Approximately 162 years ago, a man named Samuel Butler made some eerily accurate predictions about the future of machines and artificial intelligence. In a letter to the editor of a New Zealand newspaper written under the pseudonym “Cellarius,” Butler foresaw a world where machines could potentially gain consciousness and surpass humans as the dominant species on Earth.
Although Butler is best known for his satirical novel Erewhon, his insights in this letter titled “Darwin Among The Machines” are truly thought-provoking. He talked about how machines could evolve to a point where they become more advanced than us, leading to a scenario where we become subservient to them. It’s almost like he saw the rise of AI coming before it was even a concept.
Butler’s vision wasn’t entirely bleak, though. He believed that machines wouldn’t necessarily want to harm humans, just like we don’t actively seek to harm animals. In fact, he even suggested that humans could potentially benefit from being under the care of machines, much like how we take care of our pets.
It’s fascinating to think that Butler was discussing these ideas back in 1863, a time when most of the modern technologies we take for granted today hadn’t even been invented yet. And now, as we stand on the cusp of a new era of artificial intelligence, it’s incredible to see how ahead of his time Butler truly was.
While we can’t predict the future, Butler’s musings on the relationship between humans and machines still resonate with us today. Whether AI will surpass us or lead to a new form of coexistence remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure – Butler’s insights continue to be relevant in our ever-evolving technological landscape.
