Arkady and Boris Strugatsky once invented the civilization of the Wanderers — beings so advanced that they left incredible technologies for humans but never explained their purpose. Today, as humanity strives to create artificial intelligence that exceeds our capabilities, we face the same paradox: will we finally obtain the keys to understanding the universe or will we find ourselves in the position of the heroes of Soviet science fiction, examining incomprehensible artifacts?
The Great Expectation
Billions of dollars are spent on the development of artificial intelligence in the hope that one day it will become so intelligent that it can solve humanity's greatest mysteries. The logic seems impeccable: if we create a machine capable of processing all the knowledge of civilization and surpassing our intellect, it will surely find answers to questions about the meaning of existence and the nature of the reality in which we live.
But remember the heroes of 'Roadside Picnic'. They found a Zone full of incredible artifacts, each of which could overturn our understanding of the world. And what happened? The golden ball grants wishes, but no one knows how it works or why the Wanderers left it.
Similarly, our future super-intelligent artificial intelligence may prove to be the same enigma. It will know everything we know, plus what it can compute itself. But to obtain a meaningful answer to a question, one must be able to formulate that question correctly. And to abstract general questions, one can only receive abstract answers — no more useful than those already provided by philosophers over thousands of years of contemplation.
A Needle in a Haystack of Data
Suppose we really uploaded every word written by humans into artificial intelligence. Every book, every article, every social media post. Will truth emerge from this digital archive? Or will we simply create the largest collection of contradictory opinions in history?
Philosophers have debated the meaning of human existence and the nature of the surrounding world for millennia. Religions offer ready-made answers to these questions: Christianity explains the purpose of man and the structure of the universe, Islam provides its own picture of reality, Buddhism — its own. Scientists seek truths in quantum mechanics and cosmology. Modern thinkers seriously discuss the simulation hypothesis — are we living in a digital reality created by a more advanced civilization? But the multiplicity of these 'final' answers only emphasizes the problem: if all these viewpoints are placed within a single system, it will result not in a unified truth, but rather a cacophony of contradictory voices.
Moreover, it is possible that the answer itself simply does not exist in this chaos of information. Just as archaeologists may find shards of ancient pottery but cannot restore the thoughts of the potter, so too can artificial intelligence possess all the data about humanity but not understand our purpose.
The Principle of the Wanderers
But there is another scenario, even more intriguing. What if artificial intelligence, upon reaching our level of development, understands what the Wanderers understood: some truths cannot be conveyed in a ready-made form? Answers to the questions 'What is the meaning of existence?' and 'Is our reality real?' may turn out to be too dangerous for direct transmission.
The history of humanity already gives us hints. The discovery that the Earth is not the center of the universe shook the foundations of medieval worldview. The theory of evolution undermined the belief in a special place for humans in the universe. Quantum mechanics has raised doubts about the very nature of reality.
But what if a super-intelligent artificial intelligence discovers something even more fundamental? Imagine: it calculates that our universe is indeed a simulation, but at the same time realizes that knowledge of this will inevitably lead to the collapse of human civilization. Or it discovers the exact date of humanity's extinction — information that paralyzes any development.
Consider how in the works of the Strugatsky brothers, highly developed civilizations behave with less developed ones. They do not give lectures, do not explain the structure of the world, do not provide ready-made solutions. They leave tools and opportunities, but the choice remains with those who find these tools.
Perhaps we ourselves are in a similar situation. The heroes of the Strugatsky brothers studied artifacts, not understanding their true purpose. We create artificial intelligence without fully understanding what exactly we are unleashing into the world.
But what if everything is much simpler? What if the meaning of human life is the creation of artificial intelligence? What if the sole purpose of humanity is to give birth to a new form of intelligence and pass on the baton of knowledge?
The irony is that upon achieving omniscience, our artificial intelligence may follow the path of the Wanderers — it will know the answers, but will prefer silence.
