Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the product of science and engineering that enables machines, particularly computers, to exhibit intelligence through sophisticated programs. AI claims to possess advanced cognitive functions akin to human intelligence, including perception, learning, concepts and pattern recognition, thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, judgment, comparison, communication, and decision-making. It incorporates elements such as deep learning and machine learning. AI is an artificial operating system that not only operates on a cognitive level plane but also aims to showcase autonomous behaviors through its intersection with robotics applications.
The origins of AI can be traced back to J. McCarthy, who, while serving as a soldier in World War II, sought to decipher German codes using his mathematical knowledge. McCarthy believed that computers could learn to think like humans if specific programs were developed. After completing his military service, during which he had these ideas, he decided to put these ideas into practice once he had graduated from university and completed his postgraduate studies. This young academic organized the world’s first AI Conference in 1956. Following this landmark event, both the quantity and quality of AI research have increased significantly.
According to R. Campa, AI applications emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries as a result of the evolution of the industrial revolution. AI is defined and positioned by the processes of “automation, computerization, and robotization”, and is considered one of the most powerful tools of the Transhumanism movement. AI, which seeks to make machines intelligent, is regarded as the fourth great invention after the three important inventions of “steam, electricity, and computers.” Industrialization, driven by steam and electricity, was surpassed by computerization, leading to a process of high technologicalization. In the 1990s, AI, as an extension of cognitive science and cybernetics, further advanced this technologicalization and brought about the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which can be seen as a cybernetic revolution.
4IR’s most influential and scientific application-based AI studies were first conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Subsequently, these studies have received support from capital–intensive companies ranging from Google to Samsung. The expansion of AI research across various fields will bring about both transformative advancements and challenges in social, cultural, legal, and economic fields.
AI, as a material-based entity (a thinking object) is already integrated into our lives through the internet, smartphones, robotics, and AI applications. It is considered a catalyst for the transition from homo-sapiens to robo-sapiens. There are discussions that robotic studies with AI, which are said to have a social visibility rate of approximately 35 percent in the future, will surpass human intelligence and dominate humans. It is anticipated that robots with AI applications, which are also used in industry, medicine, the military, and entertainment fields, will be used in many different fields, such as diagnosing and treating diseases.
It is argued that AI can yield positive outcomes but also introduce new challenges. AI is considered one of the stages of high technology, which today is now perceived as a dimension at least as dangerous as nuclear weapon technologies. The advent of AI autonomous technology, characterized by human-like thinking, interaction, and operating systems, is believed to potentially give rise to serious issues.
While AI brings numerous benefits to sectors such as service and healthcare, concerns are raised about its use as a means of power acquisition or manipulation. With the use of AI in military technology, the 21st century may witness more violent wars than the 20th century. Military technologies based on high-tech AI applications could give rise to a century of warfare with industrial and autonomous systems, surpassing the violence witnessed in the previous century. The development of military autonomous systems and AI applications might be one of the most perilous advancements of the 21st century. As various entities increase the existing ruthlessness of certain states, uncontrolled robot warriors may escalate guerrilla warfare and terrorism. With the potential of autonomous war machines devoid of mercy and compassion, warfare could resemble video games.
The state of technological ownership or superiority may not only lead to an imbalance of victors and losers in warfare but also contribute to the existence of states or nations with significant economic and social class disparities. The existing gap between societies and countries with individuals possessing enhanced genes and empowered minds utilizing AI applications and those lacking such capabilities may continue to widen. In fact, terms like “developed-undeveloped” or “primitive-modern” countries are likely to become more pronounced and tangible.
While AI receives considerable attention due to its association with mathematics and applied fields, the transhumanism movement is regarded as a more impactful and transformative approach. AI is merely one of the sub-technologies that form the foundation of transhumanism, which is based on NBIC (nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, and cognitive science).
Paradigm shift in education
Education will be profoundly impacted by transhumanism, which aims to enhance not only the physical but also the mental capabilities of human beings. The existence of technology and its impact on education over the last 50 years or so have changed the content, purpose, and practice of education. In the era of trans-post humanism era, this technological impact on education is expected to intensify further. It is predicted that knowledge levels will increase not only through AI applications but also through advancements in human genes and brains. This process will change the content and structure of education. The use of AI in education encompasses three key themes: adaptive learning, personalized learning styles, and the integration of expert systems and intelligent tutoring systems. AI is recognized as a vital component for the future of educational processes.
Transhumanism, which aims to overcome biological limits with the help of technology and seeks to improve human capabilities through the use of technologies, aims to take control not only of the environment but also of the body and mind. Transhumanism challenges the classical philosophical distinction between body and soul, person and personality. It promises a brand new human race and new types of intelligence by creating new types of intelligence or machine-merged human beings through singularity (human-machine unity), AI, nanotechnology, and cybernetic applications. Within the framework of transhumanist thinking, wherein the transformation of human beings through technology and education is regarded as an ethically imperative category of action, education itself needs to be redesigned.
Considering the ever-increasing impact and reality of technology, the post-transhumanist process, which will also affect the education process, seems inevitable. The main task of education has been defined as the shaping of human beings through the means of education. Genetic studies, pharmacological interventions, and disparities in mental capacities, or rather, the advantages resulting from augmenting the brain with additional neurons, will contribute to class distinctions among students. These differences will extend to military, political, and economic spheres, potentially leading to disparities and advantages not only between developed and underdeveloped countries but also between individuals within these categories. This process will bring forth numerous advantages as well as drawbacks.
It is crucial to learn how to effectively utilize AI in education and prepare educators to employ AI-based systems in teaching and learning processes. In this context, inclusive approaches should be developed, encompassing not only an understanding of how these studies are conducted but also the dissemination of this knowledge to benefit humanity as a whole. It is important to consider how we can actively participate in and harness the opportunities presented by this process, while also contemplating its advantages and disadvantages. In particular, philosophers and educators should conduct comprehensive and in-depth studies on the impact of this process on education.
