From Technocentrism to Humanism: A Kantian Perspective on the AI Revolution

In this paper, I argue that the most popular and fashionable strain of A.I. — so called machine learning —threatens to degrade the virtues upon which human societies depend by confusing us about the nature and value of human intelligence. I draw on Kant’s conception of reason to show how human intelligence is fundamentally different from its artificial counterpart, arguing that human intelligence is inherently spontaneous, and is progressively developed in the context of the broader social-political project of human emancipation, or, enlightenment. I use this view of human intelligence and its intrinsic value to shed light on the unique dangers posed by a world dominated by artificial intelligence. By encouraging us to take a merely instrumental view of intelligence as such, widespread reliance on AI threatens to obscure the essential link between human reason and the emancipatory virtues its development instills. I conclude by arguing that the gravest dystopian scenario we face may not be rogue AI, nor intelligent machines stealing our jobs on a mass scale, but instead a future where we’ve forgotten how to learn. No amount of automation can remedy the ills of a society that lacks the virtues only human learning can impart.