Essay 5: The Future of Artificial Intelligence

“One day the AIs are going to look back on us the same way we look at fossil skeletons on the

plains of Africa. An upright ape living in dust with crude language and tools, all set for

extinction”-Nathan,

Ex Machina

Background:

In the 2015 movie, Ex Machina, Nathan, an eccentric genius, develops Ava, a robot who is somehow conscious. Through the film, Ava is put through multiple experiments only to outsmart her creator in the end and integrate herself in human society. The film is fictitious, of course, but it is not as far from the possible as we may think. From self-driving cars to Siri enabled phones,

in recent years, humanity has made great advances in technology. The next big technological step may be the development of such impressive artificial intelligence that it is indistinguishable from humans, with its own ability to think, feel, perceive, make decisions and respond. While many scientists are enthralled by the idea of a fully conscious AI, others fear that it may one day

outsmart humanity and lead to dangerous consequences. In your articles from the past few weeks, you have seen arguments on both sides of the spectrum.

Now it is time to take your own stance. For this essay, answer the question below, using support from the articles we read for class and additional sources if needed (not required but recommended)

Prompt:

Will the development of artificial intelligence be beneficial or destructive for

humanity? In what way?