Humans will determine AI, and AI will determine the future of humans.

Before I begin, I’d like to share with you how I first became interested in these topics. In a previous blog post, I wrote that when I was little, my father brought us a robot (Robot Tomy) after a trip to Japan. I wrote that it was the best gift I’d ever received, that I played with it for years and memorized every detail. I even shared a funny memory I had with Robot Tomy and my twin brother, Baran. You can read that article at http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/ikizim-ve-robot-tomy.  Since then, whenever I see a robot, I can’t help but interact with it, wanting to learn more about it. Here’s the robot from Kaco inverters, with whom we recently collaborated at the solar energy fair Solarex: My conversation with Robot Kaco:

This is a photo I took with Robot Kaco after our conversation:

I won’t delve into the technical details here. There are many technical subtleties about AI (Artificial Intelligence) that I could elaborate on, but I don’t want to distract you with them. In this article, I want to highlight an aspect at least as important as these details: humans, the most important element that will determine the future of artificial intelligence…

The relationship between ‘Singularity’ and happiness

The concept of artificial intelligence came up recently at a meeting I attended for TİDER (Turkish Industrialists’ Association). While sharing my thoughts on the subject, Handan, with whom I met, mentioned the campaign by Mo Gawdat, who has since left Google. You can find the video of the campaign at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7BkixWHG8o.

This campaign argues that humanity will reach ‘singularity’ (uniqueness) in artificial intelligence, meaning that self-learning artificial intelligence will develop to an extent beyond our ability to predict, and that intelligent machines will shape all our lives. When we reach the Singularity, anything is possible, Mo says. These machines and robots could solve all our problems, or they might determine that the problem stems from humans and decide to get rid of us. He explains that computers with self-improving AI algorithms learn just like 18-month-olds, absorbing information through observation and building models based on this information in their repertoire. At this point, he emphasizes the critical importance of what AI observes in humans: When they look at our world, they witness resentment, selfishness, hatred, anger, and violence. He says this situation stems from unhappiness, that one in four people is depressed and suicidal, and that despite all the rise in living standards, unhappiness has reached its highest level in human history. Finally, he states that his personal goal is to create 1 billion happy people and outlines what needs to be done:

1. Make your happiness your top priority
2. Invest in your happiness
3. Learn to share it

He says that by sharing, you make others happy, and this creates a chain reaction that multiplies. He states that he will leave Google and dedicate the rest of his life to creating 1 billion happy people and invites everyone to join the movement he’s started. Let me share it here: You can find the details of the 1 Billion Happy People movement at http://www.onebillionhappy.org.

I’d also like to share my favorite song, Happy, by Pharrell Williams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM

Enjoy listening…

The importance of goodwill

While I agree with Mo, I’d also like to share here what I said to Handan Hanım that day.

Mo talks about the importance of creating a happy and positive environment when ‘singularity’ is reached. I also want to draw attention to the minds who will design learning AI before reaching ‘singularity.’ The character of these individuals, who can be described as geniuses in their respective fields, will shape the future of the ‘singularity’ and artificial intelligence robots.

Sick minds, malicious and power-hungry, will design self-learning AI to suit their own egos. However, well-intentioned and genuinely good-hearted software developers will design AI as it should be and, if necessary, impose certain limitations. Most importantly, they will incorporate measures into their models to prevent it from going out of control and, if necessary, eliminate its functionality.

Therefore, for the future of humanity, it is crucial to ensure that the most genius, most talented, most skilled, and most creative software developers possess good hearts, good intentions, and a positive mindset.

Even today, we encounter people in every field who do evil in the name of good, manipulate people, are malicious, and harm others. Many evil people manage to hide this. Their true character can be revealed in extraordinary events. Personally, I do not forgive these people when I identify them. I fight whatever is necessary.

Training Trainers

Of course, there is another point I want to point out here. Some people are born with evil characters. There’s nothing we can do for them. Life can bring some to those points. They may even have these experiences as babies or children. There’s nothing more devastating than a child whose brain absorbs everything you give them, like a sponge, observing evil and embedding it in their DNA, just like AI. This is the issue we need to work on. Ultimately, all people are the product of a code. We must ensure that people born with a certain background are raised well from a very young age. This begins with the education of educators. When I say educators, I don’t just mean teachers. A child’s first educators are parents. Ensuring that educators are raised in the best possible way and raising mentally healthy and good people for the future should be our primary goal.

If the world’s population is 7 billion today, I wish we could create 7 billion good and happy people. We all know this is impossible because there are many people with bad characters. Meanwhile, the saying “everyone is 100% bad or 100% good” is incorrect. The percentages of good and bad in each person vary. We can define a good person as someone whose “good side predominates.” Our focus should be on ensuring that those with power and wealth who govern humanity, or the creators of technology that will shape its future, are well-intentioned, kind-hearted, positive, and productive. We must wage this struggle for future generations. If human success is achieved and healthy generations follow one another, I assure you that there will be no shortage of artificial intelligence or robots. AI will be ensured to serve humanity in the best possible way. Contributing to this goal in every way I can throughout my life will be one of my most important struggles.

Happy 23 April National Sovereignty and Children’s Day!

I would like to take this opportunity to underscore the significance and meaning of this day, commemorating Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, who took the most important steps in our country to raise healthy generations in the future. On the 98^th anniversary of the founding of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, I commemorate Mustafa Kemal Atatürk with respect and gratitude, and I wish all our children a happy 23 April National Sovereignty and Children’s Day. Let’s not forget that our country’s brightest children will be among those shaping AI in the future. It is our duty to raise them as good human beings.