Reflection on the AI Era
Here comes the AI era.
The launch of ChatGPT marks the arrival of a new era and stage in the human civilization. After testing it, the experts announced that its conversation ability has exceeded that of 90% of humans. It can not only search information for you, but also digest massive of texts and materials to provide you with a required summary, suggestion, or proposal. And the replies of ChatGPT are adjusted according to your situation, such as age and work demands, so that you would have a better grasp. It’s able to write novels, programs, schemes, proposals, and essays for you, and even function as a mental instructor. Whether in work or daily life, humans suddenly have a tool equipped with a global network of knowledge, semi-human comprehension, expression ability and problem-solving skills. And it’s just a start of artificial intelligence (AI).

The greatest strength of AI is the self-learning ability, which enables it to continuously improve itself. In addition, there will be a quantum computer whose hash rate is millions of times of that of the current supercomputer, and the maturing mechanical body (like the extremely flexible bodies in Atlas and Spot by Boston Dynamics). In combination, they create the android whose intelligence and stamina are both much better than that of humans. When such a android gradually develops self-awareness from self-learning, we humans would face the conundrums: Do we need to acknowledge it as an independent life who has the right to be respected as we do? Then, where does the border between humans and artificial life lies?

As the distinction between humans and animals in the past, now we wonder that between humans and AI. Have we begun this consideration?. Because our era culture happens to be in a void of values, a loss of meanings, a block from emotions, and a lack of vitality. We humans fail to orient ourselves, let alone define the orientation or border of the super intelligence.
Ever since the period of Confucius and Mencius, there has been in-depth reflection on “What’s human” in China. Over the in-depth exploration of more than 2,500 years, Chinese people discovered the intrinsic nature of life: mentality. Confucius summarized it as "Perfect Virtue" (仁), while Mencius explained it as the feeling (心) of Four Principle (四端). The later Confucianism scholars regarded “ feeling is the principle” (“心即理”) as the nature of human life. As the external laws of the physical world were discovered by the western sciences, the inherent laws of life were discovered in the Chinese lore. Now with the upcoming arrival of artificial life, we are required more than ever to reach specific consensus on what human life is. Only in this way, the civilization of the next generation would be guided. In this regard, Chinese culture is shouldering the mission.
Several specific issues requiring further consideration are to be continued later.
As aforementioned, faced with the arrival of the AI era, the most important issue of humans is to have a specific definition of the distinction between humans and AI. Yet much to our worry, up to now, human civilization is in an age with vague values and humanity. Undergoing centuries of liberty and opening-up, all the values in life seem relative instead of absolute. It all depends on human beings themselves.
The situation of ambiguity in value would keep on under the world which dominated by human, but this equivocal attitude is unsuitable under the era with the existent of AI.
In my opinion, the nature and the impassable border of AI lies in humanity itself. Only when humans have a clear concept about what humans are, who I am, what the truth and the real subject of life, human can find the border between humans and AI.

Dominated by the western thoughts in the past, we tended to think the nature of humans (人的本質) lies in rationality (理性). But with the existence of AI, rationality is the most replaceable trait. Some people think that the trait of humans lies in creativity. Now seeing the artworks created by AI, people changed their perspective again. Others deem that the trait of humans lies in emotion. Unfortunately, the definition of emotion has been disputable. As emotion contains mood, personal affection, desire, etc., it sometimes gets confusing and is hard to distinguish.
So, in comparison with AI or artificial life, what’s humanity actually? Or furthermore, what's left in humanity? Body and rationality of human beings can be replaced. So is the reason. What is irreplaceable in humans? Does humanity still have any irreplaceable dignity?
One of the Anthem of New Asia College (《新亞書院校歌》)'s lyric which written by Mr. Qian Mu, "The honorable of human being sourced from human's soul and spirit." (“人之尊,心之靈。”)1
Humanity is dignified in human's feeling (心). Mencius proposed that who with the virtuous of human nature (性善) can guide humans to pursue the lofty ideal (理想) and realize it. Sympathy (感通) is discussed in The Book of Changes (《易經》). A human mind has its temperament and is able to share the feelings and sufferings of others, objects and even the world. Dajian Huineng, also commonly known as the Sixth Patriarch (禪宗六祖), once said that "Who could have expected that one's essence could be complete in itself?"2 (“何其本性,其本自足。”)Lu Xiangshan proposed that "The universe is my mind." (“吾心即是宇宙”) Mr. Tang Junyi wrote the Life Existence and the States of the Mind (《生命存在與心靈境界》)wherein he illustrated the universe and life, and pointed out that all the knowledge, laws, morals, principles, values, and pursuits are enabled by mind.

There is a great mass of exploration into mind in Chinese culture, which remains to be promoted by the wise. Whether the opportunity of AI’s arrival can be seized to indicate a promising direction for human civilization depends on the efforts of our generation. The time is now!
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