Psychological debunking of myths about the omnipotence of artificial intelligence

Abstract

In the modern world, where AI technologies are becoming an integral part of various spheres of human activity, it is important to critically evaluate, comprehensively analyze and psychologically argue the m y t h s that arise around these technologies. The object of study in the article is myth-making at the current stage of engineering and technical development of humanity, which is associated with unjustified speculations about the omnipotence and safety of AI for psycho-spiritual development and the existential essence of an individual, group, and society. The intentional subject of the study is the psychological debunking of the five most popular m y t h s about AI that are actively circulating in the current globalized world, namely, tales about omnipotence, neutrality, lack of threats, and the replacement of humans with such a fictional and false intelligence. Instead, there is a fully justified danger of the individual losing his own autonomy and unique identity in the era of the increasingly obvious dominance of intelligent machines. Essentially, it is about situational analysis, detailed identification and multiple reflection from the position of epistemological achievements of modern psychology not only as a humanistic science, but also as an omnipresent sphere of thought, the falsity and even fatal fallacy of widespread pop ideas about the exceptional usefulness, limitless possibilities and real dangers of this far-fetched or invented intelligence. It is proven with motivation that the above myths are distorted conscious stereotypes and potentially dangerous factors, primarily in the purely psychological sense of human existence, because they form misconceptions among the masses about the real possibilities and limitations of AI, and, in addition, they have a destructive effect on the public perception of information technologies and their correct use in everyday life. First of all, it is emphasized that artificial machine intelligence, despite all its grandiose achievements in automating and optimizing gaming, educational, and labor processes, is not capable of completely replacing humans or becoming neutral in its activities. Moreover, without proper control and ethical oversight, AI can be used not only for the benefit of society, but also for manipulation, violation of human rights, and even creating threats to social stability. All this emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive approach to the development and use of its technologies, where it is necessary to take into account both technical and ethical and purely psychomental aspects of human existence. Finally, it is concluded that the exceptional heuristic of a thorough interdisciplinary study of myths and mythologemes in theoretical, applied and purely psychological practice is necessary to enable the safe, constructive and effective use of AI in various spheres of globalized humanity in the future.