Artificial intelligence is such a vast field to explore. “AI can be as much about optimizing stocks in supermarkets as it is about finding tumors on x-rays,” says journalist and host Matthieu Dugal, who is behind the documentary series. AI. To be or not to be. We have therefore decided to approach artificial intelligence from an ethical point of view, thanks to our human relationship with the thing. »
In an attempt to answer the many questions raised by advances in AI, Matthieu Dugal, helped by scientists and the most recent technologies, has notably undertaken the creation of his digital twin. This experiment conducted as part of the program aims to highlight the impacts, whether present or future, of artificial intelligence on our societies.
“When we talk about ethics, it can be a lot of things,” warns Mr. Dugal. There is, for example, the monitoring of our health or even facial recognition, but the most intimate aspect is undoubtedly, according to him, the avatar. “From the data we leave online, algorithms can animate certain facets of our personalities and create digital dolls. These can either replace us or increase our intelligence and even make us eternal beings, ”continues the host. His digital double was thus created from the data available in the cloud and has the possibility of existing independently of him. “If I place this avatar in a metaverse context, people could interact with my double while I, on the other hand, would do something else entirely. Inevitably, this raises a lot of questions, which sometimes seem like science fiction,” he underlines.
Online, what is our relationship to the other? Does our data define us? Can there be consciousness generated by computer programs? Over the next few years, we will undoubtedly be faced with these questions.
It is everywhere and yet we do not see it, because contrary to what we might have thought a few years ago, robots are not yet part of our daily lives and they are still far from it.
And as if the complexity of artificial intelligence were not enough, we must also face its paradoxes. “It’s everywhere and yet we don’t see it, because contrary to what we might have thought a few years ago, robots are not yet part of our daily lives and they are still far from it,” says Matthieu Dugal. According to him, artificial intelligence will be revealed mainly through avatars and intelligent voices. For him, we will see more and more situations like the one in the movie Her by Spike Jonze, where the character of Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with the voice (Scarlett Johansson) of a computer program.
“Sooner or later, it will be almost impossible to tell the difference between humans and avatars animated by algorithms and which are nothing more than lines of code for which we develop empathy, he adds. . The video game demonstrates in this regard that our ability to be empathetic is not limited to our fellow human beings, to certain animals, such as cats and dogs, or to our plants. So there is no reason for us not to cultivate complicity with digital doubles. »
“Make us dependent”
In his documentary series, Matthieu Dugal obviously does not forget to warn the viewer. “All of this creates countless problems and potential dangers. We must keep in mind that avatars, as is the case with recommendation algorithms on social networks, are first and foremost there to hook us and make us dependent. According to him, to prevent our weak points from being exploited by algorithms, it is essential to employ the precautionary principle and to take advantage of good digital hygiene. “Are we not going to prefer the company of our avatars to that of our loved ones because they always tell us what we want to hear and are available at all times? For Matthieu Dugal, the question is extremely relevant and deserves to be asked publicly. “We should see this as a challenge to our intelligence,” he says.
Finally, Matthieu Dugal likes to remind us: “As Kate Crawford, professor at New York University and researcher at Microsoft, mentions in To be or not to be, the AI is neither intelligent nor artificial. In order not to get lost in the reflection sent back to us by avatars, it is necessary, according to Mr. Dugal, to keep in mind that algorithms are originally an invention and a succession of human decisions. “We ourselves choose to place our own limits with technology,” he concludes. Therefore, it would be up to us to make artificial intelligence our ally.