“Artificial intelligence” and human spirituality

Abstract

The article focuses on multiple references between humans and computers. The fundamental role of the computer in these references is to simulate human mental processes. The scope of the simulation and the degree of approximation of the capabilities of digital machines to the multiple talents of humans vary – from the accounting analogy to the idea of creating a computer doppelganger close to humans in terms of basic abilities: intellectual, mental and even spiritual. Some of these intentions regarding elementary computational tasks have been realized in the world, some can be realized, but there are aspirations that will never be fulfilled. This happens whenever a computer is required to simulate states that it cannot produce (such as consciousness, intentionality or spirituality). Despite this obvious truth and despite the growing difficulties, such procedures are undertaken, and the difficulties increase as the simulation covers deeper and deeper dimensions of the human being. The individual parts of the article discuss the subsequent stages of “computational” exploration of human dimensions, starting from the most shallow to the deepest one. Thus, relatively few difficulties arise in relating humans and computers on the plane of computational intelligence (part 1); simulating consciousness causes more adventures (part 2), clear perturbations are related to efforts to equip the computer with intentionality, which in fact should be act (part 3); next we talk about spirituality and mysticism – dispositions even more unattainable for a computer (part 4). Two types of strategies are being used in the effort to equalize humans and computers. The first one consists in subordinating or even disregarding those human abilities that cannot be simulated (reducing a human being to a computer). The second one is to redefine the functions of the computer, to give them a character and name according to human attributes (raising the computer to the level of a human). The article was preceded by numerous statements, positions, hopes and expectations towards “artificial intelligence”. However, the current text provides the final answer – the barrier between humans and computers, despite attempts to break it, is impassable. The announcement of this thesis is already outlined in the title, confirmed by extensive argumentation, and expressed in part 4, which excludes the possibility of identifying a human with a computer. Therefore, regardless of different opinions, wishes or beliefs, a diagnosis is difficult to avoid: the peak of computer capabilities is expressed in powerful computational ability, while the peak of human capabilities is expressed in the depth of mystical spirituality.