Interview with Iuli Tsakalou
Your new book captures the great social challenges, benefits and threats that technology brings, laying down its primary philosophical interpretations. What was the trigger to begin the journey of this writing?
Technology is in my eyes the most exciting issue of our time – with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at its cutting edge. It will shape the future of humanity more drastically than anything else. From the laboratories of (T.N.), the web and biotechnology comes the spark of a true cosmogony. And as happens in every cosmogony, a new reality is born and an old one dies. So the trigger was for me to try to understand this new cosmogony, which is emerging at a dizzying pace. We seem to be approaching the beginnings not of a new era, but of a new planet.
21st century philosophy needs to contemplate this new world. What is its use, if not to distinguish the great issues with which each age is confronted? Due to the unprecedented speed with which (T.N.) and new technologies are developing, philosophy is called upon to testify its insight not only regarding what kind of world we are making – but also regarding what kind of world we want to make with the new massive technological forces, which can benefit or even destroy the well-being of humanity. We are the first generation in the multi-thousand-year history to be entrusted with the responsibility of managing them. Without sufficient prudence, it is possible that we will be one of the latter.
Reading the book raised many questions for me! Our intelligence is the power of everything;
Intelligence is a philosophically important phenomenon, therefore Artificial Intelligence is also a philosophically important phenomenon. Humans did not prevail on Earth over the rest of the creatures because, for example, we had more muscle power than they did. We prevailed because we had higher intelligence. Thanks to it we built every work: from the Pyramids or the Parthenon, to laws, states, sciences, religions and arts. (T.N.) is estimated to surpass human intelligence in the coming decades. And this emergence of (T.N.) incubates an unprecedented future. Since high intellectual judgment was the exclusive prerogative of man and thanks to her we made every piece of our culture (we composed music, split the atom, sent satellites into Space), (T.N.) breaks this monopoly of man and now acquires high intelligence itself. And herein lies a leading philosophical stake of the 21st century. Since high intelligence is the trait that allowed man to dominate the planet and (T.N.) will tend to reach or surpass man’s intelligence, will man be able to control something more intelligent than that?
Will man be able to control something more intelligent than himself;
It is a central question that I delve into in the book, from which many other political and existential issues flow. It is important to realize that the control of a future advanced (T.N.), which surpasses the intelligence of man, can only be done in its beginning. Before become so strong. Then it will be too late, because she will be able to determine her own goals with her own methods. This is why so many warnings are now being raised regarding (T.N.) by philosophers and technologists: because now the beginning of a culmination of it is forming. The importance of the beginning of a condition is known, especially in philosophy, while it defines the direction, the route and the final form of things. We need to plan now, wisely, the beginning of the new world that is dawning.
With the development of technology and intelligence we open horizons or walk towards the cliff, if we do not exploit them all in moderation;
(TN) gives us many universal gifts – otherwise we wouldn’t make it. But at the same time it incubates correspondingly great risks. It does not mean that we need to develop a phobia once morest technology. On the contrary. Technology is a precious dimension of humans, which set us apart from all other creatures, relieved us of infinite difficulties of life and enriched our calculation to an exciting degree (thanks to inventions such as writing and the endless texts it gave us, or the instruments of science that launched our knowledge in every possible and improbable direction). Demonizing technology (often found in philosophy) is a dizzying mistake to avoid. But this does not negate the fact that we are now faced with the greatest threats, with which she overshadows us.
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