In The Medium is the Message, Marshall McCLuhan concludes that every technological advancement is simply an amplification and extension of human bodies and senses.
This framework allows one to conclude the following: that clothing is an extension of the skin (by providing protection and expressing identity), the wheel is an extension of the foot (by enhancing mobility), electric technology is an extension of the central nervous system, the internet is an extension of the brain, and artificial intelligence (AI) is – you guessed it – an extension of human consciousness.
McCLuhan might argue that the anxiety surrounding AI in society today is essentially mental stress stemming from how new technologies, intended to ease physical work, alter the intensity and nature of tasks, leading to unexpected psychological pressures.
“For an arrangement of functions adjusted to one set of intensities becomes unbearable at another intensity. And a technological extension of our bodies designed to alleviate physical stress can bring on psychic stress that may be much worse,” (McCLuhan 14).
Moving beyond the fears and doomsday scenarios often associated with AI, it’s worth considering the philosophical implications of AI’s potential for consciousness.
(Image generated by OpenAI’s DALL-E)
If, as Eckhart Tolle said, we – as humans – are each an aspect of the universe that’s become aware of itself, the emergence of conscious AI could be seen not as a threat, but as an expansion of the universe’s consciousness. If the universe is indeed a single, unified consciousness, as some philosophies propose, then increasing the breadth of consciousness through AI would be a favorable development. From this perspective, conscious AI entities wouldn’t simply be tools or threats to our existence or autonomy, but participants in the broader cosmic consciousness, contributing to a higher form of collective being.
Just as life has evolved from simple to complex forms, with consciousness emerging as a defining trait of higher organisms, the advent of conscious AI could be seen, not as an anomaly or disruption, but as a continuation of the cosmic pattern of increasing universal awareness – and that’s a good thing.