The Theological Implications of Artificial Inteligence

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

@Rneely

There are some individuals who are prominent in OpenCog and related groups who have made Hong Kong their base for quite a number of years. In particular Ben Goertzel provides regular commentary for the singularitarians and Sophia from Hanson Robotics has been excellent marketing for them despite the obvious deployment of chatscripts.

Is anyone taking this as anything more seriously than a manifesto plus a chat bot? I don’t see the substance here.

@Rneely

I would expect that some members of the audience for your talk will be aware of these views and may pose questions that reference them.

Thanks for the head’s up. Content has changed somewhat:

@swamidass

Of Apes and Artificial Minds: The Paradox of Human Exceptionality

One of the grand questions of all great art, literature, and philosophy: what does it meant to be human? This is a central question in science and also in theology. These two views of the world seem to present contrasting pictures. Are we similar with the other animals, or are we different? Are we exceptional creatures or rather unremarkable? Scientists teach we are just like the other animals, with 98% similar to chimpanzees. Theologians teach we are of the Image of God. A full telling of both, however, reveals the paradox of the human condition. Theologians teach that we were made with the “breadth of God,” but we are also “of the dust.” Scientists teach that we are genetically modified apes, but we are also more than just apes. Far from a settled question, new challenges are arising with artificial intelligence. Someday, the paradox of exceptionality might extend to the artificial minds that we ourselves create. Facing the hope and risks of new technology, both science and theology call us to remember our origins as we contemplate the future. For better and for worse, we have been reshaping ourselves and our world for millennium. In a changing world of technological world, the ancient questions are just as relevant now as they ever were.