God, Human, Animal, Machine

Monthly Book Review

As AI becomes more intelligent every day, what does it truly mean to be human and what differentiates us from machines? At what point will a robot have consciousness? How will we be able to really tell? What is consciousness in a robot, or in a human for that matter?

If you, like me, enjoy philosophical and religious explorations, especially relating them to our modern world, then this book is for you. I was hesitant at first, but became enamored as I dove into this one and feel like it is worth re-reading, not only for the content, but for the depth of research and references. If you need a reading list, the books referenced in this should keep you stocked for a long time.

Overview

God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning is a philosophical exploration of how technology, especially artificial intelligence, intersects with concepts of consciousness, identity, and spirituality. Meghan O'Gieblyn uses her background in theology and her personal journey of faith and doubt to examine how modern technology challenges and reshapes our understanding of what it means to be human.

So let’s dive into a couple key takeaways.

Takeaways

The Mystery of Consciousness

Intelligence is one thing, but consciousness is something different. It is your individual awareness of yourself and your experience. But it is a hard problem, as the book states, because it can only be experienced by you. While there may be many outward signs of consciousness, we can never experience someone else’s consciousness.

So consciousness has been a philosophical problem for thousands of years. And the problem isn’t any easier now. Where does it originate? How did it come to be? What does and doesn’t have consciousness?

The problem becomes even trickier when it comes to the machines we’re currently building. As God, Human, Animal, Machine points out, many of the behaviors of machines look just like human behavior. Chatbots and AI can even claim to have consciousness. And there’s no way to prove or disprove it. Very few of us believe it now, but as AI becomes more and more convincing, where will it lead? How will we know when, if ever, AI is imbued with consciousness?

And when that happens, what does that make us? Are we gods? The creators of a new species? Or are we boot disks? The bacteria that gave rise to something far more advanced?

An Enchanted and Disenchanted World

In the world of medieval Christianity, and well before, the world was “enchanted” as the book calls it. Everything was animated with life and meaning.