What computers can teach us

Philosophers and even computer scientists will often argue that computers can never achieve our “thinking power,” and that they definitely cannot surpass us in terms of cognitive ability. However, I strongly disagree with this, for both a philosophical reason and a practical one.

First, the “practical” reason: Simply, computer science in increasing at a terrifying rate (an exponential rate, if you believe in the technological singularity). Twenty years ago, people believed computers would never be able to solve the “salesman problem” for only 50 or so cities—today, we have solved it for thousands, according to this New York Times article.             

The fact is, unpredictable advances in the way we understand computers will probably allow them to do some serious number-crunching, making them far better and faster at mathematics and science than we are. Furthermore, computers will soon have the ability to improve themselves, thus increasing the rate that artificial intelligence, or AI, increases.

Next, the “moral” argument I mentioned. The point that skeptics of AI often mention is that AI will never be truly human, since a computer is simply a complex series of pre-programmed responses. However, I have to ask: what, then, are we? Isn’t a human being very similar—just a very complex series of responses programmed into our brain? Granted, we are affected by our environment, but computers can also learn from experience—the ability to learn is nothing special. As any computer programmer knows, with enough “if” “else” and “while” statements, computers can learn and adapt to their environment no matter what the circumstances are. Thus, human beings as computers are not so different after all, and artificial intelligence might not be as impossible as some people like to think. Though this sounds deterministic, this is the most salient argument for AI.

The fact is, computers are already on of the most important inventions of the modern world, and the development of true AI is implacable. The important thing, though, is how we deal with the fact that computers will still be far smarter than human beings. I do not agree with those who would ban computers or put a moratorium on computer research—the answer to the problem of computers must be one of wisdom, not deliberate ignorance. We must not simply succumb to the inevitable—we must ride the crest of this wave, using the enormous potential of AI to help us in a way that will not infringe on our humanity.