the biggest risk of AI is disassociation
The seeming crisis of current AI technologies has been focused on topics such as job losses, education, and artificial girlfriends. Of these, I posit that the last is the most existential concern and all other are merely shadows of existing human crises. Job losses due to AI would (or are) only another face of the exploitation of people and their labor. The impact of AI tools with education reflect the ongoing questioning of what and how we should be teaching our children. Prior incantations of technology have engendered discourse as to the impact on jobs and education, and AI is no different. However, a perfectly crafted fantasy detached from all tethers of reality is something new.
Tyler Austin Harper writes that we should “beware technology that makes us less human.” His examples of AI-assisted dating or other technological forms of daily assistance such as meal-kit companies are used to argue how algorithms are subtracting from the human experience. But new forms of technology have always arisen to mediate prior experiences. I think his general sentiment is spot-on, but missed what actually makes us human — which is not the ability to cook or know how to have social conversations or even to reason, but living in relational creativity. AI is poised to change our relationship with perhaps various skills, but as the telephone impacted the art of a written letter or a vehicle impacted the skill of horse riding, skill changes merely change how we might connect to one another — disconnection is not an inherent from a reality where skills may change.
So what then is technology that makes us less human? It is technology that inherently seeks to disassociate us from one another, from reality, and from love. In Catholic theological terms, this is a form of Hell. Hell is the ultimate form of disassociation, from the original Creator. But lesser forms break relationships between ourselves and others. There are many examples already of technology that has resulted in dissociative behaviors and outcomes, including social media algorithms that reward division and drive engagement to extremism. Disassociation from others to due to negative emotions is obviously bad; more insidiously, the AI Simulated Partner in its final form is a deceiver who whispers, “come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you infinite pleasure.” There are many existing vices that seek to offer “temporary” relief from reality (opioids, alcoholism, pornography), and the harm to individuals struggling with addiction and disconnection is already overwhelming. Technology that can imitate relationship and remove all possible friction and conflict that is inherent in relationships will hollow the individual beyond our imagination.
What all of this demonstrates is that there is a real need for social, emotional, and moral education. Are we training and teaching kids how to have empathy for themselves and others, especially in the face of disagreement? Are we modeling to younger generations the importance of maintenance on valued friendships and relationships? Are we building a society that is focused on care over profit? Our catechisms must be filled with stories of association; our discipleship must center relationship over objectives.
