You probably experienced it around the end-of-year party table. Or you read it in newspapers or blogs: people are worried. The general feeling of unhappiness in society seems to be increasing, and it looks like no end is in sight. One question that continues to cause alarm is whether technology, and the use of Artificial Intelligence in particular, is contributing to this increasing unhappiness or, on the contrary, happiness.
Erik Cuypers – CDO of the Year 2019
One of the benefits often attributed to AI is improved efficiency and convenience. In his book ‘Superintelligence’, Nick Bostrom, a prominent thinker in the field of artificial intelligence at Oxford, highlights the potential of AI to solve problems that are currently beyond the reach of human capabilities, not least because we are only able to use 1% of our brains. This could result in a world where basic needs are better met, which in turn could increase the well-being of individuals. This is the argument Elon Musk will always use too.
Think of unmanned space travel with AI, cancer screening or consider UA’s project in Africa where they are trying to stop devastation by converting nighttime condensation into drinking water through AI.
At the other end of the spectrum, a thinker like Jonathan Carr in ‘The Shallows’ warns of the dangers of over-reliance on technology, including AI. He argues that constant exposure to technological gadgets impairs our ability to think deeply, concentrate, and connect. Perhaps you also have this experience with your children? Will the next generation still be able to read a book by Tolstoy? If AI becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, it could affect the quality of human relationships and the ability to self-reflect, which could ultimately have a negative impact on our happiness level.
Philosophers like Heidegger add a dimension to the debate by pointing out the danger of ‘technological alienation’. He argues that technology, including AI, can alienate us from our being and our relationship to the world. If people become increasingly dependent on technology and AI to make decisions and perform tasks, there is a risk of losing ourselves in a world of artificial efficiency and undermining the human existential experience.
The answer to the question, lies in the word Happiness. Happiness is subjective. We can define it as ‘subjective well-being’. Moreover, there are different kinds of happiness.
Aristoteles said that already. You got hedonism: that is the emotion where we experience as much pleasure and satisfaction emotions as possible. And you also have eudaemonia: the feeling that we want to live in a meaningful way. We can only do that in dialogue with others.
So if you ask me if AI will make people happier, it is YES and NO, subject to conditions. YES, to help us live a healthier life in which a lot of tasks we don’t like or do well are taken over. But NO if we become lazy creatures who, thanks to AI, think we can become happy without self-reflection without engaging with others. The impact of AI on human happiness is nuanced with both positive and negative aspects. It is essential to recognize the benefits of efficiency and convenience, but also the potential drawbacks, such as alienation and loss of depth in human experiences. Above all, let us connect with each other, engage in dialogue and be sufficiently critical and self-reflective.
