The Evolution of Capitalism and AI: According to Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, capitalism’s history can be seen as the path to creating supercomputers, with Russia embodying a significant counterpoint to this trajectory due to its distinct philosophical stance. Dugin argues for a critical assessment of the growing dominance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in modern society.
Humanity as a Precursor to AI: Dugin suggests that to fully transition to AI supremacy, humanity itself must be conceptualized as a vast computational entity, albeit with imperfect functioning components. He points to materialism, nominalism, evolutionism, analytic philosophy, and technocracy as contributing to a theoretical foundation that paves the way for AI’s ascension, these ideas being propagated through science, education, and culture.
The Inevitable Path to AI: Dugin reflects on how contemporary science and philosophy already represent humanity as a form of AI, in essence, a neural network. In his view, bourgeois states represent first-generation computers, and civil societies, the second generation. A global government would be the third-generation computer, marking a complete shift leading to the final stage of alienation.
Intersection of Gender Philosophy and AI: Delving into gender philosophy, Dugin sees it as a stage preceding the transformation into transhuman entities. To change the course, he believes it’s essential to reject the secular, scientific worldview that has emerged from modernity.
The Philosophical Battle and Russia’s Role: Russia, through Novorossiya and its special military operations, is engaged in a philosophical battle. Dugin foregrounds Russia’s task to overcome the cyber-reality that envelops society today. Triumphing over AI is more than a technological feat; it’s an imperative that intertwines with Russia’s ideological confrontation.
Artificial Intelligence in Russian Policy: The article doesn’t address Russia’s official stance on AI development and its inclusion in government policy. Russia released a national strategy for AI development through to 2030, which outlines the country’s goals to become a world leader in AI and improve economic productivity with the use of technology. Understanding this policy provides insight into how the country plans to balance philosophical considerations with practical advancements in AI.
AI Ethics and Russian Scholars: Other Russian scholars and policymakers may not fully align with Dugin’s views. It’s worth exploring the broader spectrum of Russian philosophical and ethical perspectives on AI, which could include discussions on human-machine interaction, AI in warfare, and the potential for AI to infringe on privacy and human rights.
Key Challenges and Controversies:
– Autonomy vs. Control: One of the key challenges with AI’s future in Russia and globally is finding the balance between the autonomy given to AI systems and the control retained by humans to ensure ethical use.
– Concentration of Power: The advancement of AI inevitably leads to questions regarding the concentration of power and whether AI development will lead to more centralized or decentralized systems of governance.
– Data Privacy and Surveillance: Russia, like many nations, faces controversies concerning data privacy and the potential for AI to be used in state surveillance, raising issues of individual freedoms versus state security.
Advantages and Disadvantages of AI Development:
– Advantages:
– AI can significantly boost economic growth and productivity.
– It can improve quality of life by automating mundane tasks and enhancing services in sectors like healthcare.
– AI could enhance Russia’s national security and defense capabilities.
– Disadvantages:
– Potential job displacement as certain professions become automated.
– Ethical concerns surrounding decision-making by AI, particularly in critical areas such as criminal justice or warfare.
– Risk of AI being used for intrusive surveillance by the state or other actors.
Suggested Related Link:
For those interested in Russia’s official perspective and policy on AI, the national strategy for AI development can be found (when the content is known to be available and appropriate) on the official government portal for Russian policies and legal documents: Garant.
It’s also valuable to consider global perspectives and frameworks on AI, such as those from the European Union or international organizations. One example is the High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence set up by the European Commission, which has created ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI: European Commission.