The Wizard of Oz
My Chief Argentine Correspondent (who is not the pope, incidentally) has advised me — through his blog Quod scripsi, scripsi — against taking Artificial Intelligence to heart.
He begins by citing David Berlinsky:
“An algorithm is a finite procedure, written in a fixed symbolic vocabulary, governed by precise instructions, moving in discrete steps, 1, 2, 3 … whose execution requires no insight, cleverness, intuition, intelligence, or perspicuity, and that sooner or later comes to an end.”
This, for those who are alert, will dispose of the cult of “Artificial Intelligence.” AI hasn’t a will, or any originality; it cannot invent anything (except what is not true); it is as limiting as algorithms, programs, and applications. At best (or worst) it can only magnify many, many tedious acts of human stupidity, and make them go faster and faster. But behind everything is a little man hidden by a curtain. He is the wonderful Wizard of Oz!
My faithful Cosmolater (Carlos Caso-Rosendi) writes:
“Artificial Intelligence cannot be because intelligent thoughts are the products of a mind. Since there is no such thing as an artificial mind, there can be no such things as artificial intelligence or artificial thoughts.”
It was the same revelation about artificial life, in the ‘sixties. This could not be generated in a laboratory. Some tyros are still trying. They will always fail.
Oddly enough, a significant achievement of “intelligent design” research has been to show the impossibility of creating life. For God has put odds of ten to the ten thousandth in the way of every single step towards abiogenesis; enough to keep us busy until the end of time.
Biological life is also finite. It ends in death. And mind may not die, but cannot be touched; the life of spirit is further beyond comprehension. The spirit that animates our “artificial intelligence” project is mysteriously dark; but not therefore necessarily good. Indeed, were we not warned against it?
____________
A COMMENTER COMMENTS. — What AI seems to lack is desire. “All men want to know” (said Aristotle), at least before modernity encraps them. AI desires nothing, not even what it’s told to desire.