The Impact of AI on Human Brain Size: Predictions by Evolutionary Biologist
What will humans be like generations from now in a world transformed by artificial intelligence (AI)? Plenty of thinkers have applied themselves to questions like this, considering how AI will alter lives — often for better, sometimes for worse. They have conjured dramatic scenarios, like AI-driven extinction of humans (and many other species), or our assimilation into human-AI cyborgs. The predictions are generally grim, pitting the fate of all humans against a unitary (or unified) AI opponent.
Evolutionary biologist contemplates the future
For an evolutionary biologist, seeing AI technologies diversify into all manner of applications looks a lot like the proliferation of microbes, plants, and animals in an ecological landscape. But how might human evolution be altered by interactions with a world of rich AI diversity? In a paper just published in The Quarterly Review of Biology, the biologist considered the many ways AI might alter physical, biological, and social environments, and how that might influence natural selection.
Predicting the unpredictable
Natural selection — the mechanism behind evolution — is an inevitable consequence of genetic differences in reproduction among individuals. These differences arise as a result of interactions with physical features of the environment, other species, or other members of the same species. Just like how interactions with humans led to the domestication of wolves into dogs, AI might inadvertently shape the evolution of human brains and behavior.
Mutualism or parasitism?
The AI-human relationship can be likened to a mutualism, where two species provide each other with something they need. Computers benefit their human users, lightening the memory load on individuals. As a result, human brains have shrunk over recent millennia. But what if AI evolves into harmful parasites, living at the expense of humans? Social media platforms are an example of potential parasitism, capturing attention and affecting human interactions and sleep.
Intimacy with computers
Artificial intimacy, where technologies emulate social behaviors like making friends and forming relationships, is a significant area of AI progress. Humans interact with machines using social tools meant for dealing with other humans. This could make us more wary of interactions over phones or screens, changing social dynamics and human traits over time.
The non-trivial impact
Despite AI’s immediate effects on individual lives, contemplating genetic evolution influenced by AI is crucial. Evolutionary changes over generations could alter cherished human traits like friendship, intimacy, communication, trust, and intelligence. As AI engages deeply with these traits, the future of humanity and what it means to be human may be reshaped in significant ways.