The question of what makes us human and what gives our life meaning is approaching us like a bullet train.
Today we woke up in a world where speaking to AI seems as natural and easy as speaking to another person. And if you haven't seen the demo, check out the video of the Spring Update event by OpenAI. The web already full of posts and examples.
We know that new and difficult question are heading towards us. If we like it or not. Shall we speak to a colleague or to #AI, if we know that AI gives us more comprehensive and insightful answers? Shall we give the elderly an AI friend to talk to, if no one of their family visits them? And will our doctor be the first or second opinion we ask for, when we are having symptoms? What do our children need to learn and know in the future?
We not even at the end of the beginning
While many speak and write about how ChatGpT has revolutionized our lives, the biggest and most dramatic changes driven by AI are yet to come. In fact, we are just at the very start of the early phase in the age of #AritificialIntelligence.
AI will not only take over tasks and research and give us surplus time that we can (and are forced to) use for something else . It will change our entire perception of why we are getting up in the morning, of what matters in life and of what makes us happy.
Three big questions about AI
GPT-4o can now detect and react to your emotions. It seems logical that it will soon learn what triggers these emotions. In other words, AI might soon have the ability to make us laugh, cry, angry, feel encouraged, self confident etc. Or even blend us and give us false hopes (if you are interested to dive deeper into this topics I recommend this article about some recent studies)
Apart from the ethical problems that follow along (which I will not dive into to in this article), it also raises three fundamental questions:
- if AI can interact with us like with emotions that resemble those of a human, combined with an endless inventory of knowledge and creativity, what is it that makes us human still unique?
- if AI can solve our tasks, knows how we (or our customers) feel and how to react to it in the best possible way, what is there left to do for humans?
- if AI can almost solve any problem for us. What do we want it to do?
AI might not only know best how to design and build a webshop for shoes. It might also know what kind of shoes you need the most. In fact, it might even know that it is not a new pair of shoes that makes you happy, but a new pair of sunglasses - order it for you, without you even have to visit the shop.
Why make decisions ourselves if AI has the best answer already?
Because in the end, it's not about the shoes or the sunglasses. Is it? It is about the sensation.
The need for new professions and skills
It is apparent that AI will take over many tasks done by humans today. But there are some things it cannot and will not in the foreseeable future
It cannot - for instance - brew, taste and enjoy a hot espresso, as I enjoy them in the mornings (if you think that caffeine is bad, please leave me in my fantasy world :)
taken this morning
Actually, there are some important questions that we "primitive" human beings still need to answer by ourselves:
- What makes us happy?
- What gives our life purpose?
- How do we want to treat others?
Having a robot solve more and more tasks, leaves us no choice but to focus on these essential questions of life. And with that will come a need for professionals who know how to master those and help businesses stay competitive. People who know how to create these sensations for you. For user. And for potential customers. And restrain AI to a level where the risk is limited and the ultimate purpose is a better world for those who created AI. Hopefully.
A demand for entirely new professions will emerge. A new type of engineers, designers, doctors and specialists that know how to craft "happy moments", "satisfaction journeys" and safe and sustainable AI relationships.
What titles can you imagine? Sensation Engineer? AI-Patient-Interaction Researcher? AI Protection Officer? Happiness Designer? I don't have the answers. But I am sure AI already has...
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