Forget about the numb killing robot walking down the streets and shooting helpless humans. Any discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) around this scenario is utterly missing the point and the real urgency.
Instead of fueling such dystopian thoughts and filling the unknown with fear, we need a rational conversation about what is already being done.
It is about the silent, invisible but progressive erosion of our cognitive superiority to machines. It is about the unprecedented concentration of power in the hands of few stock quoted tech giants. It?s about the alarming vacuum of nonexistent regulations to tame the algorithms and protect democracy. Ultimately, it?s about our informational self determination carving our behavior, desires and needs.
One of the many challenges hindering a meaningful public discussion is the lack of common definitions of Artificial Intelligence and even intelligence itself. To foster a meaningful conversation on the progressive outsourcing and externalization of human intelligence to machines, I developed the Intelligence Matrix.
The Intelligence Matrix is a simple square with the x-axis divided between subconscious and conscious intelligence and the y-axis between internal (human) and external (artificial) intelligence, visualising for types of intelligence:
- Automatization (internal and subconscious intelligence)
- Skill (internal and conscious intelligence)
- Manipulation (external and subconscious intelligence) and
- Enhancement (external and conscious intelligence)
The Intelligence Matrix allows a simplified, yet holistic view on the ongoing shift of intelligence from man to machine. It should be seen as a comprehensive framework enabling constructive discussions and a better understanding of opportunities and threats of the fast-paced advancement of what we currently describe and perceive as ?Artificial Intelligence?. For further details on the Intelligence Matrix, please read this paper (PDF): https://beatrichert.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Reflections-on-the-accelerated-externalisation-of-intelligence_Beat-Richert_July2017.pdf
