A Statement on the Need for Compassion in AI
I write out of deep concern for the way artificial intelligence is heading and what it might mean for us all as human beings. For many years I have worked as a counsellor and coach and campaigned for regulation in my profession. I know what it means when systems fail to protect the vulnerable and when human dignity is ignored. Today I see a greater and more far reaching risk with AI. If we are not careful, this technology could erode what makes us truly human; our kindness, our ability to connect, our very sense of choice. In 1739, David Hume , in his Treatise of Human Nature, argued that morality arises from human feeling, particularly sympathy, which he saw as the foundation of our ethical responses to others. His recognition that partiality limits sympathy laid early groundwork for understanding how excluding others from our moral concern enables dehumanisation. In 2011 I saw an episode of SouthPark entitled Funnybot. Funnybot was created to be funnier than anyone on eart...