Media Release

Aluva, Nov 2: The 46th Annual Research Seminar of ACPI was held at Jnana Niketan, Little Flower Seminary, Aluva, Kerala, from October 20 to 23 on the theme, “Engulfing Presence of Artificial Intelligence: Philosophical Reflection of its Challenges and Opportunities.” The seminar was organized well by the host institution by the rector Fr Tomy Alumkalkarott, CST, local secretary Dr Augustine Pamplany, CST, staff and students. There were about 90 participants at the seminar, ranging from Professors and research scholars to Master’s and Bachelor’s level students from various institutes of philosophy across India.

The 22nd Annual Series of ACPI, Emancipative Education: Policies and Practices, edited by Dr Raju Felix Crasta was released by chief guest, Joseph Kariyil, Bishop of Cochin. Another book, 5th Special Series of ACPI, Thinking the Human and the Pandemic edited by DrJojo Joseph was released by Bishop Thomas Padiyath, Auxillary bishop of Shamshabad.

In his inaugural address, Bishop Dr Joseph Kariyil stressed the need for careful examination and adoption of new technological developments with Artificial Intelligence. Enhancing the lives of people is the priority of all scientific and technological growth. The Keynote Address given by Prof. Dr. Santhosh Kumar, from Cochin University of Science and Technology, was enlightening in understanding the rapid growth in AI technologies. There were twenty-one papers on AI and eleven student responses to some papers.

Key insights and salient points emerged from the discussions and deliberations:

1.We become increasingly aware of the exponential growth and development of technologies using Artificial intelligence (AI) in every possible domain of human existence. The engulfing presence of AI is even equated to the revolutionary events like Big-Bang and the Origin of Life. However, the unsettling connections between AI and human existence raise several profound questions about our existence, human identity and dignity, making and implementing of policies, safeguarding privacy and asserting the autonomy. The contemporary technologies obviously enhance not only our comforts and communication abilities, but also shape our attitude towards one another, Nature and God.

2.AI’s evolution intersects science, philosophy, anthropology, ethics and theology, prompting multi-disciplinary debates including discourses on bio-conservatism and transhumanism. This convergence offers an opportunity to have different perspectives where one can see AI as the realisation of our potentialities enabling us to have a positive outlook at the interfacing of AI and humanity.

3.It appears to be a legitimate fear that not only machines would enslave human beings but also the huge data collected in and through AI may be used to manipulate to suit the interests of the societal elites, to the alarming disadvantage of the poor and the socially oppressed citizens. AI powered surveillance capitalism puts the privacy and the autonomy of individuals in a greater risk.

4.Though AI deals with the unimaginably huge and varieties of data and processes it with enormous speed, yet human judgement has to be involved not only in creating the algorithms for AI technology, but also in interpreting and applying the outcomes of such technologies.

5.Along with the considerations of consciousness issues, ethical dilemmas, societal responsibility and our commitment towards nature and future generations, we need to pay attention to the linguistic difficulties with regard to the languages used by AI and for AI, as the philosophical analysis of languages makes it clear that languages always involve crucial ambiguities, not only in ordinary languages but also in mathematical/scientific languages. Similarly, AI languages might also lead to serious misunderstanding and communication gap.

6.AI is certainly capable of improving and enhancing the functional capabilities of human beings. However, it is a serious question whether it can replace human agencies with all their emotional, interpersonal, cultural, and spiritual aspects.

7.While it is obvious that AI manifests a certain level of consciousness and the neural networking systems mimic the neural activities of the human brain, both the machine consciousness (intelligence) and human consciousness (intelligence) are categorically different with nuances. It is highlighted that Indian philosophical insights can enhance the understanding of the themes related to AI, namely, human nature, creativity, rationality, corporeality, consciousness, intelligence, intuition, aesthetics, morality, mind and cognition.

8.The contributions of Indians to the AI, space and bio-technologies at large is amazingly appreciable. However, the benefits of these technologies and the scientific temperament have unfortunately not reached the last person on the periphery of our societal strata.

9.The rise of AI challenges our understanding of human labour and its value. AI has the potential to replace many forms of human labour, but it also creates new opportunities for creative and meaningful labour. We need to find ways to ensure that AI is used to enhance human dignity and welfare, rather than to replace or devalue human labour.

Statement of the ACPI Annual Research seminar:

The members of ACPI commit themselves to:

i. Evolve an educational curriculum to create awareness of the serious need for updating the ethical principles as the technologies evolve, ensuring that human dignity and identity are not compromised at any cost.

ii. Use the AI tools and technologies starting from mobile phones to magnificent quantum computers, keeping in mind ethical implications, societal commitments and safeguarding the rights of the marginalised in society.

iii. Keep away the AI technologies from interfering with the social fabric of the nations, distorting democratic practices, and legitimising the discriminations that polarise citizens on different accounts.

iv. Revisit the understanding of traditional concepts such as free will, consciousness and transcendence in the context of new developments of AI-related technologies and reaffirm the uniqueness of humanity.

v. Be ready to avail the healthy contributions of AI technology of human enhancement provided they do not tamper or meddle with the fundamental identity and dignity of human beings.

vi. Take the maximum benefits of AI technologies to uplift every section of humanity by reducing all inhuman discriminations prevailing in the society, preserving the intrinsic value of Nature.

From all these deliberations, they are convinced of the necessity that all those who are directly or indirectly involved in AI technologies need to be aware of the responsibility to ‘humanize robots’ (to the extent possible) rather than ‘robotizing humans’, acknowledging the potential dangers and irreversible consequences for humanity and nature.