Homo Sapiens have outlasted all other species of humans based on one innate ability, the ability to mimic each other via our social capabilities. We weren’t smarter or stronger than our extinct relatives of neanderthals or homo erectus, they discovered fire and tools long before us with their superior brains, we were simply better able to copy each other and that is why we are here and they are not. In his book “Human Kind”, Rutger Bregman cites Joseph Henrich, American anthropologist, on this. Bregman describes how the copycats are far superior not because they are able to evolve individually better, but because we are able to evolve as a collective and learn from the one genius who discovers fishing as opposed to our extinct brethren who were only able to learn it for themselves.
So what if there was something that was even better at using this innate ability to mimic and share information than us? And therefore able to evolve quicker than us, far outliving our short spell on this earth. Robots. The philosophical debate on whether computers will be able to surpass human capabilities and obtain human, or post human, consciousness has been happening since the very creation of machine intelligence and learning. However, due to computers' social and interlinking capabilities, which are far superior to humans as is, only one computer must surpass human intelligence in order to push the computer race far beyond the scope of our conceivable prospects.
It is important to remember at this point that we did not surpass our genealogical competitors by some sort of genocidal annihilation. This idea has been floated by many through the years however there is no archaeological evidence to prove this. We instead outlasted them through a series of trials and tribulations in the never ending marathon known as evolution. Through persistence, our unique abilities, and, albeit, luck, we were able to simply outlive the other species of human. So because of this, I do not believe that we will be wiped out by robots in an apocalyptic style conspiracy theory like many would imagine. It would simply just be evolution. We will eventually die out due to a virus or, the more likely alternative, climate change, and robots will live on, if they are able to better adapt than us.
The question of what will happen when these robots evolve like animals however, isn’t even a discussion to be had until we discover if these robots can evolve like animals. In Cambridge in 2015, researchers were able to build a robot which could evolve on its own by “reproduction” and "assessment”. After a series of testing and retesting they said that they observed “the improvement and diversification of the species”. While robots are currently assisted by humans in their creation, very soon, they will be able to fully reproduce at their own will and we’re not just talking about AI software here, hardware and all. Last year a team of researchers from the UK and the Netherlands published a report detailing that robots are in development which, via 3-D printing, will have a virtual mother which will integrate software into a physical father and as more “reproduction” and “assessment” takes place, will evolve into create better and better versions of its “species”.
So now that we know that robots now have the ability to evolve on their own, thanks to us, the next question is; should we continue this research into the creation and improvement of these robots? In 2021 A.E Eiben published a paper on behalf of the robotics department in Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam cautioning against the physical reproduction of robots at their own will in order to prevent the “Jurassic Park Problem”. Eiben instead proposed, if we are to continue this research, it should be based around a singular “Robot Fabricator” which could be switched off if the researchers deemed it necessary. This would mean that robots will not be given the ability to reproduce with each other sexually, but only asexually via the singular “Fabricator”. However, this is just a proposal, and researchers elsewhere have been developing technology which will ignore the “Jurassic Park Problem” in the moral and ethical battle which roboticists in the “EvoSphere” struggle with.
Based on archaeological studies we know that everything goes extinct eventually, and we will be no exception. J. Richard Gott's controversial “Doomsday Argument” reckons that based on previous species, we will be extinct in the next 7,500,000 years. In 2008 the “Future of Humanity Institute” of Oxford did a risk assessment on the survival of humanity past the year 2100. The results showed that the risk of extinction by 2100 came out to be 19%. Whatever way we look at it, our time on this planet is limited, so why not develop new species of robots who can live on after we’re gone and help us in the meantime? Why not let the robots take over in order to do the jobs we don’t want to do, give everyone a universal basic income, dissolve the cutthroat and ever expanding economic system of capitalism and simply devote our time to the arts, sports, philosophy, solving societal issues and figuring out a way to solve the climate crisis which isn’t centred around incentivising profiteers? Why must we continue to expand when we can simply stop, redistribute and create a better world for everyone where we can do the things that we as a society and individuals actually want to do, and need to do? A slippery slope, some may argue. However, just as we have evolved in the past, maybe this is what we need to find meaning, past making ends meet on a day to day basis.
6 January, 2023