AGI: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

How our responses to AI and AGI can help us better understand ourselves

Substack writer

Gurwinder

recently observed:

So what mirages might we be chasing?

One of the things we hear a lot about in AI is AGI - Artificial General Intelligence.

Simultaneously: the greatest threat to humanity, and our greatest saviour.

Isn't it funny how often those extremes get thrown together?

It's as if, when humans don't know what something is and crave certainty, we imagine it must be either the most terrible or the most amazing thing... nothing else...

But what is AGI? and is it something you should be thinking about?

In short, yes, you should be thinking about this, but not why you think.

This is not about techno-babble AI geek-speak.

This is about what our response to something like AGI says about us, as humans.

In a way, AGI is a bit like a tale, a fable.

As with any good tale, there is the good, the bad, and the ugly.

And sometimes, a few surprises along the way too.

Let's deal with the bad first.

The Bad: AGI Myths, Hatred & Worship

Before we believe AGI is going to destroy all of humanity...

Could it be wise, if we might just check if this AGI thing is even real?

Asking Basic Questions Like a Kid about AGI

I was the kind of kid at school that teachers find annoying, I like to ask questions.

Many argue that AGI is not even real, on many levels.

But is that true?

Well, firstly, it's not real right now - it doesn't currently exist. That's a fact.

That's something even the most die-hard AGI prophets, snake oil sellers & gurus will admit.

Second, many argue AGI can never exist.

Now you might ask why? and if you do, it warms my heart...

Because if you're asking why, I know, you were probably a curious kid just like me, who liked to ask questions, and doesn't just blindly accept things.

So is it because we will never be able to advance our technology so far to reach AGI?

No, that's not why. 

The reason why AGI can never exist doesn't need you to imagine some far-future fantasy... 

You just need to be right here, in the present, and ask a very simple, annoying kid kind of very basic question: what is AGI?

What is AGI?

AI Pioneer and head of Meta AI, Yann LeCun explains it simply in a tweet:

In a nutshell, intelligence is specific, what it means is specific and highly context-dependent.

There is no 'general intelligence' - no AGI that's possible.

AGI is a myth of an all-powerful god-like intelligence, that people can't even clearly define.

AGI is a nothing-blob of nonsense, the perfect vessel for us to simultaneously pour all our greatest hopes and worst fears into.

This doesn't feel like a good place for humanity to be, does it?

So why the obsession over AI & AGI? Why does it seem to provoke such widely differing extreme responses from worship to hatred? 

Fear & Loathing is for AGI - Not Las Vegas

The hatred towards AI is palpable and has been noticed by others.

For example,

Alberto Romero

recently wrote an entire article called You Guys Have No Idea Just How Much People Hate Generative AI in which he noted:

Let me shout it in the air: PEOPLE HATE AI.

The UK government also did a recent survey into public attitudes towards AI, this was a word cloud of public sentiment towards AI:

It's not good, is it?

But why would we fear & be excited by something so abstract and meaningless it could never be real anyway?

What social function or purpose could this fantasy possibly serve?

This is where we might need to get into the ugly...

The Ugly: AGI, Mimetic Desire & The Role of Scapegoating

How might we understand our extreme responses and beliefs in a mythical, all-powerful- god-like AGI?

Some might say it's simply a fear of the unknown, or fear of new technology.

But I find that a bit too simplistic and superficial explanation, that isn't very satisfactory.

Humans have always been a technological species, and some of our technological changes have been quite disruptive and inspired fear and resistance towards change, such as the Industrial Revolution.

But there is something that feels different, more visceral, raw, about the terror and excitement people have towards AI & AGI that feels palpably different to our responses to any previous technology...

Know what I mean? Feel that too?

There is another explanation, that I think offers a much richer and deeper account of these more extreme responses to AI and AGI and what social function they might be serving.

Rene Girard: Mimetic Theory

Mimetic theory, developed by Historian and Social Scientist Rene Girard I believe offers an insightful lens to understand this.

I'd first like to express my gratitude to my friend Iain Clark, who made me aware of Girard's theory via the work of

Johnathan Bi

who has written extensively on Girard.

Mimetic theory is a comprehensive framework that explores human relations, desire, and violence. 

At its core, mimetic theory posits that human desire is not an autonomous process but rather is mediated by the desires of others. 

This leads to conflicts and rivalries, which societies often resolve through the scapegoat mechanism.

Mimetic Theory: Key Concepts

• Mimetic Desire: This concept suggests that human desires are not inherently ours but are shaped by the desires of others. People learn what to desire by imitating others, which can lead to conflicts as multiple individuals desire the same things.

• Mimetic Violence: The imitation of desires can escalate into violence as individuals and groups compete for the same objects or goals. This competition can lead to a cycle of fear & violence that threatens social order.

• Scapegoat Mechanism: To restore peace and order, societies often resort to scapegoating, where an individual or group is blamed and punished for societal problems. This mechanism allows societies to redirect their collective violence onto a single target, thereby achieving temporary peace.

My thesis, is it's precisely because AGI is a superhuman concept that can never be real, that makes it perfect to metamorphose to perform multiple roles in the scapegoating process of the mimetic desire cycle.

Mimetic Desire and AGI

1. Mimetic Desire: Girard's theory posits that human desire is not autonomous but is mediated by the desires of others. In the context of AGI, this suggests that the fear and fascination with AGI is not really AGI, but more about the function a belief in AGI fulfils for society, as a vessel for mimetic desire.

2. Rivalries and Conflicts: As more people desire or fear AGI conflicts arise. These conflicts based on real or imagined fears, can stem from fear for jobs, ethical concerns, and existential fears. This competition for the "object" of AGI's imagined benefits and threats leads to rivalries and social tensions

Scapegoating and AI

1. Scapegoat Mechanism: Girard's theory suggests that societies often resolve conflicts by scapegoating an individual or group. In the context of AGI, this could manifest in at least two ways:

   • AGI as Scapegoat: AGI & AI can be blamed for societal problems such as job displacement, ethical dilemmas, and existential threats. This scapegoating allows societies to redirect their collective violence and fears towards AGI, thereby achieving temporary peace and order from human conflicts. The perfect scapegoat with no human casualties?

   • Humans as Scapegoats for AGI Failures: Conversely, individuals or groups might be scapegoated for the failures or imagined threats of AI & AGI. For example, AI developers or users might be targeted as threats, even if innocent, serving as scapegoats to resolve societal conflicts.

Worship of AGI

1. Mimetic Worship: The fascination and worship of AGI can be seen as a form of mimetic desire, where individuals and societies imitate each other in their admiration for AGI's believed god-like capabilities. This collective desire for AGI's benefits could be seen to lead to a form of worship, where AGI is seen as a solution to various societal problems

2. Ritualisation: Integration of AGI beliefs into various aspects of life can be viewed as a form of ritualisation, where AGI could become a central part of societal rituals. This could lead to a deeper entrenchment of AGI beliefs in society, reinforcing its importance and perpetuating its worship

Girard's mimetic theory I believe offers a more nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics of the beliefs surrounding the concept of AGI than simply a 'fear of technology'.

The Mimetic Cycle Lens on the Bloodbath of History

The theory suggests our relationship to AI and AGI, might be part of a bigger cycle throughout history of how humans behave, how and why we get into conflicts, and how we resolve those conflicts i.e. by scapegoating.

In particular the belief in AGI's god-like abilities, I would suggest makes it an even more potent threat and saviour, to perform various societal functions within the mimetic theory lens on how & why humanity behaves as it does.

By examining how mimetic desire, rivalries, and the scapegoat mechanism play out in the context of AGI, I believe we might better understand and explain the fear, scapegoating, and worship of AGI that seems to be growing.

Furthermore, I believe mimetic theory offers a compelling explanation for some of the worst atrocities committed by humans against other humans throughout history using the scapegoat mechanism eg based on race, disability, and more.

This far more important than simply feeling we like AI or don’t like AI.

This is about recognising our extreme emotional responses to AI & AGI, and understanding it’s context in history, as repeating, pernicious, unconscious, patterns of human social behaviour.

But what if we could move beyond simply repeating these ancient cycles of worship and scapegoating, that we are arguably repeating yet again with AI and AGI far more potently.

What might it mean if we could not only become aware of this awful repeating cycle, but liberate ourselves from it? Use this as a chance to break the cycle?

This is where we finally get to the good...

The Good: Escaping the Cycle of AGI Mimetic Desire & Scapegoating

Girard believed that escaping the cycle of scapegoating is possible through the revelation of the innocence of the victim, which he saw as a central theme in Christianity...

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