AI: A look in the mirror
Things are starting to look like we may be the only species that has a chance to stop its own potential demise. The apes never held hearings about Homo sapiens taking over, but Congress, Silicon Valley, and cable news talking heads are debating the future of artificial intelligence.
The book “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” states that about 70,000 years ago, something changed. An ordinary primate developed the ability to share stories that others believed, and to work together in large groups. That helped them build nations, markets, religions, and even baseball teams. We took over the Earth.
As Homo sapiens spread across continents, many animals disappeared forever. So did most of our human cousins. When you study their fossils carefully, it looks less like our family album and more like a crime scene.
So, let’s consider this: if chimpanzees and gorillas had understood what was coming, would they have tried to stop us while they could? Or would they have done what animals usually do: adapt, run, or disappear from existence?
We like to believe our dark side happened much later, but Neanderthals were not the knuckle-dragging cartoon figures we always see. They hunted together, learned how to use tools, and took care of their own. Yet they’re gone, and we did it. Wherever we humans went, other species disappeared. We didn’t just beat them, we erased them.
Imagine that story from their perspective. A fun cousin comes to visit, friendly and a great storyteller. They offer new ways to hunt and new partnerships. Then one winter, the best land belongs to them. The herds are moved away. Food becomes scarce. Your children grow hungry. Eventually, there is no one left to tell your side of the story.
If you read our human biography, it is not very flattering. Between our religious wars, territorial wars, and ego wars we wiped out millions upon millions of our own kind, too. Extinction layered upon extinction.
Now, for the first time, we are not the smartest in the room. Artificial intelligence already writes code, translates languages, and passes all the exams. Some systems even develop internal languages we can’t understand. Let’s face it, AI can be helpful, but it can also surprise us. Anyone who has tried to get Alexa or Siri to follow you understands that machines rely on their own logic.
Some AI critics are warning that millions of office jobs will disappear within a few years. In other words, humanity is about to experience what it feels like to be on the fuzzy end of the lollipop.
It’s actually kind of ironic. The species that got rid of every rival is getting worried about being dumped.
So what should we do? Regulate AI before it grows beyond our control? We know what happens when powerful tools spread faster than wisdom. Just watch our legislators talk about the internet on C-Span.
On the other hand, based on our gory past, why should we assume the planet is better off with us in charge? If a future intelligence decided that protecting our oceans, forests, and atmosphere required limiting the primates that damaged them, would that be morally worse than what we have already done?
Is there a third option? We could act with restraint. We could cooperate globally, work safely, and put guardrails in place. We could make sure AI is regulated. It could become a partner in helping us repair the damage we have caused.
Nah, I’m just kidding. You know savage capitalism will never take that route.
For tens of thousands of years, we have conquered rivals, environments, and each other. The real test is seeing if we can conquer our own worst impulses.
We are looking in the mirror. And this time, the mirror is starting to talk back.
Nick Jacobs resides in Windber.