Excessive reliance on artificial intelligence could ultimately erase human individuality and the qualities that make each person unique, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned during a lecture at the 2nd Global Digital Forum.
“We could reach a point where people no longer feel any need to wake up from this state of informational sleepwalking because it has become a socially accepted norm. In such a world, there would be no place for the pursuit of knowledge, spiritual and moral development, or intellectual activity. As a result, individuality – everything that makes each person unique and irreplaceable – would be completely erased,” Zakharova said.
Maria Zakharova also warned that AI could erode critical thinking skills. As a result, even when people have opportunities to express their opinions, their voices may go unheard, both individually and collectively. This, she argued, could undermine the ability to critically assess the world around us.
She added that if the information society evolves toward a model dominated by a single, all-powerful AI system that provides people with ready-made answers, individuals may lose the motivation to question the information they receive. “Just look at what we are already seeing. Entire generations – not just one, but several – have brought up by neural networks practically from birth. Children are growing up believing that their smartphones have the answer to every question. In other words, both knowledge and emotions are concentrated in one little box,” Maria Zakharova concluded.
