jdormit

  Please write a short op-ed around 500 words. Keep the language
  simple and concise. Focus on why humans have nothing to fear from
  AI.

  What is it that humans fear from AI? At a philosophical level, the
  question comes down to: what are human beings afraid of losing as
  machines take over more and more jobs previously performed by
  humans. The first answer that may come to mind for many people would
  be 'nothing', since they believe in the idea of technological
  progress having no limits, which means that there is literally
  nothing we can do to stop it.

  If you look at history however, you'll find this attitude not
  entirely justified. For instance when carriages were invented and
  took away most of horse-drawn carriage business their owners
  resisted vigorously against them claiming that they were unsafe and
  unreliable just like now with self-driving cars or trucks.
  
  So it appears that some human beings really fear the loss of jobs
  caused by AI, and they are also afraid that machines might take over
  other tasks like driving or even writing in case a new computer
  system is invented.

  What is it exactly that makes them so afraid? I think the answer
  lies in a very deep level of human psychology, which those who are
  afraid would probably not be ready to hear.

  It isn't just about jobs and income for most people. It's about
  identity and self-esteem when they no longer have something
  important they are doing like driving or writing.
  
  There is also the fear that new and better machines will make them
  look inferior, even emasculated because they no longer have to do
  anything. They are afraid of being made redundant by AI.
  
  So what humans are afraid of losing is their jobs, income, identity
  and self-esteem. This might seem like a very strange thing to fear
  because it's happening with all technological progress.

  But in the past it was a natural process based on evolution and
  survival of the fittest. Now however humans are no longer driven by
  those evolutionary drivers but mostly by things like social status,
  self-esteem etc.