tech
The Nature Of Free Will In The Age Of AI
AI puts a new spin on old questions about free will: Is an actor the genuine author of their actions? Are they responsible for their choices? Can they be held accountable for them?
TL;DR
- The concept of free will has faced three major crises: ancient determinism, monotheistic challenges, and modern neuroscience.
- The Libet experiment, which suggests brain activity precedes conscious intention, is often misinterpreted as disproving free will.
- A key distinction is made between the ability to act without prior cause and the capacity to live a life for which one is genuinely responsible.
- Compatibilism suggests free will and determinism are not in conflict, focusing on chains of causation that run through an agent's reasoning and values.
- Recent neuroscience suggests that the 'readiness potential' might reflect random neural fluctuations rather than a pre-conscious decision.
- The practical consequences of abandoning the belief in free will, such as reduced prosocial behavior, are significant.
- Genuine agency in living systems is seen as a form of causation where the agent is the relevant causal node, integrating information and acting for reasons.
- The development of AI raises urgent questions about whether artificial systems can acquire a capacity akin to reflective endorsement and genuine agency.