The AI Bride

Can it happen? of course it can. The infinitely obedient, ever docile and submissive bride that will fulfill your every whim and desire. Who is divinely beautiful and heart ‘stoppingly’ desirable. Faultless will she be in everything. Or the AI hubby. I can’t wait, or…or perhaps I can. I’m prepared to wait for an eternity, until the end of time. And hope against hope that it would never happen. This would mean the ultimate act of arrogance, perhaps human ingenuity running amok. Something that can replace or challenge humanity itself, or try to.

I love science. I really do. Who doesn’t? who can afford not to? Every time I sat at the dentist’s chair, gone under the surgeon’s knife, hopped on a flight, gone to the cinemas, gotten the Covid jab…it’s a never ending list, science overwhelms me and I immerse myself in gratitude, voluntarily. Science vs philosophy (religion) has been a perennial battle. Humanity has been divided on this battleground, brutal battles were fought, are fought and will be fought until the end of time. Some blood has been shed. But…not for me. I have had the privilege of enjoying the utmost clarity on the topic. To me science complements philosophy or religion, it completes it, perfects it. Philosophy or faith has always been the framework, the domain which science cannot occupy. My conscience tells me so, this little voice that can never be made to shut up, this judge that always beckons me to the truth and goodness in life. This little ally that reaches out when I recede and recedes as I reach out. The little voice that science may and will struggle to explain.

Conscience fleshes out the natural law of the world. The natural law that the western philosophers of ancient Greece or some of the more famous philosophers and saints of the East and West have spoken of. What is this natural law? It is the moral code – truth, justice, beauty, temperance, courage and wisdom that together cut across, races, tribes, and skin colours. That which is made known by itself to all humanity regardless of whether it’s systematically taught or not. We all know or have a gist of what is universally good or bad. I don’t think science can explain this. Even the most unbelieving scientist or inventor would subscribe to some moral virtue/s such as goodness, truth or justice when they throw themselves to their work, to discover something for the common good of humanity. Of course there are exceptions such as psychopaths, sadists, mercenaries or narcissists. But they are a vast minority as research would have it. Thank God for that.

But AI…AI, this is moving fast. Really fast. Is it the fastest growing scientific phenomenon or endeavour? I wouldn’t be surprised. It can read , write and perform research activities, perhaps millions times faster than man, and in a fraction of the time or man time. Driverless cars is just the tip of the iceberg. In short it can replicate you or surpass you. You will be shocked by your own capabilities, by your AI capabilities that is. Education, marketing, research, medicine, cinema, once again I’m in a never-ending loop. As mentioned before if they are better than us, at least in cognitive capability, why would an employer need us? Of course it’s super expensive now, but not for long. As always science will force prices down almost overnight. This will eventually be the cheapest iteration of labour. I’m sweating as I write and it’s freezing outside. I fear for my own kids and their future.

The question is not that AI will be a better me, intellectually at least, but anything that is artificially made can be stolen or owned. I may lose the copyright to my own existence. I can be an intellectual slave to someone or the world at large. I can be a living IP to be contested and negotiated on a piece of paper. There will be no hiding place, safe enough to escape. I feel naked already and I sweat with renewed vigour.

But…but, all that is well and good. But as mentioned before how can AI mimic my conscience, how can it negotiate the natural law of the planet. How can it embrace the moral code that underpins humanity. I’m stuck here, perhaps it is just me. And the brains that be behind AI may have already figured it out. But, I don’t want to know.

Still science is good. I am excited…and scared.