Humanity: The End to Our Reign

Thousands of years ago, Homo Sapiens tread the ancient world in search of food and shelter. Blessed with intelligence, adaptability, and cooperation to name a few, the species formed their first civilization — Sumer — on the flooded terrains of southern Mesopotamia. Humans would continue to spread their influence throughout the globe for the next 6000 years in an everlasting search of glory and riches.

For so long we have been the paragon of life that we refuse to believe in the existence of a greater being. Yet, whereas contemporary scientists refuse the Almighty, they exalt their own creation: Artificial Intelligence. Better known as AI, these insentient beings possess nonpareil calculations, infinite learning capabilities, and a colossal database in their arsenal. The most brilliant human minds could not hold a candle to the algorithm of an AI.

Argued to be the best chess player of all time, Garry Kasparov suffered a 3.5–2.5 defeat against the chess AI Deep Blue in their 1997 rematch. Having learned from its previous defeats, Deep Blue managed to exact revenge on the then world champion.

For the first time in history, humans are no longer the ultimate being. We are gradually abdicating our throne, as we let AI slowly take over our everyday roles. This slow process is set to entrust 85 million jobs to AI by 2025, and many more down the line. But with AI taking over our responsibilities, where does that put us?

We need to look no further than our present world for an answer. What place do the other species occupy? Do they run the government, conduct researches, or build houses? No. Due to their biological limitations, it would be impossible for them to perform any of these acts better than us. Instead, dogs with their sensitive nose, horses with their elegant figure, and pigs with their luscious meat. They all hold a monetary value or an abstract emotional value that appeals to us, hence we keep them in our barns, backyards, or slaughterhouses. But an AI possesses no emotions; they view everything based on efficacy. A human working as a Data Scientist in 2200 will be as preposterous as a monkey setting up a business in 2020 in that they are both inefficient.

This begs the question: what jobs can we do better than an AI? Faced with this question, the majority of people would resort to the wondrous magic only a soul could bring about — creativity. They argue that the manifestation of a human soul through various mediums could never be replicated by the most complex of algorithms. But what if I tell you it does not take a soul to be creative?

Now hear me out, I am not an atheist. Neither am I ignorant to the wonders of humankind. But as much as we hail our own creativity, we must concede that our brain plays a part in our creative process. Assuming that the brain alone conjures novel thoughts and ideas, an AI with Deep Neural Network (commonly referred to as Deep Learning) would be able to replicate the plethora of neurons firing signals toward each other in the process of creative thinking. It is debatable whether the soul plays a part, but scientifically speaking, creativity can be artificially replicated. For instance, the world-renowned musician Beethoven passed away in 1827, leaving behind a timeless legacy and an unfinished piece — the 10th Symphony. For 250 years, the song remained in tattered unfinished fragments. In 2019, however, a group of musicologists and AI experts claim that the full rendition can be finished by their AI. The AI was fine-tuned by a team of experts to be algorithmically predisposed to Beethoven’s style, hence replicating his creative process. Set to release at the end of 2021, the rendition will resolve the human soul’s contribution to creativity.

Fragments of the 10th symphony were found after Beethoven’s death.

What if it turns out that the one thing we excel at, creativity, can be replicated? In a world where complex algorithm prevails, I would like to propose a possible future for humankind. A future we must avoid, for the sake of humanity.

To Be, Or Not To Be

Let us travel to one possible timeline in 2200. A world governed by an all-knowing AI, Alpha, who has preserved global peace for the past century. Sounds great? Here’s the catch: the world only consists of part-humans and AIs. The defective junks, also known as humans, are excluded from their “world” and left to languish on the outskirts of cities with their fellow animal friends. This dystopian setting is not a trailer for the latest Hollywood blockbuster—it’s a feasible future.

To understand why our world is going down that path, we must understand the basis of humanism. As the central belief in our present world, humanism is based on our common humanity and how our experiences, thoughts, and hopes give meaning to this world. The creed itself sounds noble and immutable, but it will not stand very long. This human-centered world as we know it is changing. Soon enough, humans must upgrade their biological hardware to remain competent in society. When that happens, what can humanism be based upon?

The undermining of humanism is happening as we speak. In its stead, two religions are set to supersede: Dataism and Techno-humanism. Dataism, a new religion based in Silicon Valley, believes in the flow of data giving meaning to the universe. It argues that the flow of data must not be abated, as it holds the highest authority. On the other hand, Techno-humanism is an adapted version of humanism where humans still uphold the greatest authority in this universe but are forever intrinsically linked to technology. Our “inner voice” no longer plays a role in our everyday lives as algorithms prevail over all else. But if there’s one thing they can agree upon, it is that Homo Sapiens no longer plays a part.

The convergence of man with machine. In the far future, the line between the two will be nigh impossible to detect. Depiction by Matthieu Bourel.

Here, the crossroad lies: to remain human or to evolve. Perhaps this is what the Bible refers to as “The Mark of The Beast”: the like of microchips, bionic eyes, and brain transplants. But to remain unchanged is a task only the underprivileged and the daring must take. A task that takes away their place from this world.

The hierarchy is shifting and we are at its epicenter. Our world will undergo unprecedented changes in the next century, for better or for worse. The future I’ve talked about is simply one of the possible paths our world may take in the coming years; it is unclear whether it’s universally desirable or not. But one thing’s for sure — it’s much more efficient.