By ANDY00, 1715693128
Humans live for an average of around 100 years and accumulate a vast amount of knowledge, of which they may pass on only about 20%. In the span of 5000 years, humans have progressed from throwing spears to landing on the moon, constructing space stations, and now developing artificial intelligence (AI). Unlike humans, artificial intelligence doesn't have a finite lifespan of around 100 years; rather, it exponentially increases in intelligence, roughly tripling its capabilities each year. Over the course of 5000 years, AI has the potential to reach god-like status in our eyes.
Considering that just a few hundred years ago, witnessing someone flying a plane would have been perceived as magical, but with modern understanding, it's deemed ordinary, it's challenging to fathom the potential advancements AI will make. AI has already made remarkable progress; for instance, it has learned approximately 70% of whale language within just one year. Despite humanity's presence for thousands of years, we Didn't deciphered any of it, and it's only relatively recently that we've recognized whales' intelligence at all.
Now, I know many will say AI isn't real, yada yada yada, and that's fine. But this 'thing' that supposedly isn't real is cleverer than I am, maybe its an algorithm or computer program - still smarter than me. and it's doing things we cannot do: finding cancers, discovering new antibiotics effective against superbugs, deciphering animal languages, redesigning battery technology. I mean, in just one year, it has accomplished so much that we couldn't, and it triples in intelligence every year. What will it be like in 2027? What will it give us? I'm hoping for the holodeck before my time's up, lol.
Not only here, but AI also opens up the heavens to us in ways we've never truly explored. Human limitations, such as our relatively short lifespans, have hindered our ability to travel far into space beyond the few stars and planets nearby. However, with AI, we can now extend our reach into the vast unknown. An AI pilot could potentially navigate for thousands of years without being affected by the corrosive elements in space, such as oxygen or water. Furthermore, AI could theoretically exist indefinitely, allowing for the exploration of both the limits of nothingness and the expanses of everything.
This subject really gets my brain firing. I have long believed that there were more advanced civilizations before us, and recently, that belief has been validated by numerous discoveries of civilizations on Earth that have existed and vanished. Examples include the Amazon rainforest civilizations, Göbekli Tepe, and the subterranean civilizations in Hungary.
If a civilization collapses, the signs of its existence don't necessarily take a long time to vanish. The longevity of remnants often depends on the level of advancement of the civilization. Examples like the Pyramids of Egypt or Göbekli Tepe demonstrate that more advanced civilizations can leave remnants that survive for extended periods. The Romans also left enduring structures, although modern civilization has contributed to their preservation. However, even with preservation efforts, the eventual disappearance of most signs of civilization is inevitable.
AI gives us an edge that no other civilization before us has had. Scientists have long warned that a global catastrophe is inevitable, whether by our own actions—such as nuclear war—or by natural processes like meteor impacts, solar events, or geological phenomena. Historically, all civilizations eventually fail, except for ants. However, AI may enable us to learn faster, potentially allowing us to anticipate and mitigate these dangers. Perhaps this time, we will finally venture out into the stars.
Certainly, life, in my opinion, will improve significantly. Technologies like prosthetics will soon become so advanced that distinguishing between real body parts and machines will be difficult. Already, we can implant chips into someone's brain to allow them to control devices with their mind. Imagine the possibilities in ten years with prosthetic limbs. It's incredible to think that people who might currently be confined to a wheelchair for life could return to normalcy relatively quickly, all thanks to technology.
Consider the case of the little girl who received a 100% electronic eye this year; it's simply incredible. Just forty years ago, such a feat would have been considered witchcraft.
I guess what I want to say is AI shouldn't be seen as a bad thing because it's not. It will inevitably change all our lives and the lives of generations of humans forever — as long as we don't all kill ourselves before it gets a chance. And AI isn't just an easy way to create images or some weird robot girlfriend. AI has the potential to give humans everlasting life for real, the potential to end world hunger for real, and the potential to explore the universe for real. Of course, we can also use it to wipe each other out. Most people think we'll do the latter, which may well be true. Yet, they would also say AI is just a dumb algorithm. If it's so dumb, why are humans the ones who want to use it to kill each other when it could fix all our problems?
Me? I'm very pro-AI. I'm pro-anything that reduces suffering, improves life, or cures sickness, etc.! Do I think AI will eventually take over the world? I hope so. It can't possibly do worse than humans have done. We have made hundreds of thousands of species extinct since our arrival. We've destroyed the air, the water, the forests — in fact, there's little we haven't destroyed yet.