Artificial Intelligence Surpassing Human Intelligence Increases

“Don’t worry about Master Luke. I’m sure he’ll be all right. He’s quite clever, you know… for a human being.” As a droid programmed for etiquette and protocol, C-3PO from The Star Wars trilogy sure knew how to dole out rude but truthful remarks towards his friends. His droll remark here highlights the reality of how technology might outpace the human mind. The internet is a hallmark of this technological advancement. Its rapid growth gave birth to the concept of search engines, starting with the rudimentary “Archie” in 1990, to “WebCrawler” in 1994, to “Google” - the current industry behemoth.

“Google” has become part of the vernacular of almost every language in the modern world in less than two decades. Google is go-to; Google is search. It’s the verb, to Google. It’s what we all do, all the time, whenever we want to know anything. We Google it. Google has a place in every household, be it the DIY dad trying to figure out how to fix the broken oven, the teenager looking up makeup videos, or the working mom searching for recipes for quick weeknight dinners. With information at our fingertips, the world has become our oyster.

The advancement of science in the 21st century is now bringing in the era of Artificial Intelligence, taking knowledge sharing to a whole new level. Voice-powered personal assistants like Siri and Alexa can answer pretty much any question you have. Google maps has helped solve a critical commuting problem. With every scientific advancement, possibility of artificial intelligence surpassing human intelligence increases. Could this artificial intelligence eventually become the mind of God?

In my humble opinion, the answer is a simple but resounding no! While the reach of Science might seem endless, there are definite limits. Science can provide knowledge that informs our opinions and decisions, but it cannot make moral judgements. For example - is euthanasia the right thing to do?). Science cannot make aesthetic judgements to tell us whether a Van Gogh painting is beautiful or terrible. Scientific knowledge has been invaluable to mankind. However, Science cannot tell us how to use that knowledge. Insights that have results in vaccination and control of bacterial infection have also given rise to bacteriological warfare. As we ponder whether Science can eventually become the mind of God, perhaps the most ironical point is that Science cannot answer if God even exists in the first place. It is hard to see “the mind of God” at work in the social integration of science and technology.

So, what would happen if, by some miracle (no pun intended!), the perfect search engine does become the mind of god? There will no longer be any privacy with monitoring of locations and Wi-Fi use. Power of the internet will be mobilized as weapons through cyber hacks and social media manipulation, as already evidenced in the recent elections. Most importantly, the element of wonder will be lost. The ability to know everything all the time will destroy any sense of adventure, risk-taking and spontaneity. I, for one, would much rather not know than live in a world without the essence of the human spirit.

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