London — New scientific advancements and engineering feats have always generated both excitement and concern. The trend continues with OpenAI’s recent announcement anticipating the development of “superintelligence” AI surpassing human capabilities within this decade. OpenAI is dedicating significant resources to ensuring that such advanced AI systems align with human values, aiming to prevent scenarios reminiscent of the 1984 science fiction thriller, The Terminator. The organization is calling for top machine-learning researchers and engineers to join this effort.
Philosophy has been instrumental in AI since its early days. One of AI’s first major achievements was the 1956 computer program, the Logic Theorist, created by Allen Newell and Herbert Simon. This program proved theorems using propositions from Principia Mathematica, a foundational work by philosophers Alfred North Whitehead and Bertrand Russell, aiming to base all mathematics on a single logical foundation.
The early focus on logic in AI can be traced back to philosophical debates. German philosopher Gottlob Frege’s development of modern logic in the late 19th century, Kurt Gödel’s theorems on completeness and incompleteness in the 1930s, and Alan Turing’s abstract concept of a computing machine in 1936 all significantly influenced AI’s foundational principles.
Philosophy’s Role in Modern AI
Even in the era of deep learning, philosophy remains relevant. For instance, large language models like those powering ChatGPT, which produce conversational text by tracking statistical patterns of language use, reflect the mid-20th-century ideas of Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein suggested that “the meaning of a word is its use in the language.”
Contemporary philosophical questions are also critical to AI. Can large language models truly understand language? Could they achieve consciousness? These questions delve into the “hard problem” of consciousness, which some philosophers argue might be beyond the scope of science alone.
Human Values and AI Alignment
OpenAI’s efforts to align AI behavior with human values highlight the intersection of technology and philosophy. Ensuring AI systems act in ways consistent with human values is not just a technical challenge but also a social one, requiring input from philosophers, social scientists, lawyers, policymakers, and citizens.
The rising power and influence of tech companies pose significant concerns for democracy. British barrister and author Jamie Susskind has proposed building a “digital republic” that addresses the underlying systems supporting the tech industry and its impact on society.
AI also influences philosophy, harking back to Aristotle’s formal logic and Gottfried Leibniz’s 17th-century vision of a “calculus ratiocinator” a machine that could derive answers to philosophical and scientific questions. Today, some advocate for “computational philosophy,” which uses AI to simulate outcomes and address philosophical questions.
For example, the PolyGraphs project uses AI to simulate the effects of information sharing on social media, providing insights into how we should form our opinions. AI’s advancements give philosophers much to ponder and may even offer new answers to age-old questions.
Read Now:Indian Embassy Issues Advisory for Nationals in Israel Amid Escalating Tensions
