Artificial You

Hailed by the Washington Post as "a sure-footed and witty guide to slippery ethical terrain," Artificial You by Susan Schneider offers a philosophical exploration of AI and the future of the mind. Praised by Astronomer Royal Martin Rees as "profound and entertaining," it delves into the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.

Humans may not remain Earth's most intelligent beings for much longer: the world champions of chess, Go, and Jeopardy! are now all AIs. The rapid pace of progress in AI suggests that it could reach human-level intelligence within several decades, and from there, potentially outpace human intelligence. What do these developments mean for the future of the mind?

In Artificial You, Schneider asserts that it is inevitable for AI to take intelligence in new directions, urging us to carve out a sensible path forward. As AI technology reshapes the brain and potentially creates machine minds, caution is crucial. Homo sapiens, as mind designers, will be wielding "tools" they do not fully understand: the self, the mind, and consciousness. Schneider argues that a limited understanding of these concepts could jeopardise the use of AI and brain enhancement technology, risking the demise or suffering of conscious beings. To flourish, we must tackle the philosophical issues beneath the algorithms.

At the heart of her exploration is a sober-minded discussion of AI's true capabilities: Can robots really be conscious? Can we merge with AI, as suggested by tech leaders like Elon Musk and Ray Kurzweil? Is the mind merely a programme? Examining these complex issues, Schneider proposes ways to test for machine consciousness, questions whether consciousness is an unavoidable byproduct of sophisticated intelligence, and considers the overall dangers of creating machine minds.