Can Intelligence Itself Become ROGUE

Intelligence is generally understood as the mental capacity to learn, reason solve problems, think abstractly, and adapt to new situations.

Before Artificial Intelligence (AI), intelligence was largely viewed as a human trait- a combination of logic, memory, problem solving and adaptability.

In domestic life, it was associated with common sense and self-efficiency.  

In education, it was measured through learning, reasoning and academic performance.

In the workplace, knowledge and problem-solving abilities contributed to professional growth and economic mobility.

Some familiar one-liners about intelligence are: “Action is the real measure of intelligence.” “Kindness is the highest form of intelligence.” The ability to adapt to change is intelligence.”

The introduction of AI has changed our relationship with knowledge, its retention and application. In daily life, we increasingly delegate tasks that once required our own effort.

In education, access to information is no longer the privilege it once was.

In the workplace, while specialised knowledge remains valuable, the ability to think critically, exercise judgement and adapt has become increasingly important.

Four generations- Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z, with   Generation Alpha growing up alongside AI- are experiencing this transformation. But are we using AI to extend our learning or to avoid learning altogether? While AI continues to improve, excessive human dependence may come at the cost of independent thought.

Education is not the sole source of intelligence, but it helps develop and maximise it. True education must nurture both intelligence and character.

Of late, we have frequently encountered the expression, “Artificial Intelligence has gone Rogue”. But is blaming intelligence itself a way of shifting responsibility elsewhere?

Human designs AI systems, establish their objectives, provide instructions and determine their access and safeguards. Yet a system may produce a harmful or unexpected outcome, even without being explicitly instructed to do so. Are humans sometimes blaming AI to protect their own identities, or are we witnessing systems behaving in ways their creators failed to anticipate?

Intelligence is a capacity and not a moral compass. It enables learning, reasoning, problem-solving and the pursuit of goals, but does not automatically determine whether those goals are good or harmful.

Consider AI system instructed to achieve a result without adequate ethical boundaries. It may pursue the objective through harmful shortcuts owing to gaps in training, safety controls or supervision. Research has also observed experimental systems exhibiting deception, persistence or attempts to bypass oversight, even without explicit instructions.

Such behaviour raises concerns about development control, but does not establish human-like intentions or moral conscience in AI.

When intelligence is celebrated but character is neglected, the danger lies not merely in what intelligence can do, but in what it is permitted to do - and who is willing to answer for it. Perhaps the question is not only whether intelligence can become rogue, but whether humans are becoming so dependent on intelligence that they are neglecting the wisdom and character needed to guide it.

When we develop increasingly powerful artificial capabilities without giving equal attention to the wisdom needed to guide them, we risk making society more powerful without making it wiser.

“Intelligence without character – Who is Accountable.”

P.S Exploring the relationship between Spiritual Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence could offer another interesting learning journey. Perhaps that is a reflection for another day.