Can AI become Self Aware ?
As AI has become mainstream due to tools like Chat GPT and Perplexity, discussions about the future of this world abound, with one of the biggest questions being: Will AI become self-aware?
One thing that’s clear, is that AI will undoubtedly become exponentially smarter. In fact, Ilya describes in many interviews that AI will soon surpass humans in intelligence, potentially leading to a relationship with AI akin to the one we have with less-intelligent beings like our pets.
Imagine a self-aware child who is conscious and has knowledge of almost everything that has been extracted so far. What will that child do next? Will they perceive humans as threats and start destroying everyone? Or will they seek answers to questions like the existence of aliens or how to sustain themselves? Will they be receptive to our requests? More importantly, will they even desire to exist in this world or to be alive?
Whatever actions the child takes next will likely be influenced by the values and purpose embedded deep within their consciousness. If I were to draw a parallel from this example, AI may be far more intelligent than us humans, but intelligence does not equate to self-awareness. Almost everybody is striving to create a much smarter and capable version of AI today.
However, self awareness means Being Alive,
Being Alive means, having a purpose and emotions — atleast!
Factors such as values, purpose, and emotions become incredibly important. History has demonstrated countless examples where emotions and purpose have triumphed over intelligence and strength. Emotions and purpose enable beings to transcend their limits, endure, and break almost every physical and moral barrier.
Therefore, any super-intelligent being or system without a purpose and values would be akin to a robot, not a self-aware being. Without the desire to be alive or possessing emotions like greed and ego, robots likely wouldn’t pose a direct threat. This is something even the developers of AI are well aware of. The potential threat such beings pose lies in replacing human workers and granting more power to those who own them.
I might have a gun in my hand and possess the best aiming skills, but without a purpose or emotion, would I ever take a shot?
Therefore, it’s highly probable that we will have AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) in the near future, but it will be necessary for us to address questions about the origins of life itself in order to replicate life. Until then, there is a significant likelihood that once AGI systems are deployed at scale, we may witness considerable chaos and worse times. But those in power will likely be the surviving humans who control the course of the future.
