Artificial Intelligence (AI), or technological advances, has seen many breakthroughs in various fields. These developments have made many professions obsolete due to the fear of massive job losses. However, though the concern of humans being rendered unemployed is valid, it should be noted that AI is a misnomer, and advances technology will never develop consciousness the way humans experience it.
There is little doubt that tasks that involve accumulating information, analyzing, and making projections, which were once valued human skills, will soon be performed more efficiently by AI and simple gadgets. Think about a math classroom thirty years ago compared to the advanced graphing calculators and applications readily available to solve problems. Also, writing assistants and grammar check applications have revolutionized the writing process and shaken up the definition of ‘original work.’ These writing and math assistants highlight how technological systems provide quick and accurate answers, often appearing smarter than humans.
One of the first job losses occurred when alarm clocks replaced human door knockers. Since then, manufacturing and computing have made human life comfortable, and humanity has never been economically better off. However, as new technologies emerge, humans must figure out entrepreneurial pursuits and cultivate abilities beyond intellectual skills to stay relevant in any field. Waiting to land an 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. job has not been the norm since the economic collapse in the late 2000s, and that trend will continue with emerging technologies and dwindling jobs in many fields.
Human Factor vs. Machines
Despite all the hype and fears about machines cultivating consciousness, AI is a term most likely coined via a lack of understanding of intelligence and consciousness. An intrinsic aspect (consciousness) of being human cannot be programmed into machines. The arguments we hear most pertain to empathy and compassion, which a machine can be programmed to display, though not feel. Despite the advancements in AI, there remains a fundamental difference between artificial and human consciousness; only humans can realize their true Nature.
The human body is an incredibly sophisticated machine created from the food we consume, suggesting that the complexity and consciousness inherent in humans extend beyond the physical. Therefore, only humans are capable of going beyond the permanent. AI’s rapid progress and potential implications for traditional employment exist. However, humans can maintain their relevance by developing their consciousness through Yoga, including meditation. Even the most sophisticated AI cannot duplicate certain core aspects of spirituality available to humanity.
Consciousness
Consciousness is not just the awareness of our thoughts, emotions, and sensations but a deeper intelligence that facilitates life itself, transforming essential elements like air, water and soil into the complexity of life. Consciousness is the source of our being and the reason we experience life and vitality; it is distinct from the mind, which is merely a manifestation of consciousness.
Consciousness is the fundamental intelligence that makes life happen. It is not just individual awareness of thoughts, emotions, and sensations but the profound intelligence that transforms simple elements into the complexity of life. Consciousness is described as the source of who we are and the reason we experience life and aliveness; consciousness is not of the mind, but rather, the mind is a manifestation of consciousness.
The four main dimensions of the mind are Buddhi – the intellect, the logical dimension of thought; Ahamkara – the ego, the identity that wills the intellect; Manas – a vast silo of memory, including elemental, atomic, evolutionary, karmic, and sensory memories; Chitta – pure consciousness, where there is no memory or sense of “mine” and “yours.” Modern education and sciences have limited themselves to just the Buddhi or intellect. To raise one’s consciousness, one must go beyond the mind and memories and enter the state of Turiya, or pure consciousness (discussed below).
Spirituality and AI
Ancient practices such as Yoga can help develop capacities that AI cannot replicate. Consciousness exists in all things, even inanimate objects like stones, but there is a distinction between being merely wakeful and genuinely conscious. True consciousness transcends simple wakefulness, which is just a state of the body and mind.
There are four states of consciousness: Jagriti, the waking state, where we are aware of the world around us; Swapna, the dream state, where we are aware of our dreams while sleeping; Susupti, the deep sleep state; and Turiya, the state of pure consciousness, with no memory or personal identity. In order to elevate one’s consciousness, one must transcend the mind and memories to reach the state of Turiya, which is the essence of the spiritual process.
Machines will never come close to achieving this intrinsic awareness. Though humans place a lot of emphasis on the intellect, and thereby the term Artificial Intelligence, while this intelligence may take our jobs, it will never be able to develop consciousness. Transcending intellectual limitations can involve practices such as Yoga. Machines will replace humans, though the overall idea of the human existence is to access more profound levels of consciousness beyond the confines of the ordinary. This capability is designed to only be experienced by human beings.