Recently, fake videos of actress Katrina and Mandana went viral, and people started talking about the possible dangers. People were not so worried when it was suggested that such videos and AI-generated content could influence the outcome of elections and how the masses react to events. Slowly, people realised that more is possible. If the wheels of technology change – and more specifically, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its different avatars accelerate and remain uncontrolled, the human race would be doomed. The more significant fear and problem is that maybe it has already entered a phase where it is no longer controllable.
Niti Ayog is not off the mark when its strategy document for AI in India says, “AI. is poised to disrupt our world. With intelligent machines enabling high-level cognitive processes like thinking, perceiving, learning, problem-solving and decision-making, coupled with advances in data collection and aggregation, analytics and computer processing power, AI presents opportunities to complement and supplement human intelligence and enrich how people live and work”.
However, we all know that knives are not the problem. The problem is how to use it. You can use it to cut the vegetable or to murder someone. Similarly, the rope can be used to climb a wall or commit suicide. AI is such a knife and rope that we are unsure of possibilities and the direction we can/will take. So, it is okay if most want to cut vegetables. But, there will be few who would like to put it to other use, which could be decisive.
Duality in Life.
I firmly believe in the Duality in life. Two sides of the same coin concept. So, if there is so much positive potential, there must be a set of potentially harmful and hazardous possibilities. It does not matter whether we have been able to think through them, recognise or not.
There is a strong lobby crying for universal collective control of the progress of AI and the way and speed at which the technology is evolving. Of course, some naysayers poo-poo these sensible voices.
Remember, typically, crime has always been ahead of the law. And the case of A.I. is no different. However, the scale of dynamic changes and possibilities in AI make this chase and gap threaten the human race.
AI – The Bhasmasura.
Many readers would know the Bhasmasura story. The Rakshash was granted a boon by Bhole Bhandari- Bhole Nath- Har Har Mahadev. The boon was simple. Whoever’s head Bhasmasura will keep his hand, that being will turn to Ashes. Once the boon was granted, Bhasmasura wanted to keep his hand on Shiva’s head. To save the situation, Bhagwan Vishnu had to take Mohani’s (attractive) disguise and flirt with Basmasura. Mohini agreed to marry Bhasmasura if he could defeat/copy her in dance. The Dance started. At one stage, Mohini keeps her hand on her head, and Bhasmasura copies it- thus turning himself into Ashes.
The question is simple. Have we created a technology Bhasmasura?
The answer seems more Yes than No.
Many will still defend it, saying how we develop and utilise it remains to be seen. These people believe they will have AI under control and never allow it to fight the human race. For them, AI will always remain the protector! The other side says, ‘The day A.I. is capable of talking, feeling, and reacting to emotions like desire, ambition, love, and care and can create without the help of humans, the machines would rebel. By then, humans will be redundant for the planet or slaves of the machines’. Now, this seems far-fetched to many and a distant future to many. True, time will have the answer. I am on the side of people who believe that we are doomed.
Now, this raises the second question. Do we have a Mohini ready for AI Bhasmasura?
The answer is capital NO.
AI- THE GLOBAL WARNING.
The Global leaders recognise the possibilities. They do know that unless reined well and AI’s path and progress is controlled, AI Could Cause ‘Catastrophic’ Harm. 298 Governments, Including the U.K., the U.S., and China, have agreed to cooperate to evaluate the risk of Artificial Intelligence collectively. All agree on harnessing and regulating artificial intelligence under the Bletchley Declaration.
The document emphasises that ‘AI should be designed, developed, deployed, and used, in a safe manner, in such a way as to be human-centric, trustworthy and responsible. AI should be used to promote inclusive economic growth, sustainable development and innovation to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. And that we all must foster public trust and confidence in AI systems to fully realise their potential.’
They agree that ‘There is potential for serious, even catastrophic, harm, either deliberate or unintentional, stemming from the most significant capabilities of these A.I. models”. And if you read them, it clearly shows significant distrust in how it is developing. And we do not trust that AI will only work in ways that benefit the human race. Job loss is no longer a possibility but something that could significantly change the fabric of the society. The role AI can play in disinformation, fake news and security breaches is no longer a bad dream. It is a reality. It could end with major cyber attacks freezing the national networks or designing weapons against Humans. May one day even rebel against the very creator of AI’.
AI Future Uncertain and Opaque.
Like every other technology in the past, AI is definitely ahead of regulators.
Regulators are still trying to come up with terms of Global C0llective Regulation.
They thus keep the door open for toxicity, misinformation, weaponisation, rogue controls and unintended developments.
The safety and security of individual independent nations come first. So, while they talk of collective initiative, individual countries are busy creating their own regulatory frameworks.
U.S. has been off the block with an executive order that necessarily asks companies working in the A.I. space to assess the impact of technology on national security risks before letting the public use or experience it.
The European Union’s AI Act is an absolute outreach, and no one expects the stringent rules to be followed.
There is a problem of agreement between the state and the organisation regarding what is relevant and impactful and what is too much of a constraint.
We continue to debate which organisations should be exempt from the restrictions. We all know and recognise that just one such exemption can backfire on the human race.
No one knows, and no one can wholly appreciate the possibilities.
We are thus in no position to create regulations, and the technology is evolving at a pace that the time is running out for us.
NETNET.
This is the time to act. Take a stance and operate.
If the fear is real, the regulations should also be real and practical, evolving with time.
We should be able to react to and regulate the four distinct AI technology types. The reactive, limited memory, Theory of mind, and self-aware A.I.
When Emotive AI gets developed with the Theory of mind, when it starts becoming tough to differentiate between humans and machines and when the machines start making decisions just like the humans- the results will be more damaging.
When we have ‘Self-N-Aware AI’, where the machine is aware of its own emotions and the emotions of others around it, they have a level of consciousness and intelligence similar to human beings. It will be the stage of A.I. with desires, needs, and ambitions.
We all know what happens when such feelings are hotwired to memory and the mind that can remember, decide and execute.
The problem is not that we are getting there. The problem is that we will get there one way or the other.
It is possible that the 10th Avatar of Bhagwan Vishu, Kalki, is a hugely strong, fast, independent super A.I. with state of mind awareness and full of Human emotions, capable of reflecting and meditating. Capable of thinking, planning and executing plans full of desperate ambitions and desires… then for the human race, the time will start running out. The fight for survival will begin, and then there can only be one winner- the Bhasmasura- unless we have a Mohini in place.
