🧠 How Will AI Redefine Humanity?

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In today’s Sunday Special:

Read Time: 7 minutes

📜THE PRELUDE

Many AI firms claim their mission is to benefit humanity somehow. OpenAI famously declares, “Our mission is to ensure that AGI benefits all of humanity.”

Similarly, Anthropic works toward the “responsible development and maintenance of advanced AI for the long-term benefit of humanity.”

Microsoft’s AI Research Group strives to “enhance the human experience and positively impact society as a whole.”

So, what exactly does “human” or “humanity” refer to? It may seem like a ridiculous question. However, the definition of humanity has changed significantly throughout history. A future definition could include AI-powered Humanoid Robots or AGI frameworks that display human-like qualities. Today, we’ll explain how that might become a reality.

📖WHAT DOES BEING “HUMAN” MEAN?

Dictionaries define “humanity” as “people in general,” which refers to all members of the human species. Today, saying someone belongs to “humanity” typically implies they’re equally deserving of human rights. Of course, this wasn’t always the case, and it still isn’t for everyone. Throughout history, if someone was born into the “wrong” family, tribe, ethnicity, or gender, they were denied full human rights. While biologically human, they were excluded from being considered a “human” in the eyes of society. By dehumanizing certain groups of people, society justified horrific acts like slavery. However, the meanings of words change.

Over the last 200 years, through actions like Women’s Suffrage or the Civil Rights Movement, the definition of “humanity” has expanded. More people have gained equality, not only legally but also culturally, in the eyes of society. As a result, “humanity” today is much more inclusive than it once was. The expansion of the definition is still ongoing. Around the world, certain groups of people are still fighting to be fully recognized as human beings.

👨‍⚖️CAN LEGAL RIGHTS EXTEND TO ANIMALS?

We’re discovering qualities in animals that were once considered uniquely human. We’ve observed elephants mourning their dead by burying their calves. Chimpanzees have been documented using tools for fishing, grooming, or cracking nuts, and they’ve been observed sharing food with other chimpanzees without gaining anything in return.

This growing recognition of subtle intelligence and emotional complexity in animals has led the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) to take legal action in America. Here’s how their attempt unfolded:

Happy the Elephant lived at the Bronx Zoo for over four decades. Happy was one of the few elephants to pass the Mirror Test, which measures self-awareness by seeing if an animal can recognize itself in a mirror. Despite this, Happy was confined to a small, barren enclosure with limited social interactions for most of her life.

In response, the NhRP filed a legal petition on behalf of Happy in 2018, arguing that she should be recognized as a “legal person” with the right to challenge her confinement under Habeas Corpus.

The Supreme Court of the State of New York ruled against granting Happy the right to Habeas Corpus in 2020, which would’ve allowed Happy to challenge her captivity and potentially be transferred to a sanctuary. They acknowledged Happy’s cognitive abilities but maintained that legal personhood couldn’t be extended to an elephant under current legal standards.

While we may not yet consider animals fully part of humanity, these developments show that society’s understanding of human rights and personhood is beginning to expand beyond human beings. Just as we once redefined who counts as “human,” we’re questioning whether some animals should be considered a “legal person.” Could the definition of “humanity” eventually include AI-powered Humanoid Robots?

🔮”SCI-FI” POINTS TO A NEW DEFINITION

Science Fiction (“Sci-Fi”) has long explored what it means to be human by crafting stories of robots that act, look, and think like humans.

In Blade Runner (i.e., 1982), humanity lives in a dystopian futuristic society where they’ve developed advanced biotechnology called Replicants: genetically engineered beings designed to serve humans in off-world colonies. These Replicants are virtually identical to humans with enhanced strength and intelligence but lack the full emotional complexity that defines human experience. As their presence grows, questions arise about their humanity. So, humans created the Voight-Kampff Test, which determines if someone is a human or a Replicant by using emotionally charged questions to measure physiological reactions, particularly empathy, a hallmark of human nature.

More recent “Sci-Fi” films continue to Anthropomorphize machines. In WALL-E (i.e., 2008), WALL-E is an endearing, solitary robot tasked with cleaning up a polluted Earth. Unlike many depictions of robots as cold, mechanical beings, WALL-E displays a sense of curiosity, playfulness, and even loneliness, characteristics typically reserved for humans. His longing for companionship is illustrated through his interaction with a small plant and growing attachment to a robot named EVE. These human-like behaviors, paired with his visual expressions, such as how his eyes widen with wonder or sadness, prompt us to see him as a robot capable of genuine emotional complexity.

As robots increasingly mirror human-like qualities, such as empathy, creativity, and emotional complexity, we may have to rethink what “humanity” refers to. This shift could lead to a future where AI-powered Humanoid Robots are given fair treatment as a “legal person” in society and potentially the right to function autonomously. Although this seems like a far-fetched possibility, it’s such a profound shift in what it means to be “human” that it warrants premature consideration.

🔑KEY TAKEAWAY

Our understanding of humanity may evolve as we recognize the human tendencies of AI-powered Humanoid Robots or AGI frameworks. “Sci-Fi” films like Blade Runner (i.e., 1982) and WALL-E (i.e., 2008) challenge us to consider the ethical implications of granting rights to robots that display human-like qualities. Just as we’ve redefined who counts as “human” in the past, we may soon face a future where AI-powered Humanoid Robots, with their growing cognitive abilities and emotional complexity, are integrated into our moral frameworks and legal procedures.

📒FINAL NOTE

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