The Global AI Ethics Institute (GAIEI) has announced it has released a report exploring the relationship between time, perception and AI. Importantly, the report discusses the new ‘model AI time perception’ and whether new experiences of the passage of time is something that we could expect from AI systems.

“The history of time is deeply rooted in the tight relation between living creatures and their natural environment,” says GAIEI President and Co-Founder, Aco Momcilovic. “So far, it seems that these questions, and many others surrounding the relation between time and AI, have gone totally unexplored.”

“First, how likely is it that AI would attain a high and flexible enough intelligence that it could become sentient? Also, we attach the perception of time to the living, at the least—and usually to sentient beings; can we implicitly assume that an extremely advanced AI system would have its moment of awakening, and maybe a moment where it “dies”? Or could future sentient AGIs be immortal? Could that span of time also be a factor that influences perception of time?”

 

One observation the report explores with AI and time is AI’s limitations mean it cannot deal with the complexity of time and its non-linearity. For example, AI may not be able to work with the concept of causality, where a cause leads to an effect in the future, or the concept of simultaneity, where multiple events happen at the same time.

“These limitations may lead to AI making decisions that have unintended consequences in the future, or not being able to account for the impact of their actions on the present,” the report states. “Thus, AI may not be able to fully able to integrate its actions with the complexities of human emotions and decision-making, which are often based on past experiences and future expectations.”

 

Download the report here.

 

About the The Global AI Ethics Institute (GAIEI)

The Global AI Ethics Institute is the only global think tank, addressing ethics applied to AI through cultural lenses. Founded in 2021 by renowned AI Ethicist Dr. Emmanuel Goffi and lecturer and owner of the FutureHR consulting firm Aco Momcilovic, the Institute is set to promote respect for cultural diversity, specifically in the field of ethics applied to AI. Importantly, the Institute opens meaningful, ‘outside the box’ thinking and debate around the ethical implications of AI, offering an open-minded and non-judgmental forum where all voices are heard. Discover more here.