Have you ever seen the anime "Chobits"?
From Chobits Fansite
Long before ChatGPT and advanced AI became a thing and AI large language models got to the point they are at today there was a manga called Chobits. It came out in 2000 and the anime version of it came out a couple of years later.
The basic premise of the show is what happens when computer AI's can interact with people on a direct level? In the show "Persocon" or Person-Computers are prevalent in society. They can work in any job that a person could do. They can feign human emotions and take the place of a husband or wife, possibly even the place of a lost child. They can work as a maid, chauffeur and for all intents and purposes take the place of humans on every level.
The only reason they are easily distinguishable from their human counterparts is their "ears" which are where there I/O ports are. Plus the fact they are heavier and mechanical underneath.
The story follows Hideki as a lonely, computer illiterate hick from a small town who finds a broken persocon named Chi who he befriends and teaches.
Also from Chobits Fansite
On the surface it is just a fun anime about a man who finds a cute robot and doesn't know what to do with it. They end up developing feelings for each other and that's where the deeper level of the story lies : What happens when AI becomes indistinguishable from humans? When people stop developing feelings for other humans and instead rely more exclusively on AI?
Fast forward 25 years
If you fast forward 25 years an AI which is actually able to carry on a conversation exists. Even better than that it can carry on an interesting conversation and purpose built AI can even develop a personality and carry on a lifelike relationship.
Also fast forward 25 years and look how far robots have advanced. Robots that can walk, run, and carry on advanced tasks are getting better and better every day and year by year.
Imagine putting those two things together? An AI which can inhabit a body. Make that body feel lifelike and act lifelike with the AI and guess what? You have a true modern day "Persocon" just as in the anime Chobits.
Which makes the questions raised in the anime all the more pressing. What happens when people start finding AI better than humans for everyday tasks. Why hire a human and pay wages when an AI can do the job without pay. Kind of makes a workforce redundant. Why bother with a regular spouse which requires a lot of work to understand and get along with when an AI can keep you happy and stave off being lonely without all the hassles of a real person. Why bother looking after your own children and all the tedious tasks that go along with it when an AI Persocon can do the same job without getting tired of short tempered?
What happens when humanity becomes irrelevant?
Are there any tasks an AI Robot couldn't do?
Realistically I doubt that there is any task that an AI in robot form couldn't do. Recycle all our garbage. Grow all our food. Do all the tedious tasks of daily life. Drive our car, prepare out meals, clean our house, care for our children and elderly, and the list just goes on. With a little guidance from some creative types I bet that AI could even create our music, create our videos, plan our cities, build out houses, rule in our courts, and even quite possibly govern our nations.
At this point AI is not quite ready for all those tasks. I regularly catch it in math mistakes. I regularly correct ideas that it gives me or point out things that it misses. However, I have no doubt that it will become increasingly capable as time goes by. The same thing goes for robots. Right now they really don't look lifelike and they aren't quite as capable or nimble as humans but again, time will change that too.
So, where do we draw the line? What should we NOT allow our AI/Robot creations to do?
AI for everything?
I wish I could say that there are things that AI shouldn't be allowed to do.
I wish I could say that they shouldn't lead our nations.
But when I look at the political infighting and horrible leadership that is in place in so many parts of the world I would say that an impartial AI might do a better job than many current leaders.
I wish I could say that they shouldn't replace our spouses.
But when I see how many relationships lead to divorce. When I hear about men being outcast as "incel" and women being upset about being seen only as sex objects. Perhaps it would be better if every man (or woman) could just have an AI to satiate their needs and get rid of the terrible dating situation out there right now.
I wish I could say that they shouldn't replace people as parents.
However, so many couples in developed nations don't want children because they are too expensive and too much work. Think how nice it would be if women could just do their civic duty and have two children to keep the race going and never have to worry with the inconvenience of looking after them? Imagine if all children had an attentive guardian fully dedicated to training and educating the child. I doubt they would be as good as a "good loving set of parents" but I bet it would be much better than the very poor parenting that many children get.
I wish I could say that they shouldn't replace artists
I mean the creativity of musicians, actors, painters and such is something that gives culture to our civilization. Giving that away to an AI seems like losing humanities way. However, talented artists could create so much more by having an AI sounding board than they ever could on their own. Why not like AI create art for humanity to consume?
As I go down the list of things that shouldn't be taken over by AI I just keep coming to the conclusion that:
- There is no task that an AI couldn't do better than many humans
So why not let them do everything?
But what would humans do?
The quick answer is : Nothing
There would be no work left to do. No things that weren't taken care of. No desire that would be left unmet. No reason for humans to continue.
That's where the biggest problem lies. What do you do when your life is meaningless? Nothing a person does could make a difference. Your work can be done by others. Your good deeds wouldn't make a difference as an AI could already take care of it. Your accomplishments mean nothing. Your creations have no value.
Which leads me to believe that there are only two things left where I wouldn't want an AI.
- Spending time with friends
- And spending time with others of the same faith worshipping our God.
Life is all about the connections with make with others and about developing our spiritual nature. People around us give us support in the day to day. A desire for something more than just us gives us purpose beyond our daily activities.
I don't mind if I play games online with AI or bots but I'd enjoy spending time with real people to talk of my achievements. I don't mind watching AI created movies or listening to AI created music...but I think I'd like to have a real person to enjoy it with.
Now many people are atheist or agnostic and they are welcome to believe whatever they like. However, in a world that seems without meaning I would certainly be looking to a spiritual motive to give meaning to my life. I'd want to perform my daily tasks in reverence to the God that created me. I think the belief in something more would help keep humanity from falling into despair.
As a final note. I do believe that AI should work alongside humans in the pursuit of Science and advancement. Scientists have discovered many things and will likely discover many more. However, with AI at their side I believe that they can increase the pace. So, while some people will say that AI shouldn't be allowed to advance science on their own, I think they should work happily with real people to advance humanity in the future.
Just my thoughts...
and I'd love to get comments on what you think.
Thanks for reading