“By 2040 it will be increasingly difficult to know whether something that we see or experience has been human-generated. And it may matter less and less to us, as successive generations grow up in an AI-infused world.
“Part of this shift can be positive, if and when the technology is used to expand current ideas of work and creativity in productive, life-affirming ways.
We may find that our humanity – what makes us special as human beings – is being gradually and systematically stripped away.
“But the temptation will be to use it exploitatively and to maximize profits. In the process, we may find that our humanity – what makes us special as human beings – is being gradually and systematically stripped away. As AI becomes a taken-for-granted aspect of everyday life in the coming decades, will we even notice?”
This was written in November 2023 in reply to the question: Considering likely changes due to the proliferation of AI in individuals’ lives and in social, economic and political systems, how will life have changed by 2040? This and more than 150 additional responses are included in the report “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence by 2040”