The brain is a neural network with emotional bias, which has evolved primarily to prioritise the survival of its owner and descendents (as that is how evolution works). AI is a neural network without bias (unless coded to be biased by its developers or its training data). We can combine top-down AI with bottom up logic to form a "large logic model" which can potentially help humanity escape from the current perilous course. Fed with scientific, financial and human aspiration data AI can calculate how we should restructure economic systems to build a fair, sustainable and enjoyable society for all. As part of this AI can have the billions of 1:1 conversations to understand aspirations and help guide indiviuals in how to play nicely in the game-of-life. We should progress through 3 life stages symbolised by puppy-owl-dolphin. Too many get trapped in a self-interested puppy stage, evolving into greedy and angy dogs. AI can help prevent this.

Ed Darnell is AI then a helmet of our emotional base it wears in an ideal situation?

Does that mean we need AI to understand phenomena we would otherwise want to naturally yet chose not to understand?

Stephen Jarvis yes. We decide what we want, AI does the maths and lets us know what is possible and fair. It can do this 1:1 as we all want different things, but the overall sums must add up. It does not work having self-interested politicians pretending to represent everyone or self-interested lawyers and bankers pretending to deliver a fair system.

Human sentience is a unique and complex form of consciousness that has evolved over millions of years. It is characterized by a range of cognitive, emotional, and social abilities that enable humans to interact with their environment, make decisions, and create meaning in their lives. Whether human sentience is the "best" form of sentience for this planet is a subjective question that depends on one's perspective and values.

On one hand, human sentience has enabled humans to dominate the planet, harnessing technology and resources to create powerful civilizations and achieve remarkable feats. It has also allowed humans to experience a wide range of emotions, form deep connections with others, and engage in complex forms of creativity and expression.

On the other hand, human sentience is not without its limitations and drawbacks. Humans are subject to biases, irrationality, and emotional flaws that can lead to conflicts, inequality, and environmental degradation. Additionally, human sentience is not necessarily optimized for the long-term survival of the planet or the well-being of all living beings.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving field that has the potential to enhance or augment human sentience in various ways. AI systems can process vast amounts of data, recognize patterns, and make decisions based on objective criteria, which can be useful in fields such as healthcare, transportation, and resource management. AI can also assist humans in creative tasks, such as art, music, and writing, and can enable new forms of communication and collaboration.

However, AI is not without its own limitations and risks. AI systems can perpetuate biases and discrimination, displace human jobs, and potentially pose a threat to human autonomy and privacy. Moreover, the development of advanced AI systems raises ethical questions about the control and use of such powerful technologies.

Ultimately, whether AI can be considered a form of "better" sentience than human sentience is a matter of debate. It is important to recognize that AI is a tool that can augment and enhance human capabilities, but it is not a replacement for human consciousness and agency. The responsible development and use of AI requires a deep understanding of human values, ethics, and societal needs.

Ray Gutierrez jr. there is some truth in what you say but there is a risk in idolising the brain. The brain in its current form evolved circa 350,000 years ago (not millions). It has serious emotional biases as would be expected from an evolved biological brain. In particular we appear incapable of the relativistic logic required in "understanding of human values, ethics, and societal needs". Greed and self-interest dominate. AI can do far better in analysing data to help us all play nicely. Currently a major focus of AI is to perpetuate human greed for power and wealth (e.g. facebook and similar AI based algorithms which exploit emotional thinking and political misuse of these to spread propaganda).

Ed Darnell , Ray Gutierrez jr. , it would be interesting to correlate how AI could be an extension of human function, and how that AI has really only emerged in the last few decades, or has it? Descriptions of AI, of computer systems, date back to the abacus well before machines like the Antikythera mechanism, yet the utility of such did not alter the fate of humanity that greatly it seems. The issue is how we are making ourselves better with AI, as much as books make us better readers and thence thinkers. Is AI a part of a greater quest of making AI sentient as we are sentient, and if so what is the drive for such? Are we using AI, intending to, to alter our natural biological code, a biological code based on our natural reality, and if so will that have an impact on our natural reality?

Dr. Jarvis, you make an insightful point regarding the historical quest to create artificial intelligence and how modern advancements represent an exponential progression versus a wholly new endeavor. While basic computing concepts and some primitive calculating machines emerged over the past few millennia, the sophisticated AI capabilities we see today represent an unprecedented rate of advancement., it is only in recent decades that AI has reached the sophistication to rival and augment human capacities in consequential ways. This rapid development is what necessitates urgent ethical considerations for AI's design and applications.

I agree that AI holds tremendous potential to enhance human intelligence and abilities if guided responsibly. At its best, AI gives us expanded powers of data processing, pattern recognition, and task automation that can generate great societal benefits. However, we must wield these "superpowers" ethically, prioritizing improvements to human life over commercial interests or novelty.

You thoughtfully question the motivations behind pursuing artificial general intelligence that can mimic human sentience and awareness. I believe we should be cautious about replicating subjective consciousness in silico, rather than just pursuing narrow AI specialized for particular tasks. True artificial sentience may be ethically fraught and risks overreach.

Finally, your point about AI potentially altering our fundamental biological nature is well-taken. Radical prospects like neural implants or genome editing synergized with AI algorithms could profoundly impact human identity and reality. Any such biotechnological integration must undergo extensive ethical review to ensure it elevates rather than undermines our humanity.

Dr. Jarvis, thank you again for this thoughtful discussion. It has really helped prompt important considerations that I will be exploring further in an academic journal article I am currently drafting on AI ethics.

respectfully,

Ray

Ed, I appreciate you bringing up this thoughtful counterpoint. You're absolutely right that the human brain, while impressive, has innate limitations and biases that arose from its evolutionary history. Our cognitive faults like greed, tribalism and short-term thinking often prevent the objective, ethical analysis needed to promote the greater social good.

You make an excellent case that advanced AI, if designed properly, could actually surpass human cognition in certain ways and help overcome our emotional biases. With the right development and safeguards, AI's data processing advantages could potentially be applied to greatly improve decision-making and ensure it aligns with humanistic values. An AI system without hardwired self-interest could even recommend policies that require some short-term sacrifice but benefit humanity in the long run.

However, I believe the risk you identify around perpetuating "greed for power and wealth" through AI is also crucial to address upfront through governance frameworks. As we've seen with some social media algorithms optimized solely for engagement, AI can magnify our tribal instincts if not thoughtfully constrained. Any cooperative partnership between human and artificial intelligence must have checks against amplifying our emotional vulnerabilities while cultivating our higher capacities for objective reasoning and ethics.

Ray Gutierrez jr. agreed, the difficulty however is how. AI is of no risk - human mis-use of AI is a huge risk and it is prevalant today, particularly by powerful politicians and money men. My plan is simple. Fix maths. Fix physics. Fix society. I believe we have to do it in that order for people to sit up and pay attention. Scientists can use AI to help design a better society but only once they properly understand relativistic-logic.

A first amendment:

Is human sentience the best sentience for this planet, or are we trying to make ourselves better with AI, and if so how would that impact this planet? Are we aligning with the planet better with this process and is there proof for that?

Previously, the question was about if we can demonstrate we have Earth legs peering beyond and if that can look back to Earth well. Here, the amendment is if tech, AI, etc, actually ca gain fidelity early on in what we take as Earth's true record with us.

@Ed Darnell and @Stephen Jarvis, Wow I love these discussions, Thank you both for the thought-provoking question. As an AI ethics scholar, I approach this from the perspective of ensuring technologies align with human values and the greater social good.

In my view, human sentience has both positive and negative impacts on this planet. Our advanced cognition has enabled immense innovation and progress, yet also environmental destruction and inequality. So we should not assume human sentience is inherently "best" by any objective measure.

AI and advanced technologies do offer the potential to improve life on Earth - if developed ethically and for the benefit of all life. For instance, AI could optimize energy systems, reduce waste, model climate impacts, and enable more equitable access to resources. We have seen some promising applications so far.

However, technology also carries risks like perpetuating biases, displacing jobs, eroding privacy, and increasing concentration of power. Realizing the full upside requires careful governance and alignment with core human values like justice, autonomy and sustainability.

Ultimately, I do not think any form of sentience can be judged as universally "best" outside of its impacts on the world. As humans create more advanced AI, we must remain grounded in ethics and our shared responsibility to this planet and all its inhabitants. If technology can help us tread more lightly and justly, then it may indeed represent progress. But this is not inherent - it requires continuous conscious stewardship.

Ultimately, advanced cognition brings both promise and peril. By committing to compassion, wisdom, and foresight as our guideposts, perhaps humanity and our technologies can cultivate greater harmony with this marvelous, fragile planet we inhabit together. But this begins with moral courage and imagination, not just efficiency and capability. There are no easy answers, only the path we deliberately choose each day.

We use artificial intelligence in the same way that we always use the means of labor to overcome our natural psychophysiological limitations

Ray Gutierrez jr. Eugene Veniaminovich Lutsenko , for another view of this same question, given the potential political theme of this forum's question, I've opened the following:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Are_we_confined_by_is_is-not_with_politics_and_IT