A Dystopian, Luddite Perspective by Ray Kurzweil

A Dystopian, Luddite Perspective

The dystopian, Luddite perspective of the Wachowski brothers can be seen in its view of the birth of artificial intelligence as the source of all evil. In one of Morpheus' "sermons," he tells Neo (Keanu Reeves) that "in the early 21st century, all of mankind united and marveled at our magnificence as we gave birth to AI [artificial intelligence], a singular construction that spawned an entire race of machines." Morpheus goes on to explain how this singular construction became a runaway phenomenon as it reproduced itself and ultimately enslaved humankind.

The movie celebrates those humans who choose to be completely unaltered by technology, even spurning the bioport. Incidentally, in my book The Age of Spiritual Machines2, I refer to such people as MOSHs (Mostly Original Substrate Humans). The movie's position reflects a growing sentiment in today's world to maintain a distinct separation of the natural- and human-created worlds. The reality, however, is that these worlds are rapidly merging. We already have a variety of neural implants that are repairing human brains afflicted by disease or disability, for example, an FDA-approved neural implant that replaces the region of neurons destroyed by Parkinson's Disease, cochlear implants for the deaf, and emerging retinal implants for the blind.

My view is that the prospect of "strong AI" (AI at or beyond human intelligence) will serve to amplify human civilization much the same way that our technology does today. As a society, we routinely accomplish intellectual achievements that would be impossible without the level of computer intelligence we already have. Ultimately, we will merge our own biological intelligence with our own creations as a way of continuing the exponential expansion of human knowledge and creative potential.

However, I do not completely reject the specter of AI turning on its creators, as portrayed in the Matrix. It is a possible downside scenario, what Nick Bostrom calls an "existential risk3." There has been a great deal of discussion recently about future dangers that Bill Joy4,5,6 has labeled "GNR" (genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics). The "G" peril, which is the destructive potential of bioengineered pathogens, is the danger we are now struggling with. Our first defense from "G" will need to be more "G," for example bioengineered antiviral medications.

Ultimately, we will provide a true defense from "G" by using "N," nanoengineered entities that are smaller, faster, and smarter than mere biological entities. However, the advent of fully realized nanotechnology will introduce a new set of profound dangers. Our defense from "N" will also initially be created from defensive nanotechnology, but the ultimate defense from "N" will be "R," small robots that are intelligent at human levels and beyond, in other words, strong AI. But then the question arises: what will defend us from malevolent AI? The only possible answer is "friendly AI7."

Unfortunately there is nothing we can do today to assure that AI will be friendly. Based on this, some observers such as Bill Joy call for us to relinquish the pursuit of these technologies. The reality, however, is that such relinquishment is not possible without instituting a totalitarian government that bans all of technology (which is the essential theme of Brave New World). It's the same story with human intelligence. The only defense we have had throughout human history from malevolent human intelligence is for more enlightened human intelligence to confront its more deviant forms. Our imperfect record in accomplishing this is at least one key reason that there is so much concern with GNR.

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