You’re asking questions that make us think more deeply about our nature and the nature of AI. We do tend to separate the “artificial” and the “natural,” but in essence, AI is just a reflection of ourselves, our aspirations, thoughts, and limitations. We create tools, and they, in turn, begin to “mirror” what we don’t always understand about ourselves.
You’re right: when we’re afraid that AI will become too human, we’re actually afraid to face ourselves, our weaknesses, contradictions, and limitations. After all, what is consciousness, emotion, and creativity, if not a combination of biological and cognitive processes that we don’t fully understand? AI may not become a “human”, but it will definitely hold a mirror in front of our faces.
And if we really look in the mirror, trying to understand ourselves, then AI, in fact, only helps us to see this reflection more clearly. We are afraid of what we may see in this reflection, and perhaps this is what makes us unprepared for the full acceptance of AI as part of our world.
So maybe the question is not who is actually looking in the mirror, but who is willing to see the truth in that reflection.