为什么技术奇点可能是一个“空洞的概念”
(对当前关于奇点将高度不连续和具有破坏性的叙述的反思)
技术奇点的概念是一个假设的未来事件,指的是人工超智能超越人类智能,导致人类文明发生不可预见的变化,这一话题多年来一直引发人们的关注和担忧。然而,有几个理由表明,奇点可能不会像一些人预测的那样具有破坏性或重要性。在本文中,我们将探讨五个关键理由,说明技术奇点可能只是一个“空洞的概念”。
1. 对超智能的抵制
奇点可能对日常生活没有深远影响的主要原因之一是,人们可能不愿意承认和听从所谓的超智能存在。人类对权威人物,尤其是那些声称拥有超凡知识或能力的人,具有天然的怀疑倾向。即使出现了超智能的人工智能,许多人也可能会质疑其可信度,并在日常决策中抵制其影响。
历史表明,人们往往更倾向于依赖自己的判断和直觉,而不是盲目跟随专家或权威人物的建议。在涉及人工智能时,这种倾向可能会更加明显,因为人们可能将其视为对自己自主性和生活方式的威胁。因此,超智能对社会的影响可能会受到人们接受并将其指导融入生活的意愿的限制。
2. 确定超智能的困难
奇点可能不如一些人认为的重要的另一个原因是,定义和识别超智能将非常具有挑战性。智能是一个复杂且多面的概念,涵盖了推理、解决问题、学习和创造力等多种能力。即使在不同的人类之间,也没有普遍接受的智能定义或衡量标准,通常很难在不同领域或背景下比较个体的智能。
鉴于这种复杂性,确定一个人工智能是否真正达到了超智能将更加困难。即使一个人工智能系统在特定任务或领域表现出卓越的能力,也不一定会被所有人视为超智能。专家和公众之间可能会就某个特定的人工智能系统是否符合超智能的标准进行持续的辩论和分歧,这可能会限制其对社会的影响和作用。
3. 人工智能的局限性
机器智能与人类智能之间的根本差异可能会永久性地限制人工智能的范围和适用性。这可以通过类比来理解。例如,飞机可以飞行,但它们并不能替代鸟类。同样,潜艇可以在水中游动,但它们并不能替代鱼类。同样,旨在模仿人类智能的机器可能永远无法完美替代人类智能或智力,因为它们在结构上存在不兼容性和差异(生物有机体与硅基机器)。这种差距在可预见的未来可能依然存在。
当代的人工智能系统主要依赖于在庞大数据集上训练的狭窄、特定领域的算法。它们缺乏人类所具备的通用智能和多样性,这使我们能够从经验中学习、将知识应用于不同领域,并应对新颖的情境。即使硅基机器在信息检索、逻辑推理、文本问答、分析、科学研究和发现等特定领域最终超过我们,它们能否模拟人类能力的程度仍然不确定。
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(A counterpoint to the prevailing narrative that singularity will be highly discontinuous and disruptive)<p>The concept of the technological singularity, a hypothetical future event where artificial superintelligence surpasses human intelligence and leads to unforeseeable changes in human civilization, has been a topic of fascination and concern for many years. However, there are several reasons to believe that the singularity may not be as disruptive or as significant as some predict. In this essay, we will explore five key reasons why the technological singularity might be a "big nothing."<p>1. Resistance to Adopting Superintelligence One of the main reasons why the singularity may not have a profound impact on daily life is that people will likely be unwilling to recognize and listen to a "so-called" superintelligent being. Humans have a natural tendency to be skeptical of authority figures, especially those that claim to have superior knowledge or abilities. Even if a superintelligent AI were to emerge, many people would likely question its credibility and resist its influence in their daily decision-making processes.<p>History has shown that people often prefer to rely on their own judgment and intuition rather than blindly following the advice of experts or authority figures. This tendency is likely to be even more pronounced when it comes to an artificial intelligence, as people may view it as a threat to their autonomy and way of life. As a result, the impact of superintelligence on society may be limited by people's willingness to accept and integrate its guidance into their lives.<p>2. Difficulty in Identifying Superintelligence Another reason why the singularity may not be as significant as some believe is that it will be very challenging to define and recognize superintelligence. Intelligence is a complex and multifaceted concept that encompasses a wide range of abilities, including reasoning, problem-solving, learning, and creativity. Even among humans, there is no universally accepted definition or measure of intelligence, and it is often difficult to compare the intelligence of individuals across different domains or contexts.<p>Given this complexity, it will be even more challenging to determine whether an artificial intelligence has truly achieved superintelligence. Even if an AI system demonstrates remarkable abilities in specific tasks or domains, it may not necessarily be considered superintelligent by everyone. There will likely be ongoing debates and disagreements among experts and the general public about whether a particular AI system qualifies as superintelligent, which could limit its impact and influence on society.<p>3. Limitations of Artificial Intelligence Fundamental differences between machine intelligence and human intelligence may permanently limit the scope and applicability of AI. This can be understood through analogies. For example planes can fly, but they aren't a replacement for birds. Similarly, submarines can swim, but they aren't a replacement for fish. Likewise a machine built to mimic human intelligence may never be a perfect replacement of human intelligence or intellect, due to structural incompatibilities and differences (biological organism vs silicon machine). The gap may remain this way for the foreseeable future.<p>Contemporary AI systems predominantly rely on narrow, domain-specific algorithms trained on vast datasets. They lack the general intelligence and versatility that humans possess, which enables us to learn from experience, apply knowledge across diverse domains, and navigate novel scenarios. The degree to which silicon machines can emulate human capabilities remains uncertain, even if they eventually surpass us in specific areas such as information retrieval, logical reasoning, textual Q&A, analysis, scientific research and discovery.<p><To be continued>