Is it possible to digitise the human?

Will AI replace humans?

AI, or artificial intelligence, is a technology that has received a lot of attention in recent years. Many believe it will fundamentally change the way we live and work. But what does it really mean for humanity and our future? 

In recent years, there has been much talk about AI threatening our jobs - not just those with "simple" routine tasks, but also the more skilled professions that require analytical skills and/or creativity. According to some, the breakthrough of automation and robotisation is only a matter of time and virtually everything will eventually be automated. Others argue that we humans are carrying something that can never be replaced by AI and robots. They argue that in a world where much is digitised, the value of what cannot be digitised, i.e. the human factor, the creative and emotional layer, increases. 

By 2023, we know that AI will have started producing music, art and content that is not easily distinguishable from human-produced content. November 2022 saw the launch of ChatGPT, the first AI capable of writing longer texts such as reflective essays, poems and helping programmers solve coding problems with quick solution suggestions. The first paragraph of this article is written by ChatGPT.

What then are the human and non-replaceable characteristics? Our understanding of this is something that has been upgraded over time. A while ago we didn't think AI could produce creatively authored text, and today there are smart AI engines that produce higher quality text. Translation engines are getting smarter by the day, and it may not be long before they replace the need to learn an entire language in order to communicate with other people. 

In sales, the trend towards automation began more than 10 years ago. CRM and Marketing Automation solutions allow us to automate the repetitive, let the computer handle large amounts of data and inform us when a human touch or a personal touch is needed. The role of the salesperson becomes to create trust and build relationships while digital solutions handle the boring and repetitive. However, we are hardly there. Today's CRM and Marketing Automation solutions depend and rely on the data that we humans feed into the systems to provide us with insights and streamline sales and marketing efforts. But have we reached the limit of development?

‍

Are we sure we can't automate the data entry or the relationship- and trust-building parts of sales? Is it safe to say that there will always be a need for a personal touch when it is ultimately individuals who are buying services? 

There's an interesting anecdote in Harari's "Homo Deus" about music professor David Cope: after 7 years of research and development, his controversial EMI (Experiment in Musical Intelligence) program produced 5,000 Bach-style chorales in a single day. After being challenged by another music professor, Cope arranged a listening session where the AI-generated works were performed alongside Bach and Larson; a modern composer. This was to see if the participants could distinguish who had composed which piece. The end result shocked everyone:

"On the appointed date, hundreds of lecturers, students and music fans gathered in the University of Oregon's Concert Hall. At the end of the session, a vote was taken. The result? The audience believed that EMI's work was authentic Bach, that Bach's work was composed by Larson, and that Larson's work was produced by a computer."

Harari's 'Homo Deus' P.324

‍

So, is it possible to hand over even creative work to AI? If it's possible to create creative content, is it also possible to hand over tasks such as building relationships and trust to these smart creations?

If we look back at how we reasoned about these things almost 10 years ago and then look at the developments that have taken place in such a short time, it becomes increasingly clear that the impact of automation and robotisation is a matter of time. Some tasks are slightly easier to robotize, while others will take slightly longer and require more advanced algorithms. But every time we install an application and give the system permission to collect and analyse our data, we are feeding algorithms valuable data about how we work, how we think and what it takes to imitate us. In the long run, services will be bought by AI and the importance of personal chemistry and the relationship between buyer and seller will become completely irrelevant. 

What to do in such a future? 

If we are to stay relevant in a digital world driven by AI, we need to educate ourselves and ensure that our knowledge and data remain relevant. It is also important to remember that we are living in a crucial era. We have a huge responsibility around how we shape the impact of AI on our lives and the future of humanity.

As Steven Hawkings once said: 

"Success in creating effective AI, could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. Or the worst. We just don't know. So we cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by AI, or ignored by it and side-lined, or conceivably destroyed by it. Unless we learn how to prepare for, and avoid, the potential risks, AI could be the worst event in the history of our civilization. It brings dangers, like powerful autonomous weapons, or new ways for the few to oppress the many. It could bring great disruption to our economy."