Artificial Intelligence From Sikhi's Perspective

[Ranjeet01]

I am bit of a science fiction buff and there has been a lot of books and films about Artificial Intelligence whether it is Isaac Asimov, Battlestar Galactica, Terminator etc.

As the world advances technologically, it may be a matter of time before we have a sentient, intelligent being.

Human beings would claim they created this and would claim they are God, but would it not be part of Maharaj's hukam.

As a Sikh, it makes me wonder whether a potentially Artificial Intelligence would make a better Sikh than us humans because they may not be able to feel emotion and they may not be susceptible to the five vices.

However, if they have no emotions how would experience Anand (bliss) from Naam.

It is always claimed that only as humans can we break the cycle and achieve Mukhti, because we are the highest life form but will this be the case with an Artificial Intelligence that maybe able to overtake and transcend us.

Your thoughts please.

[Guest Jacfsing2]

I'd assume artificial intelligence is most likely going to do nothing more than take away the manual labor jobs for everything else I'd assume they wouldn't do much. Spiritually they might be able to do kirtan and whatnot; however, nothing else. Artificial life most likely will just be like robots and whatnot.

[MisterrSingh]

I've been under the assumption that A.I. (no matter how advanced) will always be hemmed-in by the parameters specified by the individual programming the A.I.

A true A.I. will choose, in this example, to follow Sikhi - or not, as the case may be - like us humans. It must be a free choice IMO. Being programmed to be a Sikh and do everything we imagine the perfect Sikh to do is the true definition of parroting; incredibly convincing and life-like, but nothing but an imitation.

Sure, on the surface, that particular artificial being could know SGGS Ji by heart, and does everything such a Sikh would do on a daily basis, but without a soul that originates from God, then to what end will all its efforts be?

There's a novel by Kaguo Ishiguro called 'Never Let Me Go' that covers similar ground.

[Ranjeet01]

I've been under the assumption that A.I. (no matter how advanced) will always be hemmed-in by the parameters specified by the individual programming the A.I.

A true A.I. will choose, in this example, to follow Sikhi - or not, as the case may be - like us humans. It must be a free choice IMO. Being programmed to be a Sikh and do everything we imagine the perfect Sikh to do is the true definition of parroting; incredibly convincing and life-like, but nothing but an imitation.

Sure, on the surface, that particular artificial being could know SGGS Ji by heart, and does everything such a Sikh would do on a daily basis, but without a soul that originates from God, then to what end will all its efforts be?

There's a novel by Kaguo Ishiguro called 'Never Let Me Go' that covers similar ground.

The question would be would an artificial intelligence outgrow it's programming?

Also, doesn't everything originate from God. I guess it's how you would define a soul.

If Articulate Intelligence has a consciousness, would it not mean it has a soul or are they separate things?

[N30S1NGH]

Interesting topic, AI is still part of maya-relative reality as it falls under dualistic perceptions, mind-maya - five sense perceptions. Gurbani mentions surat- pure intuitive consciousness many times, only surat in mind can transcendent this jeev with help of shabad, shabad gian (pure knowledge awareness) and gurparsad - grace of outer/ inner guru (intuitive divine guidance within all of us).

In other words, AL is still an experience/comes under manifestation- form in subtle sense - part of five sense perceptions. However close, changeless background (pure awareness jot) under which all of relative reality drama is being played is the substram of all reality.

ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟਿਮਾਨ ਸਭੁ ਬਿਨਸੀਐ ਕਿਆ ਲਗਹਿ ਗਵਾਰ ॥੨॥ द्रिसटिमान सभु बिनसीऐ किआ लगहि गवार ॥२॥

Ḏaristimān sabẖ binsī▫ai ki▫ā lagėh gavār. ||2||

All that is seen shall perish. Why are you attached to it, you fool? ||2||

http://www.srigranth...id=31585#l31585

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ ੴ सतिगुर प्रसादि ॥

Ik▫oaʼnkār saṯgur parsāḏ.

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

ਬਾਜੀਗਰਿ ਜੈਸੇ ਬਾਜੀ ਪਾਈ ॥ बाजीगरि जैसे बाजी पाई ॥

Bājīgar jaise bājī pā▫ī. The actor stages the play,

ਨਾਨਾ ਰੂਪ ਭੇਖ ਦਿਖਲਾਈ ॥ नाना रूप भेख दिखलाई ॥ Nānā rūp bẖekẖ ḏikẖlā▫ī.

playing the many characters in different costumes;

ਸਾਂਗੁ ਉਤਾਰਿ ਥੰਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਿਓ ਪਾਸਾਰਾ ॥ सांगु उतारि थम्हिओ पासारा ॥

Sāʼng uṯār thamiĥa▫o pāsārā. but when the play ends, he takes off the costumes,

ਤਬ ਏਕੋ ਏਕੰਕਾਰਾ ॥੧॥ तब एको एकंकारा ॥१॥

Ŧab eko ekankārā. ||1|| and then he is one, and only one. ||1||

ਕਵਨ ਰੂਪ ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟਿਓ ਬਿਨਸਾਇਓ ॥ कवन रूप द्रिसटिओ बिनसाइओ ॥

Kavan rūp ḏaristi▫o binsā▫i▫o.

How many forms and images appeared and disappeared?

ਕਤਹਿ ਗਇਓ ਉਹੁ ਕਤ ਤੇ ਆਇਓ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ कतहि गइओ उहु कत ते आइओ ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥ Kaṯėh ga▫i▫o uho kaṯ ṯe ā▫i▫o. ||1|| rahā▫o.

Where have they gone? Where did they come from? ||1||Pause||

ਜਲ ਤੇ ਊਠਹਿ ਅਨਿਕ ਤਰੰਗਾ ॥ जल ते ऊठहि अनिक तरंगा ॥ Jal ṯe ūṯẖėh anik ṯarangā.

Countless waves rise up from the water.

ਕਨਿਕ ਭੂਖਨ ਕੀਨੇ ਬਹੁ ਰੰਗਾ ॥ कनिक भूखन कीने बहु रंगा ॥

Kanik bẖūkẖan kīne baho rangā. Jewels and ornaments of many different forms are fashioned from gold.

ਬੀਜੁ ਬੀਜਿ ਦੇਖਿਓ ਬਹੁ ਪਰਕਾਰਾ ॥ बीजु बीजि देखिओ बहु परकारा ॥

Bīj bīj ḏekẖi▫o baho parkārā. I have seen seeds of all kinds being planted -

ਫਲ ਪਾਕੇ ਤੇ ਏਕੰਕਾਰਾ ॥੨॥ फल पाके ते एकंकारा ॥२॥ Fal pāke ṯe ekankārā. ||2||

when the fruit ripens, the seeds appear in the same form as the original. ||2||

ਸਹਸ ਘਟਾ ਮਹਿ ਏਕੁ ਆਕਾਸੁ ॥ सहस घटा महि एकु आकासु ॥ Sahas gẖatā mėh ek ākās.

The one sky is reflected in thousands of water jugs,

ਘਟ ਫੂਟੇ ਤੇ ਓਹੀ ਪ੍ਰਗਾਸੁ ॥ घट फूटे ते ओही प्रगासु ॥

Gẖat fūte ṯe ohī pargās. but when the jugs are broken, only the sky remains.

ਭਰਮ ਲੋਭ ਮੋਹ ਮਾਇਆ ਵਿਕਾਰ ॥ भरम लोभ मोह माइआ विकार ॥

Bẖaram lobẖ moh mā▫i▫ā vikār. Doubt comes from greed, emotional attachment and the corruption of Maya.

ਭ੍ਰਮ ਛੂਟੇ ਤੇ ਏਕੰਕਾਰ ॥੩॥ भ्रम छूटे ते एकंकार ॥३॥ Bẖaram cẖẖūte ṯe ekankār. ||3||

Freed from doubt, one realizes the One Lord alone. ||3||

[dallysingh101]

I thought AI was essentially complex algorithms to mimic 'expert' decision making processes.

I don't know how people have made the leap of it leading to some sentience?

[Ranjeet01]

Interesting topic, AI is still part of maya-relative reality as it falls under dualistic perceptions, mind-maya - five sense perceptions. Gurbani mentions surat- pure intuitive consciousness many times, only surat in mind can transcendent this jeev with help of shabad, shabad gian (pure knowledge awareness) and gurparsad - grace of outer/ inner guru (intuitive divine guidance within all of us).

In other words, AL is still an experience/comes under manifestation- form in subtle sense - part of five sense perceptions. However close, changeless background (pure awareness jot) under which all of relative reality drama is being played is the substram of all reality.

ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟਿਮਾਨ ਸਭੁ ਬਿਨਸੀਐ ਕਿਆ ਲਗਹਿ ਗਵਾਰ ॥੨॥ द्रिसटिमान सभु बिनसीऐ किआ लगहि गवार ॥२॥

Ḏaristimān sabẖ binsī▫ai ki▫ā lagėh gavār. ||2||

All that is seen shall perish. Why are you attached to it, you fool? ||2||

http://www.srigranth...id=31585#l31585

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ ੴ सतिगुर प्रसादि ॥

Ik▫oaʼnkār saṯgur parsāḏ.

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

ਬਾਜੀਗਰਿ ਜੈਸੇ ਬਾਜੀ ਪਾਈ ॥ बाजीगरि जैसे बाजी पाई ॥

Bājīgar jaise bājī pā▫ī. The actor stages the play,

ਨਾਨਾ ਰੂਪ ਭੇਖ ਦਿਖਲਾਈ ॥ नाना रूप भेख दिखलाई ॥ Nānā rūp bẖekẖ ḏikẖlā▫ī.

playing the many characters in different costumes;

ਸਾਂਗੁ ਉਤਾਰਿ ਥੰਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਿਓ ਪਾਸਾਰਾ ॥ सांगु उतारि थम्हिओ पासारा ॥

Sāʼng uṯār thamiĥa▫o pāsārā. but when the play ends, he takes off the costumes,

ਤਬ ਏਕੋ ਏਕੰਕਾਰਾ ॥੧॥ तब एको एकंकारा ॥१॥

Ŧab eko ekankārā. ||1|| and then he is one, and only one. ||1||

ਕਵਨ ਰੂਪ ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟਿਓ ਬਿਨਸਾਇਓ ॥ कवन रूप द्रिसटिओ बिनसाइओ ॥

Kavan rūp ḏaristi▫o binsā▫i▫o.

How many forms and images appeared and disappeared?

ਕਤਹਿ ਗਇਓ ਉਹੁ ਕਤ ਤੇ ਆਇਓ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ कतहि गइओ उहु कत ते आइओ ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥ Kaṯėh ga▫i▫o uho kaṯ ṯe ā▫i▫o. ||1|| rahā▫o.

Where have they gone? Where did they come from? ||1||Pause||

ਜਲ ਤੇ ਊਠਹਿ ਅਨਿਕ ਤਰੰਗਾ ॥ जल ते ऊठहि अनिक तरंगा ॥ Jal ṯe ūṯẖėh anik ṯarangā.

Countless waves rise up from the water.

ਕਨਿਕ ਭੂਖਨ ਕੀਨੇ ਬਹੁ ਰੰਗਾ ॥ कनिक भूखन कीने बहु रंगा ॥

Kanik bẖūkẖan kīne baho rangā. Jewels and ornaments of many different forms are fashioned from gold.

ਬੀਜੁ ਬੀਜਿ ਦੇਖਿਓ ਬਹੁ ਪਰਕਾਰਾ ॥ बीजु बीजि देखिओ बहु परकारा ॥

Bīj bīj ḏekẖi▫o baho parkārā. I have seen seeds of all kinds being planted -

ਫਲ ਪਾਕੇ ਤੇ ਏਕੰਕਾਰਾ ॥੨॥ फल पाके ते एकंकारा ॥२॥ Fal pāke ṯe ekankārā. ||2||

when the fruit ripens, the seeds appear in the same form as the original. ||2||

ਸਹਸ ਘਟਾ ਮਹਿ ਏਕੁ ਆਕਾਸੁ ॥ सहस घटा महि एकु आकासु ॥ Sahas gẖatā mėh ek ākās.

The one sky is reflected in thousands of water jugs,

ਘਟ ਫੂਟੇ ਤੇ ਓਹੀ ਪ੍ਰਗਾਸੁ ॥ घट फूटे ते ओही प्रगासु ॥

Gẖat fūte ṯe ohī pargās. but when the jugs are broken, only the sky remains.

ਭਰਮ ਲੋਭ ਮੋਹ ਮਾਇਆ ਵਿਕਾਰ ॥ भरम लोभ मोह माइआ विकार ॥

Bẖaram lobẖ moh mā▫i▫ā vikār. Doubt comes from greed, emotional attachment and the corruption of Maya.

ਭ੍ਰਮ ਛੂਟੇ ਤੇ ਏਕੰਕਾਰ ॥੩॥ भ्रम छूटे ते एकंकार ॥३॥ Bẖaram cẖẖūte ṯe ekankār. ||3||

Freed from doubt, one realizes the One Lord alone. ||3||

Neo

Got a clip here of Commander Data (an android) from Star Trek : the next generation

I know this on the realms of fiction, but hypothetically where would Data fit in, would he/it be in the realms of maya and could he/it transcend or would he/it not have surat of mind?

Maybe this would be a question that would be answered by Sikhs in the future.

[Balkaar]

Human beings would claim they created this and would claim they are God, but would it not be part of Maharaj's hukam.

Because these hypothetical conscious machines would have been brought into existence by human beings? Is the same not true of us humans brother? God may endow a child with a soul but ultimately the decision to create a child is taken by its parents. The decision by a learned scientist to bring a synthetic being into existence is not so different from this.

All that transpires within this universe is Maharaj's Hukam. This is a very tricky philosophical concept, often interpreted by the faithful to mean that God issues rules and commandments, has likes and dislikes, and controls everything like an omnipotent puppeteer. I think its more subtle than that, comparable to a very long line of dominoes. The all powerful one instigates things and sets them into motion, like the human species, and what happens to them thereafter is their own doing. But God as our creator is ultimately responsible for all that we do. God endowed us with the sapience and intelligence which may one day lead us to create artificial intelligence, is it impossible that A.I. therefore falls within the purview of the Hukam?

The soul is immaterial, it has no moorings to this physical world. I don't see why it should be incapable of inhabiting (for want of a better word) a body made of metal instead of a body made of meat. We humans have a tendency towards self aggrandizement. It is worth bearing in mind, in anticipation of the next time we feel superior and cocky, that we are little more than meat. God is Almighty, there is nothing stopping him from imbuing an A.I - at the moment when it first flickers to life (as a human embryo does) - with a soul if he so wills it.

[MisterrSingh]

The question would be would an artificial intelligence outgrow it's programming?

Also, doesn't everything originate from God. I guess it's how you would define a soul.

If Articulate Intelligence has a consciousness, would it not mean it has a soul or are they separate things?

Purely from a Sikh perspective, we understand that the soul that inhabits a body is the most important aspect of existence, in as much as through a particular lifetime worth of living, the aim is to leave this world closer to God compared to when we arrived. It may take a few lifetimes, but those cumulative efforts stay with us over many births, and eventually - hopefully - we reach a state where we are worthy of merging with the ultimate power.

A machine doesn't have such a soul. It isn't born, but assembled. There will come a time when I'm certain machines will be indistinguishable from us in appearance and behaviour, but that still doesn't mean they'll possess a soul; something that exists beyond "this" as we see and feel and hear and experience life. Their behaviour and personalities will still be dictated by their human creator.

There may come a time when A.I. becomes so advanced it does become "self-aware" and it believes it is the equal of us, because it resembles us, it speaks like we do, it does everything we do on the surface; it might also be capable of profound insights. But, as I said, to what end will such religious / spiritual efforts be when that machine comes to the end of its lifespan and there's no elemental life force inside of it that can journey onwards? If God were to begin infusing souls into machines, then that's another matter, and fair play to Him if he decides to do that, I have no qualms about it.

It's a fascinating subject. Blade Runner, the film, asks and answers similar questions.

[Ranjeet01]

Because these hypothetical conscious machines would have been brought into existence by human beings? Is the same not true of us humans brother? God may endow a child with a soul but ultimately the decision to create a child is taken by its parents. The decision by a learned scientist to bring a synthetic being into existence is not so different from this.

All that transpires within this universe is Maharaj's Hukam. This is a very tricky philosophical concept, often interpreted by the faithful to mean that God issues rules and commandments, has likes and dislikes, and controls everything like an omnipotent puppeteer. I think its more subtle than that, comparable to a very long line of dominoes. The all powerful one instigates things and sets them into motion, like the human species, and what happens to them thereafter is their own doing. But God as our creator is ultimately responsible for all that we do. God endowed us with the sapience and intelligence which may one day lead us to create artificial intelligence, is it impossible that A.I. therefore falls within the purview of the Hukam?

The soul is immaterial, it has no moorings to this physical world. I don't see why it should be incapable of inhabiting (for want of a better word) a body made of metal instead of a body made of meat. We humans have a tendency towards self aggrandizement. It is worth bearing in mind, in anticipation of the next time we feel superior and cocky, that we are little more than meat. God is Almighty, there is nothing stopping him from imbuing an A.I - at the moment when it first flickers to life (as a human embryo does) - with a soul if he so wills it.

I have a very similar point of view as yours.

I think Maharaj in his hukam could very well have intelligent sentient life in a metal body rather than in an organic biological one.

I do agree with you about human self-aggrandisement. It never ceases to amaze me when scientists send probes to other planets to find signs of life that they always use things such as signs of water as proof of life.

There is such naivety and solipsism to naturally assume that life on other worlds would be just like ours, breathing on oxygen, surviving with water and being carbon based.

From the posters we have had so far, the general Sikh sangat consensus seems to lean toward that A.I will not become sentient (apologies if I have misinterpreted ), but I personally am led to believe that it may be possible. In some ways we as humans think that intelligence has to be biological and organic rather than inorganic and mechanic.

I remember watching Battlestar Galactica where the Cylons (Robots/Androids) were at war with humans. Over time these cylons were able to develop biological/human-like cylons which were virtually indistinguishable from normal humans. These cylons developed a belief in a higher creator (they were monotheistic as opposed to the paganist humans) even though they were created by humans in the first place.

I think that with anything sentient, the deeper questions that would be asked is "Who am I, what am I, what is my purpose?".

If I put across a hypothetical scenario: It's 2199 and it is 500 years since the birth of the Khalsa and it is discovered that one of the people who wants to take amrit is not human, but is human-like android who has self-awareness/consciousness. Would they be allowed to take amrit or would the Panj Pyare decline because they are not human. How would Akal Takht deal with this?

Sorry if I offend any one with the wacky question but perhaps this would be something Sikhs in the 22nd/23rd Century may need to answer.