Rethinking Artificial Intelligence

joshpeterson (58)in #artificial-intelligence • 7 years ago (edited)

^{The following is an introduction contained within a larger corpus dedicated to researching the impact of artificial intelligence on elections and the development of society at large. Artificial intelligence is an ever evolving definition, and use of the term requires the author and reader to make certain assumptions. Given the problematic nature of this term, I've included a link to the Wikipedia article on A.I. in the body of this post so we can move forward with the rest of the discussion without too much hand-wringing.}

^{The full essay, "Will Robots Want to Vote? An Investigation into the Implications of Artificial Intelligence for Liberty and Democracy," was written as part of a fellowship for The Fund for American Studies Robert Novak Journalism Program. For an introduction to the premise of the project, please read my speech, Will Robots Want to Vote? For an introductory summary to the final essay, please read, This will begin to make things right. The project will be presented as a multi-part series.}

^{A special thanks to Leialoha Zane Petrulo, Billy McMorris, Zachary Gorelick, John Farley, and the Fund for American Studies for your support and your guidance on this project.}

^{If you liked this post, please consider sharing, commenting, and upvoting. Thank you in advance. - Josh}

^{Est. Reading Time: 1 min}

^{Image Credit/Source: Max Pixel | License: CCO}

What if the prophecies of an impending robot apocalypse are not about the future, but about a past we’ve already endured and a present we’re currently living? Not only does this change how we should talk about artificial intelligence, as well as our own humanity, but it also presents a different unwritten future that holds new and more hopeful possibilities for liberty and democracy.

When America's Founding Fathers first declared their independence from England, they couldn’t have imagined that in the future the citizens of their new nation would one day have to consider the impact something like printing presses with minds of their own would have on the nation’s ability to self-govern.

The Founders were concerned with commerce and the sciences, national defense, and the rights of man. The questions many are asking now about the future of artificial intelligence would be more akin to a mix between a fairy tale like Pinnochio, a children’s story about a wooden puppet come to life, and a horror story like Frankenstein, a tale often invoked when discussing technological nightmares.

Read almost any news article on the state of artificial intelligence and the sense that we await a science fiction dystopia comes through immediately, even if it’s not stated outright. “The robots are getting smarter and they’re coming to kill us," they read, like a modern-day refrain from Paul Revere’s Ride.

In order to better understand the conversation surrounding artificial intelligence and why massive amounts of brainpower are being to devoted to anticipating its impact on the future of work, we would then need to first look first to the past for answers.

Thank you for reading,

- Josh

^{Josh Peterson is a 2016 Robert Novak Journalism Program Fellow} ^{and a writer living in Denver, CO. Follow Josh on Steemit and} ^Twitter. ^Keybase ^{for secure chat. PGP Fingerprint: 4507 3000 1A40 2691 DAB8 ED65 A3EA 3629 73FD B7FF.} ^{$BTC: 14LE7Jv4NZXgtWq876RUdSUVKfZs7rcnzf}