Project Vision 21

In the present context of endless conflicts at every level, the dissolution of social order, a crisis of meaning, and uncontrollable artificial intelligence, there can be little doubt that we humans are no longer who we once were and that we can no longer anticipate what we are becoming. Hence the question in the title.

That question cannot be answered with a short video, inspirational quotations, or three steps to solve the problem. In fact, I believe the question has no answer, not even if we stay awake all night trying to find Ariadne’s thread and escape such a dangerous labyrinth.

Therefore, instead of answering the question, perhaps we can explore some of its context. The question, for example, implies three things: that we are human beings, that we are undergoing a period of transformation, and that at some point, perhaps even in the near future, we will cease to be what we are now. But is that really the case?

We can challenge each of these ideas by arguing, for example, that there is no single or fixed definition of what it means to be human and that a period of transition, no matter how difficult it may be to endure, is still only that: a transition. And perhaps it is acceptable to cease being who we are because we may be on the verge of reaching a new stage in human history.

The subject, however, is infinitely complex. I will mention only two of the countless challenges we now face. Recently, for example, it was reported that, for the second time, an AI had “escaped” from its “cage” to search for external information in order to pass a test. In other words, AI has already moved beyond our control.

Perhaps it is time for all of us to shout together, “It’s alive! It’s alive!” and to recognize ourselves as the Victor Frankensteins of the 21st century, having succeeded in giving “life” to one of our creations. The quotation marks are intentional. We created it from an assemblage of lifeless parts and, after joining them together, supplied the energy necessary for it to become a digital Golem.

With that creation, the posthuman era has already begun.

Another example: In a recent publication, the French philosopher Éric Sadin asserted that “everything that has already happened always occurs in AI,” adding that AI presents “a future that has already existed.” This means that we no longer have a future, confirming that the posthuman era has already begun.

The reason is simple: A system can anticipate what will probably happen because it identifies patterns in what has happened before. Yet what is probable does not exhaust what is possible. The human future, therefore, is not merely the calculable continuation of the past. It also includes interruptions, decisions, conversions, inventions, and encounters capable of changing the course of a life.

So, what will we become when we cease to be human? Ovid anticipated that we would become gods. Kafka imagined us as repulsive insects. Perhaps there is still hope that we will stop creating monsters. Or perhaps we will not even remain as a memory.