From "How" to "What" in the era of humans and AI
Transitioning from the “how” to the “what” era:
We are accelerating the transition from the “how” to the “what” era. “How” will be outsourced to AI and machines run by AI. This trend has already started, the people who can afford it are more worried about the “what” then about the “how”.
The Role of Cognition in Humans and AI:
For us humans to figure out the "how" in a quickly changing environment, cognition is needed. It allows us to perceive our environments and take the necessary actions to survive.
Cognition is in fact a hallucination of what's around us but perceived in a way that makes sense to us. It’s critical, so that we can take the necessary steps to survive. Reality is shaped by our cognition. This fact is known thanks to the discoveries in quantum science, neuroscience and computer science.
When people talk about AI they talk about intelligence. In fact, AI's “intelligence” is a different kind of cognition which perceives the world differently. It's the same world as ours but “hallucinated” in a different way. AI’s cognition is not human.
AI's intelligence is a hallucination of the world but a different hallucination from the human one.
Comparison of Human and AI Intelligence:
AI is not more intelligent; it has a broader intelligence and it has a different intelligence. But since humans consider their own intelligence a standard for general intelligence, and since AI will be able to understand every area of human intelligence if we introduce it to it, humans consider it "more intelligent". The truth is, it has a different intelligence, that we don't have. That’s why AI will provide insights into things that human intelligence couldn’t possibly discover alone.
AI Enhancing Human Capabilities:
An example: AI is for the brain what a car is for the legs. Remember Steve Jobs who said that the computer is like a bicycle for the brain. AI is a natural evolution from the computer. The computer is about to evolve from a bicycle to a car to a plane. It enhances human capabilities by serving the same original purpose but in a different way. And it evolves form there in unpredictable directions.
Since AI knows how to do things and might start doing things for us, humans will be exposed to new ideas and things all the time. By spending so much time with it, humans will inevitably be influenced by AI.
The Influence of AI on Human Behaviour and Cognition:
We will all interact with our own AI output, which means even adults will start to turn out very different over time. The trend of becoming more unique and following individual desires has already started and will be significantly emphasized with AI.
We humans will not forget how to use our own cognition. We will have more options of when and how to use our own cognition. AI will give us more flexibility in using our brain.
As with using our legs to go do our grocery shopping, and not use our car to drive 200 meters, some of us will be too lazy to use our brains to think the simplest thoughts. That’s inevitable.
Comparisons and Potential of AI:
With the wheel, we built cars, bikes, trains and planes. Things that weren't imaginable or seemed impossible before. With the current AI, we can already fold proteins and master the most complex human games, like Go. The type of AI itself will evolve through human ingenuity, integrating capabilities that are currently researched. One could imagine creating AI with recursive self-improvement or complete autonomy over time.
Power and Control with AI:
What happens with the different forms of AI is completely in the hands of us humans, since we can define what we want AI to do. We have the power to decide and choose. It's important: we can choose what we want to do, and AI will know how and do it for us.