What Does It Mean To Be Human?
Reading Eve Poole’s book, Robot Souls, I could not help but think of an Introductory monologue by singer/song writer Rich Mullins to his song Higer Education and the Book of Love.[1] “What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be human? I cannot help but suspect that at one time in the history of thinking that people believed that it meant that we were spiritual and that we could make choices and were capable of aspiring to higher ideals… like maybe loyalty or maybe faith… or maybe even love. But now we are told by people who think they know, that we vary from amoeba only in the complexity of our makeup and not in what we essentially are. . . . What does it mean to be human? I cannot help but believe that it means we are spiritual – that we are responsible and that we are free – that we are responsible to be free.”[2] Today, rather than the word amoeba, Mullins might have used robots. Eve Poole in her book discusses what it means to be human and asks whether it is possible to program that into Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In both her Ted Talk and Interview with Douglas Giles, Poole talked about how humans were designed to be free (free will) but that it’s a bad idea because of the tendency to do stupid things that lead to extinction[3]. However, God programmed in humanity other “junk code” to prevent the elimination of our species. The junk code Poole discusses are emotions, sixth sense, storytelling, uncertainty, mistakes and meaning,[4]
Junk Code – Emotions
For this post, I want to briefly focus on one junk code, emotion, but keep in mind,
“The seven elements work together in a synchronised way to promote this. First, emotion provides the feelings we need to tell if we matter or not. Excellence at picking up these signals and trusting them then helps us tune our antennae to discern information from our Sixth Sense too. And this data helps us calibrate our use of free will, particularly when we are uncertain about what to do. When we inevitably make mistakes, our emotions guide us towards reparation, in order that we might matter rightly again. Throughout our lives, our stories and our yearning for meaning drive us towards the discovery of an ever deeper purpose, and this – hopefully – convinces us that we finally matter”[5]
I love how Poole describes our emotions as messy. As a mental health professional, I have found this to be true. Fortunately, Poole says there has been a push since the 1990’s to incorporate understanding emotions into school curriculum.[6] Antidotally I think this has led to people being able to better identify their emotions, but not necessarily how to effectively cope with them given the number of students with mental health diagnoses in my classrooms.
Poole lists Emotion Psychologist Paul Eckman’s criteria for basic emotions
- It must have distinctive universal signals (like the facial expression for surprise)
- It must have distinct and characteristic physiological responses (e.g., a flinch)
- It must be induced automatically (i.e., non-conscious or involuntary)
- It must have distinct antecedents or triggers (e.g., rotten meat)
- It must emerge distinctively in infancy
- It must be present in other primates
- It must be quick onset
- It must be of brief duration
- It must be an unbidden occurrence
- It must be associated with distinctive thoughts, memories, and images
- It must be a distinctive subjective experience.[7]
When we consider whether AI can experience basic emotions we must ask if is possible for AI to meet all of these. Obviously, AI is not a primate. Can something that is programmed experience something unbidden, can it be a subjective experience when AI tends to be very objective. AI can be programmed to express emotion, but is it still just artificial? AI can detect emotion by listening to words and observing non-verbal behavior but is it capable of understanding the true meaning behind emotions.
This past semester, I heard that companies are now marketing AI that will record client sessions and create the case note for you. Over Christmas Break I started looking into these companies as I am teaching an interviewing and documentation class this semester. I am looking at whether I can introduce students to AI case notes. I found a program and engaged with my youngest son in a conversation that lasted less than 30 seconds about how he was feeling regarding Christmas Break. The program then generated a case note using the SOAP format (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan). Keep in mind that this was only an audio recording as I share with you the Objective portion of the note.
Objective
During the session, the client appeared well-groomed and maintained good eye contact, indicative of his improved mood. His speech was coherent and lively, aligning with his reported “phenomenal” mood. There were no visible signs of psychomotor agitation or retardation, and he engaged actively throughout the session. The client demonstrated clear and logical thought processes, with no indications of delusional thinking or hallucinations. His afect was congruent with his mood, as he smiled frequently and appeared genuinely content. Overall, his demeanor and presentation supported his verbal reports of an improved mood.
That is an impressive summary given AI listened to, no video, a less than 30 second conversation. This will serve as a wonderful example to demonstrate that we cannot solely rely on AI to do our work. We must read what AI wrote and using our human intelligence ascertain whether AI just spit out code or did it really interpret the session correctly. Does AI really understand mood and emotions? I don’t think it can now and I’m not sure it will ever reach that point.
What does it mean to be human? Mullins and Poole understand how essential free will is to being human. Even if we can program Robot Souls, we must not become dependent on AI and in the process become robots ourselves, we must preserve all of our junk code.
[1] Eve Poole, Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity, (Boca Rotan, FL: CRC Press, 2024).
[2] Rich Mullins, Higher Education and the Book of Love, 1989 Reunion Records
[3] TEDX University of Saint Andrews, “Eve Poole: Robot Souls,” April 15, 2024, Produced by TEDX Talks, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMVDkSuzQbk; Insert Philosophy Here, “AI and Us: Interview with Dr. Eve Poole about Her New Book, “Robot Souls,” July 27, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c61iCcLcRoI
[4] These are discussed in Chapter 7, pages 73-98. Free Will is also part of the junk code.
[5] Poole, 99.
[6] Poole, 100.
[7] Poole, 75.
About the Author
Jeff Styer
Jeff Styer lives in Northeast Ohio's Amish Country. He has degrees in Social Work and Psychology and currently works as a professor of social work at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Jeff is married to his wife, Veronica, 25+ years. Together they have 4 beautiful children (to be honest, Jeff has 4 kids, Veronica says she is raising 5). Jeff loves the outdoors, including biking, hiking, camping, birding, and recently picked up disc golf.10 responses to “What Does It Mean To Be Human?”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Jeff,
I don’t quite understand. If the AI only listened to the audio of the test then how did if determine that the client appeared well-groomed and maintained good eye contact? Did it determine that based on the conversation? It is crazy how summaries are able to be produced now.
Adam,
The AI must be programmed to make some assumptions unless it hears things that contradict it. If I commented “Josiah, I know you are on vacation, but are you going to get dressed today?” AI possibly would have assumed that he was naked. You having read that comment would likely assume that Josiah is still in his pajamas. That is one of the problems with using AI, understanding the actual meaning in what is being said. Can we program AI to fully understand the context of every situation?
Thanks for you post Jeff. I appreciate the way you analyzed the use of AI in your context. How have you seen it been used in a helpful way in within its limits?
Ryan,
If used properly, it is a great resource. I think it can serve as a great way for students to research topics, get ideas for how to start writing a paper, put words and ideas into visual forms when they don’t have the talent to do it themselves. Even with my example of writing case notes, it can help save time and serve as a backup to our own flawed memory about an event if it is recording. Overall, I am excited about what AI might be able to do.
Hi Jeff, I appreciated the way you highlighted Poole’s thoughts regarding God’s programming in humanity “junk code” to prevent the elimination of our species. I contemplated the importance of concrete and correct definitions throughout the text. My concern is because we can’t readily define what makes us human, this definition could change as technology advances.
However, I don’t want to be too “heavy” with the questions. Regarding our “junk code,” do you find yourself regularly defaulting to using specific ones over the others (i.e. emotions, sixth sense, free will, etc.)?
Elysse,
I think Poole does an excellent job exploring the topic of what it means to be human, but I’m not sure if one this side of eternity anyone will be able to provide an absolute definition.
Which junk codes do I default to? Free will is an obvious default, but I probably default to my emotions more than I should, which often clouds by ability to engage in rational decision making. I also love to talk so storytelling is another default behavior.
As a guy I think I am in touch with, use the least my sixth sense, and only after ignoring it, do I wish I paid more attention to it.
Hi Jeff, I am a bit confused. How could the AI tell your son was well dressed? Is it possible that AI is getting more attention because just as Poole said that one aspect of our junk code is the placing meaning on our surroundings. Are we giving that persona to AI because that is our just code in action?
Diane,
The AI program could not tell whether Josiah was dressed but was obviously programmed to make that assumption unless something was said to the contrary. This is why I want my students to have an opportunity to use it. I want them to see that it is not perfect and they still need to do their jobs.
I think AI is getting more attention because of the novelty of what the general public is being made aware that AI can do. Within that though, I do believe that we are then assigning meaning to the new situation asking ourselves what AI’s capacity to do such and such means for my job, my family, etc.
Hi Jeff, thanks for your post and for sharing the example of the case notes from the conversation with your son. I was surprised by the description of eye contact and being well-groomed. I imagine it made that prediction because the tone associated with the call was highly similar to other calls in which someone made a case note that their client was well-groomed and made good eye contact. So my question to you, even though AI didn’t have visual cues, was it correct in it’s assessment of your son related to eye contact and being well-groomed?
Christy,
It was a very short conversation. He was sitting at our kitchen table, I think getting ready to eat. I really can’t remember how he was dressed, he may have still been in pajamas since he was on winter break. He did look at me when he talked, which he normally does.
Yes my guess is that the AI is programmed to write certain things as a default unless it hears something contrary. All the more reason why we will need to review notes before signing off on them.