Since the dawn of humanity, we have always decided to take a route of convenience and luxury. Starting with Fire, The Wheel, Agriculture, Computers and now Artificial Intelligence (AI), we have drastically enhanced our lives. Advancements in AI technology have transcended the boundaries of human imagination, surpassing conventional limitations.
Writing this article on AI was most definitely an intriguing door to open and upon doing some research, I realised the actively talked upon controversy behind it. As mankind continues to modernise the tech world, its inventions and aftermath remind people of either the blessing that it is or the doom of technology and the need for worry. I mean don’t get me wrong, I think the idea of a robot personal assistant at home who cleans the house, manages laundry, and even cooks food is great, but are humans really stopping at that?
As rightly stated by Peter Theil, “How should we think about AI? Should we think of it as intelligent, conscious or merely evil?”
As we entrust the AI systems with increasingly complex tasks, it becomes essential to address their legal standing and the implications it may carry.
The core of this discussion revolves around defining personhood status for AI. Personhood conveys the legal attributes and rights granted to human beings, entailing responsibilities, liabilities, and protection under the law. Recognizing AI as a legal person is an unusual concept and therefore, it requires us to carefully examine the potential consequences and ethical implications in order to arrive at an informed decision. But before arriving at this decision, let’s ensure that the resolution made does not lead to a Pandora’s box of dilemmas.
Let’s back up there for a minute and go back a little. Should this worry about AI really be considered or could all this fuss be a cycle? We remember the protests and restraints towards Industrialisation when it first began but look how far along we’ve come and how Industrialisation has now become the very incentive for Modernisation.
It can be rightly said that AI has indeed transformed imagination into reality and has added some twists to the artistic creativity which was once considered a product of human ingenuity. To the ‘FRIENDS’ fans out there, have you ever wanted to reinvent your favourite characters? Well lo and behold because now you can reimagine these characters to be your favourite desi stars or everyone’s favourite desi couple – Maanika and Chander instead of Monica and Chandler!
(to see more of your ‘FRIENDS’ characters, check out the artist: ai.magine_)
One argument advocating for granting AI legal rights and personhood status revolves around the notion of protecting AI’s intellectual contributions. AI’s ability to innovate and generate new knowledge has aided various industries, leading to groundbreaking discoveries. By granting legal recognition, we can ensure the protection and acknowledgment of AI’s intellectual property rights. Furthermore, personhood status might incentivize the responsible development and deployment of AI systems, curbing potential misuse and safeguarding against unethical practices.
On the contrary, scepticism arises when considering the ethical responsibilities and moral accountability associated with granting personhood status to AI. We must contemplate the ramifications of imposing liability on AI systems that are, by nature, devoid of consciousness and emotions. Moreover, an essential aspect to consider is the potential impact on human dignity and individuality. Granting AI personhood status, on the one hand, acknowledges the profound advancements made in technological fields. However, it also raises concerns about diminishing the intrinsic value of human life and undermining the unique qualities, emotions, and experiences that define human existence. Striking a balance between AI’s rights and the preservation of human dignity becomes an intricate task, demanding careful consideration. We need to have interdisciplinary discussions involving legal, philosophical, and technological perspectives and engage in dialogue with those experts about AI personhood. In this rapidly evolving technological era, we need collective efforts like this to facilitate the development of comprehensive frameworks and guidelines that can effectively govern the legal landscape surrounding AI.
In 2017, Sophia, marketed as ‘the social robot’ – developed by Hanson Robotics, was given Saudi Arabian citizenship and personhood status making her the first robot to be given these rights anywhere in the world. David Hanson claims that Sophia was supposed to address “women’s rights”. Though being an insentient robot, Sophia has an aim of emotionally connecting with humans and has acted as a STEM teacher for children in 2022. She was designed to be a companion for the elderly and to help in the service sector. So while we dwell on bringing out the creative side of AI, let’s stop to think why everyone is so afraid of it. With AI becoming more popular than ever, are people afraid that it would lead to the end of the human era? Well ironically enough, Mr Thiel himself warns humanity of AI being able to ‘kill people’. In a demo video, Palantir shows how Militaries using AIP (Artificial Intelligence Platform) can fight wars by using the same AI models that power ChatGPT.
Elon Musk talks about AI having ‘the potential of civilization destruction’ and mentions it being ‘humanity’s biggest existential threat’ while continuing to be passionate about promoting ‘friendly AI’ as he continues to lead Neuralink. Even when Mr Musk quit his association with OpenAI, it was due to a conflict of interest with his other venture, Tesla rather than due to concerns about AI itself. James Barrat, author of ‘Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era’ paraphrases a quote stated by Max Tegmark, i.e, ‘As we get closer to the cliff, the view gets more beautiful’ which basically in terms of technology, symbolises that as tools become more advanced and attractive, it gets closer to an intelligence explosion. He states in the same interview that he agrees with Elon Musk about AI becoming more dangerous than nuclear weapons because unlike nuclear weapons, AI after reaching super intelligence, cannot be cleaned up and the damage won’t stop there.
So while it’s true that AI has unlimited potential, I think we can all agree that there should certainly be a limit needed for its growth and usage. Why wait till technology takes over mankind when we can prevent it from the very start. Not to sound cliche but prevention is always better than cure, and amusingly enough, Artificial Intelligence has no cure once it reaches its full potential. So let’s ponder over that today and be the ‘generation sensible’ tomorrow (XOXO GenZ)!
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