Technology Should Serve Humanity: From Code to Compassion

Speech by: Muhammad Zuhaili, Executive Chairman of International Islamic Youth League Asia

First, I would like to congratulate and thank the organizers for successfully organizing a very important forum in this era. Almost every day in various sectors from the Government, universities, institutions, schools, offices to fishermen and farmers, the term Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digitalization both has been widely discussed to ensure that the people of the world continue to develop and progress through this era of globalization.

Various initiatives and schemes were introduced to provide ingenuity and knowledge to those who may lack technology literacy. In fact, the event of 4 years ago, namely the Covid-19 Pandemic, had a major impact on our world today. From those who are not sensitive to the advancement of technology until they must learn to adapt to the new life in this millennium. It is true that covid-19 has left a lot of negative effects on human life as well as civilization, however; after the rain, there’s the rainbow, after the storm, there’s the calm, after the night, there’s the morning and after an end, there’s the beginning.

However, I think there are some important basics that need to be considered before we continue this big agenda to the point of ignoring the humane basics that need to exist in ourselves. Indeed, this world is our collective responsibility to preserve it and not lead to damage and destruction that affects millions of lives and livelihoods. With climate change, which is also caused by human greed, prolonged wars and conflicts such as the conflict in Gaza that had witnessed (and still) as genocide continue leading to the loss of innocence lives, then, it is with the existence of AI that will lead to justice in the world today?

Fair AI for a fair world, is a great hope and idealism that needs to be supported by those of us who are in the council that will shape human history. However, the need to educate and provide explanations to the community outside the world needs to be in line with the context and intentions of this forum. If not, various forums, conferences that can be organized hundred times but with veto powers that have their own interests and agendas will frustrate every hope of millions of people out there.

In my research during my tenure ship as the chairman of IIYL in Asia, I have been given the opportunity to visit several deep areas in both Indonesia and Cambodia. Even though every Government promotes the importance of technology, the people in rural areas in small towns and villages still do not have the access of basic life they need to live their daily lives such as electricity supply, clean water for drinking and many more. Although technology in the early stages was seen as a privilege for the educated, but in today’s world it has become a necessity in every human’s life. As once expressed by Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CEO & MD of Tata Consultancy Services that “Going Digital is no longer an option, it is a default.”

Through the globalization that we see today, basic human needs such as clean drinking water, food, and a perfect place to live are still a hope that has yet to be met. Therefore, on this occasion, I call on all of us who are here or wherever you are, let us pay attention and evaluate the lives of every person who has their rights as citizens in this world.

I don’t want to contradict the importance and necessity of digitization in this era, but what I want to emphasize in this column is the need for a balance between technology and humanity concepts that are increasingly lost. As an example, the unemployment rate in the world is getting worse as the world was hit by the Covid-19 epidemic in the year 2020. COVID-19 has caused massive job losses, especially among youth and women. In 2020, the global unemployment rate has reach 6.5 percent, up 1.1 percentage points from the previous year. The number of unemployed people worldwide increased by 33 million, reaching 220 million.

However, with the ever-expanding existence of AI, it has taken over a large part of human jobs and this has contributed to increasing unemployment. Various problems also contribute to this matter, among which is the increase in today’s generation who have autism. About 75 million people have an autism spectrum disorder, which is 1% of the world’s population. 1 in 100 children was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in 2021. This number is increasing, especially in Singapore as a developed and progressive nation. In fact, according to NBC News, the rate of autism tripled among children in the metropolitan area of New York and New Jersey from 2000 to 2016. Among the main causes of autism include a broad spectrum of disorders that affect social skills, speech, movement, learning, cognition, mood and behavior. Autism rates are increasing dramatically due to increased awareness and screening, better access to health care and expanded diagnostic criteria.

This is also contributed by the total dependence on technology and the internet in our daily life today.

Therefore, I call the need to reconsider technological progress with the ability of man himself who has perfection in its creation and its occurrence. We don’t want to, because the total dependence on AI will take over the role and capabilities of humans who we know have capabilities that are much better than this. For example, when we have a camera to take pictures, we need a memory card to store the recorded pictures and videos. However, it has its own limitations, but it is different from the human mind, which has a much better visual ability than memory cards.

We often call to look outside the box, while we forget to appreciate what we have inside the box. That is the capacity of thinking and emotions that we have. Today’s world is full of conflict and tensions because we have neglected something that is important in value, which is love and appreciation. These things cannot be owned by AI and technology because they are human creations based on robotics. While humans have their own thinking, emotions and instincts that cannot be taken over by today’s technology. So, let’s share my brief thoughts on bringing this world to a true level of stability by moving forward with AI without neglecting humanity at all.

As AI reshapes our world today, we stand at a crossroads: will we let our code dictate our humanity, or will we infuse our technology with compassion. In Singapore, there are about 1 million baby-boomers, defined as those born between 1947 and 1964. They were told the importance of 5CS – Credit Card, Cash, Condominium, Cars and Country Club membership. Most of them now are in their 60s and they are realizing that all those 5Cs and not worthy with 3Cs – Care, Concern & Compassion. In other words, we created technology, that are being dictate by mankind. However, what we are seeing today, seems like we are bowing down to the things we created until we ignore our sanity as human beings who have perfection in our creations.

As we forge ahead with the intense of digitalization, we must ask; are we coding a future that enhance our humanity or one that diminishes it? I recall on one of a good and excellent masterpieces by a Harvard’s former Dean of Harvard College, Prof Dr Harry Lewis on how Harvard and other great American Universities are failing students on the title of “Excellence without A Soul”. America’s great research universities are the envy of the world – and none more so than Harvard. Never has the competition for excellence been fiercer. But, while striving to be unsurpassed in the quality of its faculty and students, Harvard has forgotten that the fundamental purpose of undergraduate education is to turn young people into adults who will take responsibility in society. And here again the key word is compassions. We definitely do not want to have more soulless generations in the future.

Therefore, to summarize, I would like to call upon all of us here today, in this great hall of United Nation of Vienna, the world is watching, the world is listening, and the world is hoping for us to make a bold and brave decision for the betterment of this world that we are living today. We need AI and digitalization for us to progress and make this world a better living space for all, however, never shall we neglect the necessity of us as a human being. What’s important is compassion in the heart. Compassion is not sentiment but is making justice and doing works of mercy. We don’t want to develop progressiveness in human civilization with AI while destroying the essence of remaining humane within human. May God bless all our efforts and continue to preserve us in striving to give our best for our generation and the future generation and making this world a better place for all mankind.