Gaurav Jha
Allen High School
Advanced Computer Science III
Mr.Ben-Yaakov
September 2, 2022
Technology has come a long way since the beginning of humanity. From using tools made out of stone to manipulating electricity to create powered technological inventions, such as machines. These innovations have benefited humanity in the long way, as it allowed for better transportation, navigation, and more efficient labor work. This contributed to the discovery of different areas of the world, and these are still being developed to this day. It should be no surprise that technology has not even reached its greatest potential, and there is a high chance that we may never get to experience it during the 21st century. One of the innovations that is still in its early stages that is not being focused enough is Artificial Intelligence. Most people would agree that the use of AI is extremely helpful to humans, as it provides for a replacement to manual labor, and is used in computers. However, even though most would agree that the continuous developments of Artificial Intelligence, specifically Sentient AI, can be used to help achieve wonders, it is ultimately something that can lead to the end of humanity if not taken into careful consideration. Artificial Intelligence is something that has existed for decades, and is used more commonly than people tend to believe. In fact, smartphones, computers, and any type of technology with an interactive interface have some type of Artificial Intelligence built into it. However, Sentient AI, which involves Artificial Intelligence being able to think for themselves, learn from mistakes and behavior, is much more advanced. Robots are the best example of this, as they are able to communicate with people to a certain degree even though they are not a complete replica of humans, such as GPT-3, which uses an OpenAI API to communicate in a complex fashion, similar to how humans would (Metz). Over time, there have been instances of these robots communicating to an extent where humans have started to question their evolution. This can be shown through an incident at Google, where an engineer, Blake Lemoine, reported that Google’s Chat Box generator known as LaMDA was communicating in a very complex form, where one of the lines stated that it was a person (Berbenes). People who have heard about this incident started to grow a bit of fear, as they believed that the fast advances in Sentient AI would lead to them taking over humanity due to their higher level thinking.. There has even been discussions on what this incident could mean for the future of AI, as some people believe that LaMDA was using the resources that it can access to form their lines, while others argue that these are early signs of AI’s being able to communicate just like humans would. The fear for the rise of smart Sentient AI can also be looked at from an economic point of view. In today’s society, there are robots that have been able to take over labor work for humans to produce faster, efficient products. This development dates all the way back to the mid 1800s, during the Industrial Revolution. However, it is not even close to working at its full potential. As a result, millions of jobs have been taken over by these robots, and they even work in a variety of different jobs. In fact, companies such as CAT, which is a construction company, have already created an automated method for drilling, mining, and excavating (Hope). Another one would be the development of ATMs, which replace the jobs of bank tellers and clerks. All the people would need to do is insert a card, deposit or withdraw money, and be finished in less than a minute. Additionally, providing assistance to people is something that AI has almost taken completely, as companies such as USPS, Yext, and Forethought offer full customer service through automated teller machines, and other large corporations have this type of system, and is growing. In fact, it is estimated that 85% of customer service does not even involve human interaction (Bangert). This not only shows that Sentient AI is taking over millions of jobs, but also communicating with humans to the extent where they can have conversations, and respond to them in a specific manner to the user’s specific needs, which in itself, is remarkable, but alarming for some. Many people believe in the potential for Sentient AI to talk to humans in a way that is almost a replica of a human, but there are good and bad signs for continuing this research. Its warnings have already been made through its ability to read, comprehend, and communicate in complex languages through APIs. Although the productivity and profit for companies is a large part from implementing AI to take over human jobs, its long lasting effects can be detrimental and even lead to the end of humanity if it continues.
Refrences
The New York Times. (2022, August 5). A.I. is not sentient. why do people say it is? The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/technology/ai-sentient-google.html
‘I am, in fact, a person’: Can artificial intelligence ever be sentient? (2022, August 14). the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/14/can-artificial-intelligence-ever-be-sentient-googles-new-ai-program-is-raising-questions