Mänskligheten på existensens rand? Föreställningar om en framtid med artificiell superintelligens

Sammanfattning

The purpose of this study is to examine people’s ideas of a potential future involving artificial superintelligence. Particular emphasis is placed on what is considered to be uniquely human in such a future. In summary, previous research shows that existing boundaries between humans and machines are neither fixed nor uniform, and that intelligence is conceptualized from multiple perspectives, including cognitive capacities and social context. At the same time, there is broad consensus that humans are influenced by and adapt to technological development. Taken together, this gives rise to ethical, existential, and social dilemmas and risks, highlighting the need for humans to understand and govern future technological development with attention to these dimensions. The theoretical framework draws on Michael Jackson’s and Flisbäck and Mattson’s notions of existential imperative, as well as Hartmut Rosas concepts of resonance and alienation. The study is based on empirical data from a qualitative survey with open-ended questions, along with individual posts from an open online discussion on Flashback. Findings indicate that contemporary perceptions of superintelligence illuminate what is uniquely human, including embodied experience, emotional depth, creativity, and ethical capacities, while also challenging boundaries between humans, machines, and the broader biological world. These perceptions are neither fully utopian nor dystopian but occupy an “existential in-betweenness”, where coexisting ideas are negotiated through everyday life, in terms of hope, fear, and uncertainty in relation to the future. The results also highlight the importance of further research for capturing richer perspectives on human-AI imaginaries and their implications for both society and individuals. These imaginative ideas might be of relevance sooner than we expect.