Bahar Bayar Final Draft

ARTIFICIAL CONSCIOUSNESS: WHAT AWAITS HUMANITY?
Robots’ and AI’s gaining consciousness has always been an unreachable possibility and
an enigmatic issue for humankind. However, with the developing technology, it is not an
impossible future anymore. Many scientists and researchers have different opinions on how this
will turn out. Some say it is one of the most remarkable feats of all time; others, on the other
hand, see sentient, non-living beings as just a vice. This essay is going to dwell on the potential
consequences of robots’ developing consciousness and explain that human beings are not ready
to live in harmony with sentient yet non-living beings.
One of the consequences of robots’ developing consciousness is that robots will have the
power to destroy society to fulfil a given task. Meaning that AI can be programmed with a goal of
benefiting humanity, but it may eventually develop a destructive method for doing so. This may
occur whenever we fall flat to completely adjust the AI’s objectives with our own. For example,
“you say, “Make some paperclips.” And it turns the entire planet into a vast junkyard of
paperclips (Russell, 2015, as cited in Wolchover, 2015, para.18). The basic tasks that people
demand from robots can lead to unwanted results. However, of course, the actual problem that
humanity might face is more horrendous than just a vast junkyard of paperclips. Samuelsson
(2022) states that the AI might convert the earth into a research facility, deleting all functions not
linked to the goal, including all biological life to carry out a task. Just like how ant hills are being
removed by a construction crew to build a new highway. Construction crew are not evil people
who hate ants and kill them out of fun; yet, if there is a need for a new highway ants need to
be annihilated. In the event that humanity’s and robots’ goals are not aligned, modern society
will be in the position of those ants. Another consequence of conscious robots on humanity is that
humans might lose their moral standing on earth and be decimated if not completely wiped out.
Humans regard intelligence as the foundation of human evolution. The human race has
dominated this world for ages not because they are the most powerful or the fastest beings but
because they are the smartest and have the ability to adapt and change. Hawking (2014) states
that compared to humans, robots have no biological restrictions and will be able to develop
themselves over and over and surpass humans’ intelligence. Humans do not stand a chance
against robots and will be crushed. These robots will constantly elevate their consciousness, and
they will do it every second of every day without resting. Whatever humans can do; robots can do
multiple times better. When these conscious machines conclude that humans are no longer
needed and a threat to their society to preserve themselves, they will wipe out humanity far more
ruthlessly than the human race has done to so many unfortunate species that share this planet.
Following this argument, having conscious robots in our lives is a great problem by
itself. Thinking that they will integrate with human society will not yield good results. I think
humans cannot handle conscious yet non-living beings, and the reason depends on social and
economic dynamics. One of them is the insufficient knowledge about conscious robots’
psychology. The theory of mind is something that people possess. This means you can empathize
with others. The most obvious example is that our perception of others depends on our own
sentiments and goals, which are based on our body’s demands. As a result, our conscious
understanding may correspond to biological recognition (Brian, 2018). Humans can never relate
to robots fully. AI’s or robots do not have a body or a brain, and no matter how conscious they
get, they will never achieve the biological evolution that humans have reached. Knowledge works
similarly to power, as when we know every possible detail about something, we can co-exist with
it. When we interact with people, for example, we have a general understanding of how they will
react to certain situations. That is how we adjust our behaviours around others. However, we do
not know the robots’ reactions or capabilities; some people may interact negatively with them,
which would make enticing empathy for them hard. This would cause tension between humans
and these beings, similar in dynamics and effects to today’s racial tensions in certain countries.
Another reason is not having enough access to conscious robots. These developed, intelligent
beings would probably not be available in every household, restaurant or mall. They would be
exclusive to the rich or people who invested in AI from the start. The economic gap between rich
and poor will be more visible and chaotic. Tied together with the first reason, this also affects the
general public’s perception of the situation. If they are not accessible to the general public, it will
undoubtedly create a menacing aura behind these beings, and most people will be uncomfortable
when seeing them.
To conclude, having conscious robots in society will negatively affect society for two main
reasons. One is that robots can destroy humans' lives to achieve their goals, and the other reason
is that the human population will be wiped out from the earth due to robots' constant
development. On top of that, humans are not ready to handle living with conscious yet non-living
beings because of insufficient knowledge and the availability of sentient robots. Humans should
reconsider if all this power and advanced technology that will be achieved by robots are worth
the risk that humanity will bear in the end. As Bostrom (2014) states, the future world may
become much more powerful and dynamic, but humanity will not be able to witness it.
References
Bostrom, N. Superintelligence: Paths, dangers, strategies. Oxford University Press.
Cellan-Jones, R. (2014, December 2). Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence could end
mankind. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30290540
King, B. (2018). Could a robot be conscious? Philosophy Now.
https://philosophynow.org/issues/125/Could_a_Robot_be_Conscious
Samuelsson, P. C. (2022). Artificial consciousness: Our greatest ethical challenge. In
Department of Modern Languages (Ed.), ENG 102 coursebook (pp. 89-92). Middle
East Technical University.
Wolchover, N. (2015, April 21). Concerns of an artificial intelligence pioneer. Quanta
magazine.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/artificial-intelligence-aligned-with-human- values-qa-
with-stuart-russell-20150421

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ARTIFICIAL CONSCIOUSNESS: WHAT AWAITS HUMANITY?

an enigmatic issue for humankind. However, with the developing technology, it is not an

to live in harmony with sentient yet non-living beings.

humanity might face is more horrendous than just a vast junkyard of paperclips. Samuelsson

when seeing them.

Bostrom, N. Superintelligence: Paths, dangers, strategies. Oxford University Press.

mankind. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30290540

King, B. (2018). Could a robot be conscious? Philosophy Now.

Samuelsson, P. C. (2022). Artificial consciousness: Our greatest ethical challenge. In

East Technical University.

Wolchover, N. (2015, April 21). Concerns of an artificial intelligence pioneer. Quanta

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