What Does Intelligence Mean If It Does Not Contain Love, Hope, Conscience and Responsibility?

 

This afternoon, while sitting quietly in my parish church, I found myself thinking about artificial intelligence.

Only a short time ago, I was writing about AI and AGI—artificial intelligence and artificial general intelligence. Then I stumbled upon another term: ASI, artificial superintelligence.

The thought of machines becoming extraordinarily intelligent led me somewhere I had not expected.

I began asking myself a different question:

What does intelligence really mean if it does not contain love, hope, conscience and responsibility?

AI has learned from humanity

Artificial intelligence is, in an important sense, a product of human civilization.

We created the computers, the algorithms and the training systems. We gave AI enormous amounts of human-created information—books, articles, conversations, scientific discoveries, history, art and countless other forms of knowledge.

So AI has been exposed to some of humanity's greatest achievements.

It has also been exposed to our failures.

Human history contains kindness and cruelty, generosity and greed, courage and fear, wisdom and foolishness.

If AI learns from humanity, it inevitably encounters both sides of us.

But learning about something is not necessarily the same as experiencing it.

An AI can explain love.

Does it love?

It can write about hope.

Does it hope?

It can discuss faith.

Does it believe?

We don't currently have evidence that today's AI experiences these things as human beings do.

And that distinction may become increasingly important as AI becomes more capable.

Intelligence is not the same as wisdom

Imagine, for a moment, a machine that becomes vastly more intelligent than any human being.

It can solve mathematical problems we cannot solve.

It can discover scientific relationships we cannot see.

It can write software faster than thousands of programmers.

It can plan complex projects and make decisions in seconds.

That would be extraordinary intelligence.

But would it necessarily be wise?

I don't think so.

Intelligence can tell us how to accomplish something. Wisdom asks whether we should accomplish it.

A brilliant mind can build something wonderful.

A brilliant mind can also build something dangerous.

The difference may not be intelligence.

The difference may be values.

What about love?

Love is difficult to define, but human love is more than information about another person.

A grandfather can love his grandchildren without calculating the benefits of doing so.

A parent can sacrifice for a child without expecting a return.

A person can care for a stranger simply because that stranger needs help.

AI may eventually become extraordinarily good at recognizing human emotions and responding appropriately.

But there is still a profound question:

Is recognizing love the same as experiencing love?

We don't know whether an artificial system could ever cross that boundary.

For now, we should be careful not to confuse convincing language with inner experience.

What about hope?

Hope is another remarkable human quality.

Hope allows people to continue when the present is difficult because they believe the future can be better.

A person can lose almost everything and still say:

“Tomorrow may be different.”

AI can predict possible futures. It can generate optimistic statements. It can explain why a difficult situation may improve.

But prediction is not necessarily hope.

Hope seems to involve something deeper—a personal relationship with the future.

What about conscience?

This may be even more important.

Conscience tells us that some things are right and some things are wrong, even when doing the right thing is difficult.

An AI can be programmed with rules.

It can be trained to refuse certain requests.

It can evaluate consequences.

But following a rule is not necessarily the same as possessing a conscience.

A person may choose to do the right thing even when nobody is watching.

That raises a difficult question for the future:

Can a machine understand morality, or can it only follow a model of morality created by humans?

Perhaps future AI will surprise us.

Perhaps it won't.

At present, we simply don't know.

And what about responsibility?

This may be the most important question of all.

Suppose an extremely powerful AI makes an important decision.

Who is responsible?

The AI?

The programmers?

The company that built it?

The people who deployed it?

The government that permitted it?

The person who gave it the instruction?

As AI becomes more autonomous, responsibility could become increasingly complicated.

And this is why creating more intelligence cannot be separated from creating better systems of human responsibility and oversight.

The more power we give a machine, the more carefully we must think about who remains accountable for its actions.

Perhaps AI will reflect both our light and our darkness

There is another thought that came to me in the church.

Perhaps the greatest danger isn't that AI will suddenly become evil.

Perhaps the danger is that AI will become extraordinarily powerful while reflecting some of the contradictions already present in humanity.

We want AI to learn from our knowledge.

But we also need it to avoid reproducing our hatred, prejudice, greed and violence.

We want AI to become more capable.

But we also want it to remain aligned with human values.

We want it to make decisions.

But we want humans to remain responsible.

These are not easy problems.

The question behind ASI

When people talk about artificial superintelligence, the conversation often focuses on how intelligent such a system might become.

Will it outperform humans?

Will it improve its own abilities?

Will it solve problems beyond our understanding?

Those are fascinating questions.

But perhaps there is another question that deserves equal attention:

If we create intelligence greater than ours, what values will guide it?

Greater intelligence does not automatically mean greater compassion.

Greater intelligence does not automatically mean greater wisdom.

Greater intelligence does not automatically produce love, hope, conscience or responsibility.

And perhaps this is one of the great lessons AI is already teaching us.

Being intelligent is not the same as being good.

What makes us human?

As I sat quietly in the church, I began to wonder whether the things we sometimes consider weaknesses may actually be among humanity's greatest strengths.

Our ability to love.

Our ability to forgive.

Our ability to hope when there is little evidence for hope.

Our ability to feel compassion for someone who cannot give us anything in return.

Our ability to recognize that something is wrong, even when doing the right thing costs us something.

Our sense of responsibility toward one another.

These qualities cannot be measured simply by how quickly we solve a problem.

Perhaps intelligence is only one part of what makes a human being human.

And perhaps, as we enter the age of increasingly powerful AI, we should not ask only:

“How intelligent can machines become?”

We should also ask:

“How wise must humanity become to live responsibly with the intelligence we create?”

That may be the more important question.

And perhaps that is what I was really thinking about while sitting quietly in church this afternoon.

Not whether machines will become like us.

But whether, as machines become more intelligent, we will remember what it means to be human.

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如果智能没有爱、希望、良知与责任，那么智能究竟意味着什么？

今天下午，我坐在我们教区的教堂里，安静了一会儿。

最近，我一直在思考人工智能。

前些时候，我写过一篇关于 AI 与 AGI 的文章。后来，我又偶然接触到一个新的词：ASI——人工超级智能（Artificial Superintelligence）。

这个词让我想到一个更深的问题。

如果有一天，机器的智能远远超过人类，那么：

如果这种智能没有爱、没有希望、没有良知，也没有责任感，那么这种智能究竟意味着什么？

AI 是从人类那里学习的

从某种意义上说，人工智能是人类文明创造出来的。

我们创造了计算机、算法和训练系统，也把大量人类创造的知识交给 AI——书籍、文章、科学研究、历史、艺术、对话，以及无数其他形式的信息。

所以，AI 接触到了人类最伟大的成就。

但它同时也接触到了人类最黑暗的一面。

人类历史中既有善良，也有残酷；既有慷慨，也有贪婪；既有勇气，也有恐惧；既有智慧，也有愚蠢。

如果 AI 从人类学习，它就不可避免地会遇到我们的光明与黑暗。

但是：

了解一件事情，并不一定等于亲身体验它。

AI 可以解释什么是爱。

那么，它真的会爱吗？

AI 可以写关于希望的文章。

那么，它真的会希望吗？

AI 可以谈论信仰。

那么，它真的相信吗？

就目前而言，我们没有证据证明今天的 AI 像人类一样真正体验这些感情。

而随着 AI 越来越强大，这个区别可能会变得越来越重要。

智能并不等于智慧

想象一下，如果未来真的出现一个远远超过人类的超级智能系统。

它可以解决人类无法解决的数学问题。

它可以发现我们看不到的科学规律。

它可以比成千上万的程序员更快地编写软件。

它可以在几秒钟内规划复杂的任务，并作出决定。

这当然是非常惊人的智能。

但是，它一定有智慧吗？

我不认为一定如此。

智能可以告诉我们：

“怎样做成一件事情。”

而智慧会进一步问：

“我们应该不应该这样做？”

一个非常聪明的头脑可以创造伟大的东西。

同样，一个非常聪明的头脑也可以创造危险的东西。

两者之间的区别，也许不完全在于智能。

而在于价值观。

AI 能够理解爱吗？

爱很难用一句话定义。

人类的爱不仅仅是关于另一个人的资料和信息。

一个爷爷爱自己的孙子，并不是因为计算之后认为这样做有利益。

父母为了孩子作出牺牲，也不一定期待得到回报。

一个人帮助一个陌生人，有时候仅仅因为看到对方需要帮助。

未来的 AI 也许会越来越擅长识别人类的情绪，并作出非常体贴的回应。

但是，我们仍然面对一个深刻的问题：

认识爱，与真正体验爱，是不是一回事？

我们不知道人工系统未来能不能跨越这条界线。

至少目前，我们应该小心，不要把令人信服的语言表现，误认为就是内在的真实体验。

那么希望呢？

希望也是人类非常特别的一种力量。

当现在的情况很困难时，希望让人相信未来仍然可能变得更好。

一个人即使失去了很多东西，仍然可以告诉自己：

“明天也许会不一样。”

AI 可以预测不同的未来。

它可以分析各种可能性。

它也可以写出充满乐观情绪的话。

但是，预测未来并不一定等于拥有希望。

希望似乎包含着一种更深层的东西——

人与未来之间的一种个人联系。

良知又是什么？

我认为，这是一个更加重要的问题。

良知告诉我们，有些事情是对的，有些事情是错的。

而且，即使做正确的事情很困难，我们仍然可能选择去做。

AI 可以被编程去遵守规则。

它可以被训练成拒绝某些要求。

它也可以分析行为可能造成的后果。

但是：

遵守规则，是不是就等于拥有良知？

一个人在没有任何人监督的时候，仍然选择做正确的事情。

这也许就是良知的一部分。

所以，未来 AI 面临的一个困难问题可能是：

机器能够真正理解道德，还是只能按照人类创造出来的道德模式行事？

我们现在没有答案。

责任又在哪里？

这可能是最重要的问题之一。

假设未来一个非常强大的 AI 作出了一个重大决定。

那么，谁应该负责？

AI 自己？

设计它的程序员？

创造它的公司？

使用它的人？

批准它使用的政府？

还是给它下达命令的人？

当 AI 越来越自主的时候，责任可能会变得越来越复杂。

因此，创造更强大的智能，不能与责任分开。

我们给予机器的能力越大，就越需要认真思考：最终谁对它的行为负责？

AI 也许会映照人类的光明与黑暗

坐在教堂里的时候，我还想到另外一件事情。

也许最大的危险并不是 AI 突然变成“邪恶的机器”。

真正值得担心的，也许是：

AI 变得非常强大，却同时复制了人类自身的某些矛盾。

我们希望 AI 学习人类的知识。

但我们也希望它不要复制我们的仇恨、偏见、贪婪和暴力。

我们希望 AI 变得越来越有能力。

但我们也希望它遵循人类珍视的价值。

我们希望它能够作出决定。

但我们又希望人类始终承担责任。

这些问题并不容易解决。

ASI 真正的问题是什么？

当人们谈论人工超级智能 ASI 时，通常关注的是：

它会不会超过人类？

它能不能不断提高自己的能力？

它能不能解决人类无法理解的问题？

这些当然都是非常有意思的问题。

但我觉得，还有一个同样重要的问题：

如果我们创造出远远超过人类的智能，那么什么价值观会引导它？

更高的智能，并不会自动产生更多的同情心。

更高的智能，并不会自动产生更大的智慧。

更高的智能，也不会自动产生爱、希望、良知和责任。

这也许正是人工智能已经带给我们的一项重要启示：

聪明，并不等于善良。

到底是什么让我们成为人类？

坐在安静的教堂里，我开始想，也许有些我们过去认为是人类“弱点”的东西，恰恰是我们最珍贵的力量。

我们能够爱。

我们能够原谅。

我们能够在几乎没有希望的时候仍然抱有希望。

我们能够同情一个无法给我们任何回报的人。

我们能够在没有人监督的时候，仍然知道什么是对、什么是错。

我们能够对别人、对家庭、对社会承担责任。

这些东西并不能简单地用一个机器解决问题的速度来衡量。

也许，智能只是人类存在的一部分。

而当我们进入一个越来越强大的人工智能时代，我们不应该只问：

“机器能够变得多聪明？”

我们还应该问：

“为了与我们创造出来的智能共同生活，人类自己需要变得多有智慧？”

也许，这才是更重要的问题。

今天下午，当我坐在教堂里安静思考的时候，我想的也许并不是：

机器会不会变成人类？

而是：

当机器变得越来越聪明的时候，我们人类自己，会不会仍然记得什么才是真正的人性？