Authentically Artificial

After taking time to read the articles, “Sophia the Robot is being mass produced for a world plagued with loneliness” and “The Artist in the Machine: The bigger picture of AI and creativity,” it seems as though society is getting increasingly more invested in how they can make technology work for their benefit. However, I think that human-like robots and robots that mimic the human creative process should push us to think about how much of humanity we would like to leave human, and how much we would like to give over to technology.

Some of the biggest examples of artificial intelligence that I can think of are Siri and Alexa. These artificial intelligence methods focus on offering convenient and relevant information to their users. I personally use Siri on a daily basis to text friends and family, find out what the weather is like or play a song without having to open my phone. The fact that these devices are always listening to us is a little scary, but I think it is overshadowed by the sheer convenience of it all.

Relating this to today’s articles, it is interesting to think about replacing human companionship with that of a robot. It is a strange thought to think of craving human interaction, and looking to satisfy it with something that is in fact not human. This makes me think we have become all too reliant on technology, and brings me back to the idea that it is beginning to overshadow humanity, rather than enhance it.

We were created without technology, and although it is extremely convenient to be able to use it to enhance the human experience, in reality, it cannot be a substitute for it. As illustrated in “The Artist in the Machine: The bigger picture of AI and creativity,” artificial intelligence is still unable to mimic human creativity to the fullest extent. Robots are unable to mimic empathy and emotion in a way that could offer real support. We were created for community, for interaction, and for growth with those around us. The more artificial intelligence is integrated into our lives, the less this will be able to be carried out.