Dire warnings abound as experts tell us that Artificial Intelligence is almost a reality, if it isn’t already. Leaders in the technology, such as Elon Musk have even called for a 6 month moratorium on AI research, citing existential threats.
But in fact, this consensus is a myth. Not everyone who studies the field is convinced that AI is at hand, or that it is even ever possible.
In 2020, Ragnar Fjelland, Emeritus Professor at the Centre for the Study of Sciences and the Humanities at Bergen University wrote an essay for the journal Nature, titled “Why general artificial intelligence will not be realized.” It is long and complex, but very much worth reading as a caution not to accept the reality of AI too easily.
Drawing on the work of scientists and philosophers dating back to Plato, the line from Fjelland that stands out is, “to put it simply: The overestimation of technology is closely connected with the underestimation of humans.” This means that in our rush to declare the reality of AI, what we are really doing is dumbing down the very concept of human intelligence.
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