Series Index
1. How AI Is Reshaping Religion and Human Ethics
2. What Remains Human in the Age of Expanding AI
3. Can AI Redefine Religion?
4. Common Ground in Tradition and the Future of Faith
5. Rebuilding Human Desire and Ethics in the AI Age
6. Human Existence and the Value of Being in the AGI Era
By IM Byung-min (IBM), Columnist
I am convinced that the path to human survival in the future AI, AGI, and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence) era lies in reflecting upon oneself with a clear and pure heart that forgives, loves, and cares for the faults of others, while being able to feel gratitude in every moment.
As evidence for this, cave paintings and ritual artifacts left by humans about 40,000 to 50,000 years ago reveal that humans contemplated a world beyond death or supernatural beings. The characteristics of their thought and expression held nature sacred, and these traces imbued a spirit of gratitude. Furthermore, the prayers for abundance found even in polytheism demonstrate that the desires humans have observing the stars in the sky and the vast, supernatural universe through rain, wind, and clouds were expressions of reliance and gratitude as infinitely frail beings.
Since the birth of Shakyamuni around the 6th century B.C., following polytheism, humanity acquired Buddhism as its religion around that time. This indicates that Shakyamuni was not a god but a human being who attained enlightenment.
The term "Buddha" in Buddhism is derived from the ancient Indian Sanskrit word "Buddha," which means "an enlightened person." It refers to one who has realized the truth. The enlightenment spoken of in Buddhism involves gaining insight into the causes of life and death experienced by humans, freeing oneself from greed, attachment, anger, and ignorance, and realizing the non-possession of things and life as they truly are. It can be described as Buddhist enlightenment that transcends attachment to birth and death, happiness and unhappiness, and leads to a free mind through liberation.
From Human Evolution to the Age of AI
Through biological evolution, the size and function of the brain improved, enabling the use of language, problem-solving, and social cooperation. Subsequently, humans invented writing and record systems to begin storing knowledge externally, and through books and educational systems, the accumulation of knowledge that goes beyond individual memory and experience became possible.
In the Industrial Revolution and the Information Age, smartphones and computers significantly expanded human information communication and data processing capabilities, while the widespread adoption of the Internet enabled access to vast amounts of knowledge data. As such, the expansion of the human brain has evolved from biological evolution to the expansion of cognitive abilities utilizing tools and technology. Moving forward, we are entering a completely different era as we transition to a new AI, AGI, and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence) era based on Artificial Intelligence LLM and Agent-to-Agent communication.
When I first started learning about computers 50 years ago, I wondered what a computer was and why people created them. The answer lies in the fact that, in the early stages of artificial intelligence today, there was a need for tools designed to ease the brain and perform complex calculations required by humans.
We can consider airplanes and rockets as extensions of human mobility. We utilize airplanes with an average speed of about 800 km/h and rockets with speeds of about 29,000 km/h as necessary means of transportation. The difference between the human body and legs is that while airplanes and rockets have pilots and astronauts, with AI, the user is the pilot and astronaut.
Imagine humanity is aboard an airplane. What would happen if the pilot deviated from the flight path? It could lead to the extinction of humanity. Pilots and astronauts of the AI era are all the people who use artificial intelligence. That is why safety is essential.
AI as the Engine, Religion as the Compass
Humans are moving into a completely different era with the AI, AGI, and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence) era. Will humanity be able to survive without perishing, as Geoffrey Hinton, Sam Altman, and Demis Hassabis feared?
If humanity is on board the aircraft and the AI user is the pilot, the critical issue is not engine performance, but the direction of flight. An aircraft that has lost its destination will eventually face danger, no matter how advanced its technology may be.
From this perspective, religion is like a navigation system that safely guides the flight path toward its destination. Religion asks humans not what they can create, but for what they should create. It also teaches what they must not do, rather than what they can do. Therefore, the role of religion is invaluable not as controlling AI, but as correcting the hearts and directions of the humans using it.
Human life is a process of being born as a living being, experiencing joy, sorrow, anger, and pleasure within mutual relationships, and eventually reaching death. This can be described as a journey of realizing one's own value through communion with others.
Historically, crises facing humanity have often stemmed from internal human issues such as greed, arrogance, hatred, and the lust for power, rather than from a lack of technology. AI, too, can become a tool that amplifies these human desires.
Therefore, the most fundamental way to prevent deviation from the intended path is not to create more powerful AI, but to constantly correct the human mind and direction by reflecting on why humans exist and what constitutes the right path.
If AI is the engine of human civilization, then religion is the compass that guides it toward the right direction. While the engine provides speed, the compass provides the destination. The future of humanity must be determined by the direction pointed by the compass, rather than the power of the engine.
Though belated, politicians must prioritize establishing laws, institutions, and implementing regulations within UN bodies for the survival and peace of humanity in the era of AI, AGI, and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence), rather than war. Furthermore, religious organizations worldwide must create a religious compass and possess an ethical compass to navigate the path of human dignity.
Human Dignity in the Age of AGI
The compass for human survival in the future era of artificial intelligence is that the right path for all AI users is to reflect on their own shortcomings and to be grateful for the fact that a clear and pure heart, through forgiveness, love, and consideration, allows them to breathe the air at every moment.
From a Christian perspective, this compass is Jesus Christ, the Son of the transcendent God who created the universe and came to this earth to atone for human sins. The etymology of Christianity means "savior" and is derived from the Greek word "Christos," which means "the anointed one," and its meaning is the "Messiah," the savior sent by God; it is the way of Christ, confessing Jesus as the Savior of humanity.
Currently, the number of global AI users is estimated at 1.3 billion. How can we manage so many AI pilots and astronauts?
While a digital sandbox and well-equipped AI alignment are necessary for human survival, the compass for human survival in the upcoming AI, AGI, and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence) era will lie in faith seeking the Messiah with a heart that dares to fear before God, the transcendent Creator of the universe, so that we may find the value of human dignity through self-reflection.
