Considerations on the AI Endgame

This seminal volume offers an interdisciplinary exploration into the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence and its societal implications. Written by leading scholars Soenke Ziesche and Roman V. Yampolskiy, the book delves into a multitude of topics that address the rapid technological advancements in AI and the ethical dilemmas that arise as a result. The topics explored range from an in-depth look at AI welfare science and policy frameworks to the mathematical underpinnings of machine intelligence. These subjects include discussions on preserving our personal identity in technological contexts as well as on the question of AI identity, innovative proposals towards the critical AI value alignment problem and a call to merge Western and non-Western approaches towards universal AI ethics. The work also introduces unconventional yet crucial angles, such as the concept of "ikigai" in AI ethics and a pioneering attempt to map a potential AI-driven ikigai universe as well as the role of design formalisation, or "Designometry," in the creation of artefacts. By offering a balanced mix of theoretical and applied insights, the book serves as an invaluable resource for researchers, policymakers and anyone interested in the future of AI and the extent of its impact on society.

Soenke Ziesche holds a PhD in Natural Sciences from the University of Hamburg, which he received within a Doctoral Program in AI. He has worked since 2000 for the United Nations in the humanitarian, recovery and sustainable development fields as well as in data and information management. He is currently a consultant, mostly for the UN, for AI as well as for disaster information management and based in Brooklyn, USA. Dr. Roman V. Yampolskiy is a tenured faculty member in the department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Louisville. He is the founding and current director of the Cyber Security Lab and an author of many books including "AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable". Dr. Yampolskiy's main area of interest is Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security.

Preface Introduction 1. Towards AI welfare science and policies 2. Do no harm policy for minds in other substrates 3. Introducing the concept of ikigai to the ethics of AI and of human enhancements 4. Mapping the potential AI-driven virtual hyper-personalised ikigai universe 5. Towards the mathematics of intelligence 6. Designometry: Formalization of artifacts and methods 7. Preservation of personal identity: A survey of technological and philosophical scenarios 8. The problem of AI identity 9. Potential synergies between the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the AI value loading problem 10. The neglect of qualia and consciousness in AI alignment research 11. An AI may establish a religion 12. Stimuli from selected non-Western approaches to AI ethics Appendix A. Potential future ikigai: To support needy digital minds Appendix B. AI welfare science tool: Time use research Epilogue