Applying Ancient Chinese Philosophy to Artificial Intelligence

Some quotations from the text:

"In sum, none of the three dominant schools of Chinese philosophical thinking place human beings in a supreme position within the universe, nor do they view human beings and nature as being in a mutually independent or competitive relationship. Placed in the context of developing frontier technologies, artificial intelligence is not a “natural” development, so from a viewpoint of unity between humans and nature, AI should be guided and sometimes suppressed by a respect for the natural ways of life. Indeed, this is precisely what many philosophers in China have been advocating for."

"However, it is also true that probably because of the strong influence of non-anthropocentrism in Chinese traditional belief systems, there has been much less panic in the East than in the West about the existential risk of AI. For one thing, many Chinese philosophers are simply not convinced by the prospect of machine intelligence exceeding that of humans. Also, human beings have always lived with other forms of existence that may be more capable in some ways than we are. In Daoist teaching, where immortals abound, AI or digital beings could be just another form of super-being. Some Confucian and Daoist scholars have started thinking about incorporating AI into the ethical order of the ecosystem by potentially viewing AIs as companions or friends."