Ancient Philosophy, Modern AI
The reports and news from Davos two weeks ago couldn’t contain more headlines about artificial intelligence (AI). World leaders clearly understand that AI is reshaping our world. Yet, did they think that the ethics of AI would also become a primary concern?
Surprisingly, ancient Stoic philosophy, known for concepts such as virtue, rationality, and emotional control, provides us with valuable information to address this modern challenge. The question is, how easy would it be to incorporate stoic views into AI technology?
Let’s take a look at some of the core elements of Stoicism and how they can be leveraged for ethical AI.
Rationality and virtue
Stoicism is founded on a strong focus on rationality and virtue, both of which are timeless ideals. These concepts are more than just philosophical speculations. They constitute the foundation of a fulfilled existence.
When we apply this to the field of artificial intelligence, we discover a fascinating intersection. Think about algorithms and systems that are not only coded for efficiency or profitability, but also have an intrinsic sense of ethics and fairness.
By incorporating stoic concepts into artificial intelligence, we are not only programming computers, but we could also instill a sense of morality in them. It’s about developing technology that not only thinks but also contemplates, and that calculates but also considers.
We are talking about a type of AI that recognizes the subtleties of human values and seeks to maintain them.
The challenge is to build systems that enhance our intrinsic sense of justice and goodness, rather than creating machines that outsmart people. This opens the door to truly beneficial technology. Beneficial not only for task execution and data analysis, but also for understanding and adhering to the ethical components of these tasks. It’s about developing impartial systems that benefit humanity as a whole rather than just a few individuals.
This can be the future of technology: not just smarter, but wiser; not only strong, but ethical.
