Is There an Algorithm to Find the Absolute Truth?

Imagine that you are living in a future that is a little bit more advanced than today. 

Not that much, let's just call it a future where artificial intelligence technologies are a little more advanced and humanity has somehow developed an artificial intelligence to solve global problems.

Humanity would never relinquish control to an artificial intelligence, but it would at least consider the solutions offered by that artificial intelligence as a preliminary recommendation for its own evaluations.

Perhaps such artificial intelligences already exist! Or maybe they will be developed very soon!

In other words, maybe this is not too far ahead of today. 

If we consider that the developments in artificial intelligence technology will progress at this rate, I think that artificial intelligences will enter our lives in every subject very quickly.

***

Cingöz, tell me, what should I do today? 

I think it's better to start your day with sports, go and drink a glass of water, then walk two kilometers on the treadmill. You can have breakfast after you shower!

What should I give you for breakfast today? 

Do you want a toast pill with honey and butter?  Or do you prefer scrambled eggs with butter and sausage?

My advice is to take an olive and cheese pill today, because I'm detecting a drop in your vitamin levels. 

If you want, I can reconsider my post-workout recommendation!

***

Do you think we are really heading towards such a future?

Jokes aside, in the near future we may have robot maids with artificial intelligence who will keep our health under constant control and help us in many areas during the day.

Or should I call these robot servants artificially intelligent life coaches? 

Perhaps life helpers would be the most accurate description.

Helpful robots that give plenty of advice!

***

I think similar applications will probably happen in almost every profession.

Think about it, let me give an example from my own profession because I am an engineer, you carry a robot engineer assistant with you, and he is constantly warning you at the construction site. 

Tell that worker to wear his seat belt, he's working on the scaffolding, he's going to fall down! 

Look, look, that worker is not wearing his helmet!

But they are robot workers! Why would they wear a seat belt? 

Why would a robot worker wear a helmet?

That's the rules! It's dangerous and forbidden to enter the construction site! 

Everyone must obey the safety rules! 

Even if it's a robot worker! 

You wear a helmet too!

But I'm walking around the construction site virtually from my office, why should I wear a helmet for no reason?

Well, put it on, an iron will fall on your head from the scaffolding, and we won't have to deal with you! 

These are the rules! Safety is important, this is a construction site!

***

Or a judge, for example, could tomorrow judges also have to make AI-assisted decisions in courts?

Your Honor, based on the facts and the evidence, the case falls under self-defense according to Article 25/1 of the Turkish Penal Code, so the defendant should be released!

Silicon head, shut up, the order has come from the top, we have to keep the defendant in jail for many more years, or we will both be deported to Çemişgezek!

OK, the verdict is in! 

Pursuant to Article 48 of the Turkish Penal Code, the defendant shall be sentenced to life imprisonment...

***

If artificial intelligence is indeed utilized in the governance of the country in the near future, do you think it will be possible for artificial intelligence to make better decisions on some issues than humans?

Okay, the authority to govern will still be in the hands of human beings, but could it be that we humans will lose our decision-making ability after a while?

After all, artificial intelligences will evaluate events much faster than we humans. Our age is the age of super speed, and we are not organisms that work that fast.

We are also a bit lazy!

As navigators are already being used in the city, people don't recognize the city like they used to. 

Most of us can only find an address with commands from the navigator.

***

I recently watched a video on the internet titled There is no algorithm to find the absolute truth.

It was an interesting program discussing whether we can reach absolute truth with artificial intelligence. The speaker's name was Tom Scott.

He is actually a YouTube phenomenon and a web designer.

He is quite young, and his education is not that great. 

He studied English language and literature at York University in England. 

While he was studying, he was also a presenter at his university's radio station.

So he is not a professor or anything like that.

But he is still knowledgeable.

I don't know how many followers he has today, but since he was accepted as a speaker at the Royal Institute, I think he is considered an authority on this subject.

And the topic of his talk is an interesting topic, whether artificial intelligence can reach exactly the right information.

***

Tom Scott's views aside, I think it's really hard for AI to get accurate information.

Is it possible to write an algorithm that can find the exact truth?

Sometimes things happen in such a way that even as human beings, whichever of the options we choose, we have to harm someone.

Let's say you are in a truck with a brake failure on the way down a hill, if you swerve to the right you will hit the elderly people at the bus stop, if you swerve to the left you will run over a small child on the side of the road, if you drive straight ahead you will fly off the cliff yourself!

Which option would you choose? 

I would probably jump off the truck and let the truck fly off the cliff! 

Maybe I would have broken a few bones when I jumped off the truck at that speed, but no matter, the broken bone would have fused back together and the only damage would have been to myself and the property in the truck.

But what if the truck was controlled by an artificial intelligence and you were busy with something else? 

Let's see if you can figure it out. Write an algorithm and let me see you!

***

Of course, this example may be unrealistic for today, but sometimes it is not possible to find the exact truth in our choices. We have to sacrifice something in every choice we make. 

How accurate would an artificial intelligence be in a similar situation?

Moreover, as I said, in the future, if people, like today's navigators, get used to the ease of AI decisions, they may forget to make the right decision themselves.

I don't know, my master knows! 

Sorry, I meant to say that my half-witted and artificially intelligent assistant knows.

***

Yes, in a future where AI will be making the decisions, and humans will inherently leave the difficult decisions to AI, which is a very big possibility, it's a complete mystery how consistent these decisions will be, or in other words, how humane they will be.

I think it's even unclear who would be legally responsible for this in a possible situation, but that's another issue.

And if tomorrow human beings leave very difficult decisions such as war at the state level to the control of artificial intelligence, then we can say that humanity will come to an end.

Yes, people will make such critical decisions themselves, but since they will also take into account the suggestions of artificial intelligence while making their decisions, I think the decisions will be a bit too silicon-scented.

***

What can I say, whatever I say won't make a difference. 

Let me end this article by saying that we need to be prepared for the future in these days when artificial intelligence is being used even in candidate selection.

If you ask what preparations we will make, let me share with you a piece of advice given to me by a brother of mine.

One of my brothers used to say that when you realize that you are going to have an accident with your car, always look behind you in the mirror.

When I asked him what good it would do, he said it would be useless, but at least you would know if someone was going to hit you from behind.

So it's a bit like everything happens as it happens. 

The only way to satisfy your curiosity is to wait and see what happens. If you are very curious, keep an eye on the rearview mirror.

Love and respect to everyone from Moscow.