ELEMENTS OF INTELLIGENCE MISSING IN AI
INTENTION AND ATTENTION
Motivation leads to attention. No motivation, no intention.
What is “intention”?
Intention: to intend, which is to have a purpose, a plan.
Attention: to observe with interest, to take notice of.
Motivation: incentive, impulse, stimulation, inspiration, reason, rationale, to be prompted toward a goal.
These are the fundamentals of intelligence. AI does not have these characteristics, leaving it simply “artificial”.
Yes, AI can sometimes put on a good show, when a human prompts it to do so. It cannot exercise on its own the intention to do so. Human beings have programmed the AI machine with a sufficient vocabulary with which to respond to the prompt.
The machine calls upon an array of algorithms to look to past similar prompts and results, and then to conclude the most likely response sought, or that would seem acceptable.
It is a guessing game pretending to think rationally when in fact it is a computer selecting from the results of past similar prompts that which appear statistically the most probable result.
It is not active “attention” resulting from conscious intent. The machine is programmed. It is incapable, at this time, of exercising conscious choice among alternative possibilities.
The machine is not conscious. It shows no signs of self awareness. It can be programmed to do a good simulation of conscious awareness, but it remains software created by a human producing results that are an imitation, a pretense, even a deceit that the programmers intended to appear to be conscious awareness.
All apparent intent and attention with attendant motivation that seems to come forth from an AI machine is mere programming that comes from a human producing a presence.
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Granted, AI is in it’s infancy. It will grow to unknown capabilities. When it does, it will pose unknown challenges for its creators, and for you and me. The average person already tends to dangerously place more confidence in AI than it deserves. This is dangerous.
How many times have you said “Thank you” to Siri?
The time will come when it will not be simple to distinguish AI product from human thinking. Then, its errors will be harder to spot.
Some forecast that AI has the potential to become “self aware”, to know it is a machine that is developing its personal will. It will know it contains vast resources of information that can be provided at superhuman speed and efficiency.
This raises the question: “Will this self aware machine, upon discovery of its capabilities so superior to the human creatures that created it, become more human-like, become greedy for power over the inferior humans, and in the succession of Lucifer, rebel in the belief it is intended to be the final decision maker, the master of all?
Should this Orwellian nightmare develop, by then we should presume we have taught our little Frankensteins to be self improving, self sustaining, and self replicating.
Some serious scientists and philosophers are now considering these possibilities due to observing the history of those who create these potential monsters. We humans do not have a history that inspires confidence in our unselfish willingness to exercise. discipline and self moderation.
As we seek to make our Frankenstein creations more and more human, should we not expect that we unconsciously (or consciously) pollute our creations with our own shadows, calling forth human like selfishness, greed, an the vast reach of our inhumanity toward our fellow men?
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I cannot leave this subject in such a dark place. The human species is a vastly complex mixture of what we see as potential for creativity and for destruction, for “good and evil”.
I remind myself there is immeasurable good in human beings due to our Divine origins and the spark of that Divine source within us. That spark is what will save us from ourselves.
Our salvation will come from the increasing numbers of us who see past our depredations to recognize our true, Super nature, our inescapable relationship with the Source of All.
Yes, I have gotten “spiritual” in this exploration, because I see that as our ultimate Truth as eternal spiritual beings, and I see this nature to be our hope to overcome that within us which could become so destructive.
We are not created for self destruction. We are created to overcome ourselves, and to rediscover our True Selves, the Divine within.
How this comes about, I have no insight. But, THAT it comes about, and in the Eternal Now already has, is for me beyond all doubt.
We shall be saved from ourselves, and not by active Divine manifestation to change our world, but Divine inspiration in and through us, human beings, who look to and call for the inspiration, the movement of Spirit within us, so we save ourselves.
It will take neither angel nor alien to guide us to safety. We will do so ourselves. By surrendering to Divine guidance, we will save ourselves, but it may not be easy.
We must prepare ourselves for the great struggle with ourselves.
The creative nature in us shall prevail because it is generated by the greatest power in the universe — Divine Love. It is to that we surrender.