ARTIFICIAL PERFECTION

AI MAY PERFECT FORM AND STYLE BUT IT LACKS THE SOCIAL INTERACTIVITY BETWEEN THE ARTIST AND HIS EXPERIENCE THAT GIVES ART ITS ETHICAL AND EMOTIONAL HEFT

- By T.M. Krishna

Just the mention of the letters ‘AI’ generates a varied set of reactions, ranging from unlimited admiration to deep concern. Though everyone agrees that Artificial Intelligence is a product of the human mind, and debates about its ethical use are rife, we often endow AI with a mind of its own. Irrespective of whether a person loves or hates it, there is a subconscious acceptance that AI is a being of its own accord. This is obvious in the vocabulary we use and the tonality with which we address AI. This distancing allows human beings to disown responsibility for AI. But, as Nobel laureate Roger Penrose has long argued, the expression ‘artificial intelligence’ is a misnomer. We have created a very sophisticated learning computer, which does not have consciousness. Hence, it cannot possess intelligence. Without going into the debate about how intelligence is connected to consciousness, let me just say that it is important for us to remember that there is something unique about us, organic beings who recognise and understand the self.