The Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” was on to something in the introspective 1939 song by composer Harold Arlen and lyricist E.Y. Harbug’s: “If I Only Had a Brain.”
“I could while away the hours,
Conferrin’ with the flowers,
Consultin’ with the rain.
And my head I’d be scratchin’ while my thoughts were busy hatchin’
If I only had a brain.”
The lyrics today have some, like me, in the throes of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, dreading a future with the onslaught of artificial intelligence, a.k.a., “AI”—two letters that instill fear and anxiety in many. In our serpentine journey, many of us tend to want to grasp what is real, not artificial. Even when I cannot think or reason, I don’t want a computer telling me how to do so. I’d prefer to go silently into the night…
AI and the Fear of the Unknown
AI can be described as sophisticated computer systems able to execute tasks that have normally required human intellect. In other words, to some extent, they can supersede human intelligence.
While AI may offer beams of hope, the downside for those like me is fraught with danger without the proper safeguards. Fear of the unknown is the lowest common denominator for many with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
As the Baby Boomer iconic commercial echoed in the 1970s: “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature!”
No, it isn’t.
Public Debate About AI Ethics
Despite all the hype today, the concept of artificial intelligence is not new. Its genesis was in 1950, when English mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing, considered the father of AI, published a research paper proposing the “Turing Test,” an analysis to gauge a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behavior analogous to that of a human. In 1955, American computer scientist John McCarthy coined the term “artificial intelligence,” and a year later, organized the Dartmouth Conference to set in motion an academic field study of “AI.”
Many—pro, con, and concerned—have weighed in on the use and promise of AI. Everyone seems to be engaged in talking about it.
Of late, Pope Leo XIV, in a milestone encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, issued sweeping forewarnings against treating AI as “morally neutral” or permitting it to replace human intelligence, or even making military decisions about war or what weapons to launch. While Pope Leo said AI must be “disarmed,” he explicitly instructed Catholic priests to stop using AI to write sermons.
“Calling for prudence, rigorous evaluation and even, at times, a slower pace in adopting AI does not mean opposing progress,” Leo wrote. “Instead, it is an exercise of responsible care for the human family … Technology should not be considered, in itself, as a force antagonistic to humanity.”
Closer to home, Pastor Doug Scalise at Brewster Baptist Church on Outer Cape Cod, an American Baptist interdenominational church, preached on his concerns about AI. In harmony with Pope Leo’s encyclical, Scalise, a close counselor to me in my Alzheimer’s, said:
“What does it mean to remain fully human in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence? As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms work, relationships, creativity, education, the use of natural resources and energy, and daily life, it raises questions about dignity, purpose, wisdom, connection, and the future of human flourishing. We need to be able to discern both the opportunities and the threats posed by this technology, which will impact us—and future generations—in more ways than we can imagine.”
Scalise stressed that it’s critical to develop the ability to distinguish good from evil. “The ability to distinguish good from evil is essential because every decision we make is shaped by what we believe to be good, true, and worthy of praise, or what we believe to be evil, false, or deserving of condemnation,” he said.
Distinguishing good from evil in today’s fractured society can be daunting.
Brain Implants and Robot Warriors
Experts say brain implants—a close relative of AI—are critically needed today to treat neurological and psychiatric conditions, and restore lost motor and sensory functions.
By utilizing electrodes to stimulate targeted areas, these devices bridge gaps between the brain, body, and external technology. That’s the good.
Personal Perspectives Essential Reads
The bad is: Where does this technology go in the future? Brain implants that make us all Einsteins? On the surface, that might sound good. But the likelihood in the future of such brain-computer chips controlling the way we think—and the way we act—is as likely as July following June.
And there is great concern today about “brainhacking.” Notes a study in Ethics and Information Technology:
“Whilst brainjacking raises ethical concerns pertaining to privacy and physical or psychological harm, we claim that the possibility of brainjacking raises particularly profound concerns about individual autonomy, since the possibility of hacking such devices raises the prospect of third parties exerting influence over the neural circuits underpinning the subject’s cognitive, emotional and motivational states.”
And as a spinoff of all this, there’s now worldwide research on the creation of robot warriors. Killer robots are under development in several countries, including the United States, China, Iran, Israel, and South Korea. Critics fear their use by evil regimes and terrorists. Writes Liz Mineo in The Harvard Gazette:
“Long the stuff of science fiction, autonomous weapons systems, known as “killer robots,” are poised to become a reality, thanks to the rapid development of artificial intelligence. In response, international organizations have been intensifying calls for limits or even outright bans on their use. The U.N. General Assembly in November adopted the first-ever resolution on these weapons systems, which can select and attack targets without human intervention.”
So, as I watch the sun set tonight on bucolic Cape Cod Bay, with its brilliant and soothing soft yellows, deep purples and blazing reds, I’m tranquil, knowing I was born in 1950—in another era—and feeling out of place today. At 76, the clock is ticking for me.
I’m fully at peace with that.
