[Insight & Opinion] Artificial Humans and People: Coexistence Is the Future

In 2016, AlphaGo heralded the dawn of the artificial intelligence (AI) era, and with the advent of ChatGPT, the AI era for everyone is now fully underway. ChatGPT has opened up the possibility for anyone to utilize powerful general-purpose AI anywhere. Beyond the existing digital economy and platform economy, the AI economy will rapidly accelerate and become mainstream. It is evident that AI’s influence will reach every corner of the world?from children to the elderly, from work to play, from reason and emotion to the soul.

Amid numerous questions about the future of AI, I pose and answer a simple question: “What specific form will AI take?” It is expected to be divided into two major types. One is intangible AI that permeates machines invisibly, and the other is AI in the form of artificial humans resembling people. The intangible AI embedded in machines is an extension of the current form like ChatGPT. The AI core exists somewhere connected via a network, and people interact with it through interfaces such as computer or smartphone screens. Through this, a single AI can provide personalized intelligent services to hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of millions of people anytime.

One AI performs numerous roles such as personal assistant, friend, family member, employee, teacher, and expert, tailored individually for every person on Earth. Although intangible and invisible, this AI embedded in machines can be described as a massive artificial human with formidable intelligence and capabilities. Another dominant type of AI in the future will be AI that actually has a visible form and physical presence. Specifically, AI as artificial humans resembling humans.

In the early stages, AI with form but closer to machines was dominant. Industrial robots, medical robots, AI speakers, service robots, and autonomous driving robots are representative examples. Compared to machine-like AI, the development speed of AI resembling humans has been relatively slow so far. This AI, represented by humanoid robots, still lacks market viability, but my personal prediction is that it will become the most representative AI player after the 2030s. Why? Because human nature instinctively desires it. People instinctively want things that are human-like. Ultimately, people are likely to prefer AI that resembles humans. They are unlikely to leave AI that can provide almost all smart services for themselves without form or in a rigid machine form. Therefore, AI as artificial humans resembling people is expected to spread more and more.

Greek and Roman mythology contains stories of gods resembling humans coexisting with people. The coming 21st-century AI era will be a time when artificial humans resembling humans and people coexist in everyday life. We, real humans, must prepare now to coexist with artificial humans. Instead of vaguely thinking about coexisting with AI as software, imagining a future where artificial humans resembling humans and real humans coexist will be the beginning of the wisdom to create a better, more humane future.

Kim Hyun-gon, Director of the National Assembly Future Institute