Why we are afraid of artificial intelligence?

Kimmo Huosionmaa

The reason, why we are investigating artificial intelligence has partially the same origin with  SETI-program. When we are thinking of humanity and intelligence, we must say one thing. We are alone in the universe if we think the knowledge, what is shared by using public channels, and this means that we are feeling lonely. One of the reasons, why we are creating the intelligent- or pseudo-intelligent computers is, that we want to create the alien. The species what is an outsider for our community, and we hope, that this species would tell us, are we wise or something, what we would not want to hear.

One of the biggest problems with the human race is that we are living in the lonely planet between the galactic spiral nebulae. This means that we have quite a few stars around us.  And that could be the reason, why there is no other civilization hanging around. This thing lets us be alone on our planet. And this could be one reason, why we are killing other humans. Without outer enemy or civilization have a chance to fight together. And some scientists believe, that if we can find another civilization, would that cause the end of the wars between humans.

But this is not the only reason, why we are looking for other intelligent species. We, humans, are strange species. We have our social and religious code of behavior, and somehow, we are trying to find somebody, what justifies us and tell us, what we should do. This is one of the reasons to create a computer, what is intelligent. That machine would tell us, how to save our planet for the next generations.

And this is the reason, why we are afraid of artificial intelligence and humanoids. We, the human race are the most intelligent species on our planet. This thing is told for us in the schools, and religion gives us the right to take what we want from nature. If we are atheists, we would explain our superior right to nature because we are so intelligent.

But at the same time, we are afraid, that we can create something, what has superior for us, and that is the reason, why we have or we want laws, what is controlling the genetic engineering. The reason for that is we don't want to become less intelligent than our children. Who wants to ask advises from own children? When we are parents for some person, we want to be more intelligent and own more skills than our children.

And that same thing makes us afraid of artificial intelligence. We are afraid that someday the machine tells us, that we are doing things in the wrong way. We don't want to hear, that sometimes we are wrong. If somebody makes wrong decisions, we normal people can slip to our position, and say, that we have not known about the thing. When we are thinking about democracy, we don't see anything wrong that the person, who promises free gasoline to the tank would get the position as the head of the state. When that person makes mistakes, we can say, that the fault was because of that politician.

We cannot accept the truth, that we have elected that person to that position. In fact, the most part of the price of gasoline comes from taxes, and that's why free gasoline makes that the taxes would grow in some other product. Those taxes would give money to the state, and that's the reason, why they must be collected. And if the taxes from gasoline are not collected, must that money get from other products.