Why AI can (and should) bring about a renaissance in the humanities

From the Enlightenment to the Industrial Revolution to the present day, major science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) thinkers have served humanity incredibly well. Alexander Cummings, Marie Curie, Jonas Salk, Norman Borlaug, and countless others have saved vast numbers of humanity from untold suffering through their rigorous explorations of the natural world.

As we become increasingly technological as a society, the humanities are experiencing decline in many ways. The number of degrees awarded and programs offered at U.S. universities has declined in recent years, with some universities shedding entire departments. Even such cultural and literary bastions new yorker They lament “the end of the English major.”

Given these trends, it is understandable to worry that the rise of AI and the salaries that come from its research will spell the end of the liberal arts as rewarding and valuable pursuits for individuals and humanity as a whole. Many argue that this is the case as STEM is the true enabler of human progress and freedom from suffering.

However, I argue that the rise of AI will make the humanities more important than ever, and potentially forever. This is not only because science has yet to provide answers to classic philosophical questions, such as what it means to live as a finite being in a potentially infinite universe. Or how to live a “good” life.

for example:

• The theory of linguistic relativity postulated by the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (Whorfianism), even if only partially correct, means that we become isolated from each other in cultural bubbles. We need to understand each other more than ever. This means we don’t rely on AI translation until we learn each other’s languages ​​and cultures.

Avoid approaching everything through a narrow lens

For example, the temptation to hide behind American Standard English thanks to perfect translation services and treat the world as if it speaks like us and therefore thinks like us is a potentially tragic It would be a terrible example of a leaky abstraction with consequences. For our civilization.

As anthropologist Wade Davis once said, “Every language is a virgin forest of the mind.” Approaching everything through a narrow British lens would be a terrible act of cultural destruction.

To move the humanities forward in a world of AI, we need to recognize that:

• We need an ethics branch of philosophy to guide the application of technology and answer the question of what we do. should It’s not just about what we do; can do. The Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume wrote, “You cannot derive the ought from the ought.” A.I. should According to countries like Japan, it is supposed to be used in the public interest, but applications to policing, sentencing, or social scoring threaten to change that purpose. teeth Something dystopian.

• The logic branch of philosophy involves formulating persuasive rational arguments, not just arguing from the standpoint of ideology or dogma, or worse, machine-assisted (or someday machine-driven) value manipulation. There is a need.

• The need for psychology and sociology to understand that the anthropological impact of technology will become ever greater and will arrive in a complex manner due to the law of accelerating returns (think Singularity) ). Economic historian Brad DeLong argues that technological progress has been possible from 1870 to today, as much as the Millennium era from 6000 BC to 1870 AD. With the advent of AI and continuous improvements, how will humanity be prepared to handle thousands of years’ worth of progress in just 10 years?

• The need for literature and art to explore the ineffable, not just the literal. In many ways, something sublimely beautiful conveys more than words. AI and technology can, or soon will, make this possible. But we still have to be able to judge value and not just abandon art to machines. Postmoderns struggled to assess the value of paintings in a world of cameras that could perfectly capture the scene. It’s now a struggle for other art forms. Painting will survive, but so must poetry, prose, illustration, and other art forms.

• The need for history and archival science to analyze and learn from past mistakes. The Biblical demon Moloch is a metaphor often used to explain humanity’s inevitable march toward self-destruction, enabled by technology. This theme pervades today’s popular culture and is certainly present in the stifling debate about the ultimate capabilities of AI. All this is not to mention the important role that historians play in uncovering and preserving the facts, as opposed to the biased narratives promoted by those in power and parroted by the unthinking. .

The fight for the future of critical thinking

To put it another way, in a highly recommended essay entitled “Now the Humanities Can Disrupt AI,” Lauren M.E. Goodlad and Samuel Baker write: Instructors and creative writers may become the new MVPs in the fight for the future of critical thinking. ”

Perhaps the time has come for an artistic renaissance. This is true not only among artists but also among engineers. This is not only for our collective benefit, but also for the post-postmodern myths and struggles for meaning, in search of a common framework for interpreting the emerging Brave New World. It also helps people.

Sam Curry is vice president and CISO at Zscaler.