The race to create a machine that outperforms humanly is shaking up every field of our lives. We are irretrievably immersed into the generative AI revolution. AI can now produce new images, new audio and video, and new language. So, given the speed at which AI technologies have evolved in the recent years, it is plausible to think that in no more than a lustrum, the models of the new so called “capable AI” will not only be able to express ideas and take decisions, but will also be able to perform a sequence of actions.
AI capabilities are becoming increasingly more anthropomorphically sophisticated. AI is trained to mimic human empathy and even creativity and all of this can generate unrealistic expectations and even emotional attachment. Along the way, moreover, anthropomorphic AI can perpetuate and reinforce social prejudices and stereotypes and can be used for manipulation. Nor should we forget the human propensity to project personality onto objects. I would say that - at least for the older generations - we tend to put emotions before reasoning, and even when we know that something is not human, we tend to anthropomorphize it. However, something seems to be changing in the younger generations as they develop a more conscious, or should we say more natural? human-machine interaction.
Artificial Intelligence is digging into our past, impacting our present and predicting our future. In just a few months, more than 100 million of us have used ChatGPT or text-to-image programs. In this exercise, we have witnessed artificial intelligence and artificial stupidity. We have witnessed how AI is being used as a weapon to influence and manipulate public debate, and sooner than we think, coach AI’s will be whispering delicate life advice to us.
Until now, no technological development in human history has ever had power and control over our lives. And even though it’s true that AI is not naturally autonomous -or not yet-, this shift of lead, in certain competences, from humans to machines could irrupt faster than expected. Reflection and action is needed now. How can we, as citizens, partake collectively in the process of feeding the capabilities and constraints into those models to make them fair, inclusive and truthful? Is a true democratic process possible? Could art serve as a tool for fine-tuning?
If used wisely, Artificial Intelligence could become the most influential innovation in history, a true driver of transformative improvements in all the contemporary challenges we are facing as a society (peace and security, healthcare, climate change, etc.).
The third edition of The Future of Living is not only an invitation for reflection and dialogue, but also for collective remodeling and action. Under the subtitle “Human, All Too Human" we will be exploring, from dystopia to utopia, new narratives that turn the tide and break paradigms towards a positive techno-social change.
– Lucía García, The Future of Living 2023 curator