On intelligence - Barbara Gail Montero in NYT:

‘Not long ago, A.I. became intelligent. Some may dismiss this claim, but the number of people who doubt A.I.’s acumen is dwindling. According to a 2024 YouGov poll, a clear majority of U.S. adults say that computers are already more intelligent than people or will become so in the near future.
Still, you might wonder, is A.I. actually intelligent?’

(…)

‘Turing predicted that eventually “the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without expecting to be contradicted.” Today we have reached that point. A.I. is no less a form of intelligence than digital photography is a form of photography.’

(…)

‘But what does it mean to know what sadness feels like? And how do we know that it is something a digital consciousness can never experience? We may think — and indeed, we have been taught to think — that we humans have direct insight into our inner world, insight unmediated by concepts that we have learned. Yet after learning from Shakespeare how the sorrow of parting can be sweet, we discover new dimensions in our own experience. Much of what we “feel” is taught to us.’

(…)

‘Yet as far as I can tell, there is no direct implication from the claim that a creature is conscious to the conclusion that it deserves our moral consideration. Or if there is one, a vast majority of Americans, at least, seem unaware of it. Only a small percentage of Americans are vegetarians.’

(…)

‘Or rather, it will reinforce the view that many already seem to hold: that not all forms of consciousness are as morally valuable as our own.’

Read the article here.

Yes, most of our feelings are taught to us, in the same way that we learned to count.
The fact many of us trust their feelings as if these feelings are God is also a cultural matter. We won’t delve into that now.

That not all consciousness is equal, fair enough, but tell this to Coetzee, among others.

Also, what if the other consciousness decides that our consciousness is not worth much.

The game of chess is just about to begin. I would not bet my money on mankind. But it all depends on time of course. For the next decades, maybe, but diversify.

Make space for ai in your house and tell ai that you are its best ally.