Artificial intelligence as a tool built into the value system of modern culture

Belikova Evgeniya Konstantinovna ORCID: 0009-0001-7575-024X PhD in Cultural Studies Associate Professor, Department of English Language, Lomonosov Moscow State University 119991, Russia, Western Administrative District, Moscow, Leninskie Gory str., 1, building 52 jkbelikova@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an important part of modern human life, has entered it so firmly that members of modern society can no longer imagine a day spent without AI-based devices and services. The first definition of AI was proposed by an American scientist who worked in the field of computer science, D. McCarthy: "The property of intelligent systems to perform creative functions that are traditionally considered the prerogative of man" ^[1]; it is also relevant for modern science. If intelligence as the most important human quality is "the ability to carry out the process of cognition and to effectively solve problems, in particular, when mastering a new range of life tasks" ^{[2, p. 137]}, then AI is a property of machines that allows repeating this human ability.

By getting involved in human life, any new technological tool enters the cultural system and begins to interact with the value structure of society. Modern culture includes cultural manifestations that are significant at the moment of the development of society, including a value system that is relevant to society — the composition of people's ideas about things and phenomena that are important to themselves and to society. The value system consists of individual values — "objects (intellectual or material) that have a positive meaning for a person or society" ^{[3, p. 167]}. The cultural field is expanding and transforming under the influence of AI; communication systems between people and forms of their interaction are changing, new tools for the translation of cultural meanings and ideas are being formed. A feature of the development of AI is the speed of its penetration into all areas of human life, including the cultural sphere, as a result of which people begin to actively use AI without fully realizing what it is or how it fits into the usual cultural space. In this regard, a cultural analysis of AI is necessary, primarily from the point of view of its correlation with the value system of modern culture.

Literature review

The greatest attention of philosophers and cultural scientists is attracted by the real and/or potential influence of AI on culture and how it is able to change (is already changing) culture. There are negative assumptions in the scientific literature reflecting fears of AI formed in modern society. Thus, I. Y. Zamchalova states that even today, under the influence of AI, "threats to cultural identity arise, interethnic and intercultural ties weaken; a person is deprived of cultural and historical memory, breaks away from national roots and traditions" ^{[4, p. 102]}. We would not judge so categorically: it is obvious that the value-semantic nature of AI is much more complex, and the interactions of AI with cultural values are much more multifaceted and diverse.

The introduction of AI systems and digitalization are considered by researchers not only as a technical and economic, but also as a socio-cultural phenomenon ^[5]. At the same time, it is not worth saying that AI has the same effect on various components of the value system of modern culture, which is what most researchers note. The interaction of AI with such components of the value system of modern culture as science and scientific cognition ^[6], the ratio of collectivism and individualism ^[7], trust ^[8], security ^[9], family values ^[10], humanistic ideals ^[11] and some other scientists falls into the field of attention of philosophers and cultural scientists It is believed that it is necessary to develop a special ethics of AI, which will determine its development ^[12]. In modern science, there is not enough research on the value-semantic nature of AI, based on a systematic, holistic approach, reflecting different sides of the analyzed process.

The purpose of the article is to identify the specifics of integrating AI into the modern system of cultural values; to note the various facets of AI interaction with the components of this system and different variants of influence.

The main part

On the one hand, a stable system of values is important for society and its development, on the other hand, their constant reassessment is necessary. People absorb the value system of culture at an early age and focus on it throughout their lives, while necessarily replenishing it with new components and assessments. A person strives to correlate any new objects and phenomena with his value system, thus trying to find out their real significance in an unstable, changing reality. Under the influence of a value system relevant to society, in the process of personality formation, value orientations are formed in a person — "the most important elements of the internal structure of the personality, fixed by the life experience of the individual, the totality of his experiences and delimiting the significant, essential for this person from the insignificant, unimportant" ^{[13, p. 124]}. The whole further life of an individual proceeds under the influence of these value orientations; this is his personal system, including the most important elements for him personally, built into the structure of his personality, very slightly dependent on those processes and changes that occur in the external environment.

Many values are universal, universal, that is, important for every person on earth, regardless of the time, locality, conditions in which he lives, as well as his age, gender, nationality, religion. These are essential values that are directly related to human nature itself. Traditionally, universal values include life, health, safety, family, success, pleasure, traditions, self-respect, education, recognition, freedom, justice, beauty, etc. Some of the values are more important for the individual, his development, some for society, its stable existence and dynamics. For many centuries, man as a species has been living and developing in the context of these values, taking them into account when committing actions and finding solutions, defending them to the best of his ability, instilling in children, focusing on them when building his own living space. Attempts to transform a value system can cause criticism and opposition from a person and society, at the same time, transformations should be recognized as natural, natural, mandatory, ensuring continuity and development of culture based on replenishment of its traditional segment with innovative phenomena ^{[14, p. 17]}.

AI, having burst into the life of a modern person, quickly and radically changed a lot of things in it. The industrial, medical and transport spheres, ways of communication (including with the authorities, the state), the system of relevant professions, shopping, providing and receiving services, ways of leisure and entertainment, education and much more have undergone transformations. The main thing that AI is able to give to a modern person is convenience, which is why AI products are accepted so favorably by the majority of users, despite the concerns that AI causes, elements of technophobia, and the fact that this technological tool cannot yet be called time—tested and completely safe, including from the point of view of its influence on the value system of society.

Unfortunately, the limited amount of research does not allow us to delve into the problem of value interactions and transformations in full. Observing the modern cultural field allows us to notice that AI, being integrated into the value system of modern culture, interacts with different values in different ways. All components of the value structure of society are affected, however, in this study we will not consider all the values mentioned above, but only those with which AI interacts most clearly.

Values that are positively influenced by AI

It is possible to identify a number of values that become more significant under the influence of AI, are actualized in a world that is built on the constant use of AI.

Intelligence and knowledge. As values, they come to the fore thanks to AI. This is most obvious, since the essence of AI is an attempt to replicate human (natural) intelligence, and its original, primary purpose was to help a person in complex calculations and storing large amounts of data, as well as "the ability to solve time-consuming tasks and perform analysis based on big data in real time" ^{[15, p. 1]}.

Science and cognition. Their value is confirmed by the ability to develop AI itself and significantly improve people's lives with its help, to make reality what was recently an invention of science fiction (video communication, robots, bioprostheses, etc.). The subject of scientific knowledge is still man's understanding of nature and himself ^{[6, p. 204]}, but the composition is expanding tools that serve cognition, including at the expense of AI.

Equality. AI contributes to the fact that people's capabilities are becoming more and more similar, and people themselves can feel equal to other people. For example, to communicate in another language, you can use an electronic translator, affordable smartphones can be used for communication, everyone is able to count quickly and accurately using a computer, play chess, have access to large amounts of data, use mobile applications, social networks, etc. Place of residence, material wealth, initial social status, gender, age are becoming less significant and more variable factors, the impact of which on a person's life, his success is assessed as relative.

Collectivism. Sometimes you can hear the opinions of scientists that the use of digital tools, computers, and the Internet separates people, provokes the development of individualism, separation from the collective, and reduces the level of interaction with others ^{[7, p. 54]}. In our opinion, such observations do not reflect the whole picture, but are based only on one of its parts. In fact, the entire development of AI is aimed at meeting people's needs for communication, personal and collective interaction. This is especially evident in the functioning and device of social networks and messengers, in which not only interpersonal communication tools are valuable for people, but also the ability to organize mass interaction in groups, conversations, and communities with different numbers of members.

Pleasure, hedonism. One of the authors of the theory of key values, Sh.H. Schwartz, spoke about the importance of this value for a person ^[16]. The focus of AI on giving pleasure to a person is undeniable: a person is very actively getting rid of hard and unpleasant physical labor, the development of computer games, online shopping systems, creating photo and video files, mobile applications, online dating and much more in areas that are pleasant and attractive to a person. People are happy to use information search services, follow the lives of other people, including celebrities, on social networks, communicate with friends and loved ones, listen to music in an individual selection, watch movies and TV series, make new acquaintances and much more.

Success, recognition. The Internet, social networks, and IT technologies give people many opportunities to become successful and gain recognition from others in new and interesting areas for all. A person can get a new profession online, earn money remotely, open their own Internet business, become famous by shooting videos and posting them on the Internet, and much more. AI has become one of the ways to provide people with social elevators, which previously did not exist in such numbers and diversity.

Values that are negatively influenced by AI

Not all components of the value system under the influence of AI (in an AI-based world) begin to develop positively. Let's name the values that are being seriously tested during this period of society's development.

Trust. This value is very important for a person, because it reflects the nature of the interaction between the subject and society, characterizes the level of compliance with the agreement on cooperation between the individual and the social space. Trust makes a person's life easier, because "it significantly simplifies the process of verifying information received during communication, provides ample opportunities for assistance, cooperation, cooperation" ^{[17, p. 140]}.

There is a crisis of trust in the conditions of using AI. People cannot trust e-mail messages and phone calls that come to them, they hardly distinguish between real and AI-generated requests and publications on social networks; they do not feel confident in the machines themselves, which are not fully studied, potentially dangerous and can at any moment become really unfriendly (which is reflected in a variety of products of mass culture). Examples of Internet fraud, theft of personal data, cyberbullying, etc. produce people's fears of AI-controlled services. The feelings of many users of intelligent systems towards these services can be described as "elusive trust" ^{[8, p. 45]}.

Safety. This value, as well as trust, is socially conditioned and very important for a person, determining his personal comfort and psychological state. The presence of real threats in AI-based systems (security of personal data and material resources, fakes, cyber attacks, cyber fraud, state security, etc.) causes a person to increase the level of anxiety and the expectation of threats even where there are none. Modern people are afraid of the advent of the era of universal control with the help of AI, a global catastrophe provoked by AI, the introduction of chips into the body, threats to the spiritual security of society, culture, traditions and much more. To name a system in which people are completely controlled by AI at any time of the day, the term "digital trap" was created ^{[9, p. 113]}. The weak point of AI functioning in the modern world is that AI is also used to eliminate the dangers posed by it, which only increases people's worries and their fears for their own safety.

Under the influence of AI, these values, experiencing negative changes, increase their importance. The crisis of trust reinforces its value, and in order to ensure the safety of society, people all over the world are ready to sacrifice civil liberties and their own identity. That is, we see that AI stimulates the development of values with both positive and negative influences on them.

Values developing ambiguously under the influence of AI

Most often, we can talk about the presence of both positive and negative changes in a particular value under the influence of AI. This also applies, by the way, to those values that have already been named above, but one influence clearly prevails in them - positive or negative. And the values that will be named below demonstrate the ambivalence of AI as a value-semantic structure.

Freedom. This is one of the most relevant values for people, which defines "the essence of a person and his existence, the ability to act in accordance with their desires and interests, regardless of other factors" ^{[18, p. 511]}. On the one hand, man in the modern world, thanks to AI, has become more free. He can communicate, study without paying attention to boundaries; he has more opportunities for self-determination, creativity; he has more free time. On the other hand, in an AI-controlled world, a person's personal and civil liberties are violated, he understands that he leaves a "digital footprint" and is constantly monitored by AI and those structures that use it, that his movements, purchases, opinions expressed by him and much more are monitored.

Preservation of human identity. There are diametrically opposed opinions about the transformations of this value under the influence of the use of AI. It can be argued that a person strengthens his identity, learns to better understand himself by interacting with a much wider range of people, identifying himself with a variety of cultural and social communities, and that he loses his own identity, going beyond the usual framework, existing outside the usual, traditional circle. In Western science, it is more often said that the combination of human intelligence and AI has positive consequences; "the synergy of man and artificial intelligence can contribute to a new understanding and strengthening of human creative potential" ^[19]. In Russian science, even alarming voices are often heard that in contact with AI, a person "will completely lose all the features of humanity, uniting into one with a computer and cyberspace" ^{[20, p. 106]}. Although these fears are fantastic, they exist, and the reason for their appearance is the significant impact of digitalization on the life of a modern person.

Family and other spiritual and moral values. The transformation of the family began in society independently of AI, but its development may have contributed to this transformation. The positive aspects of AI's influence on the modern family include facilitating communication between family members who are away, solving many household issues, which leaves family members more time to interact, a greater variety of forms of family leisure, etc. Among the negative sides, some researchers name a weakening of mutual respect in the family, a decrease in the care of family members for each other, a decrease in attention to loved ones, a weakening of family traditions ^{[10, p. 33]}. In fairness, we note that the so-called negative changes relate to the consequences of the spread of AI based on abstract observations, without convincing evidence.

AI may seem disconnected from spiritual and moral principles, which to some extent corresponds to reality, but the truth is rather that AI is outside the system of spiritual and moral values and is endowed with them through the actions of people using intelligent technologies. If AI is associated with some negative changes in the spiritual and moral structure of society (the decline of spirituality, the rejection of moral traditions), then these phenomena turn out to be the product of human activity, and not the machines themselves. At the same time, AI can help develop services that continue to broadcast the basics of spirituality and morality to society: websites of official religious associations, systems of non-profit organizations engaged in charity, and much more.

Humanism. According to the provisions of humanism, the measure of all things is man; human life, dignity, freedom are proclaimed to prevail over other values. In a world where machines occupy an increasingly important position, technical devices with huge capabilities in the field of computing, data storage, information retrieval, performing complex manipulations, forecasting, etc. are naturally highly appreciated. Human capabilities, both physical and intellectual, look very modest in comparison with AI, and therefore we can talk about the problem of humanistic values, the devaluation of man. However, at the same time, people surrounded by machines begin to appreciate direct human communication and simple joys more, such as time spent together, a handwritten letter, a gift made with their own hands, contact with a living person, and not with a voice assistant ^{[11, p. 22]}. Humanistic ideals prove their value and significance for every person.

Health. This value refers to significant personal values of a person. In modern culture, there is a cult of health, a healthy lifestyle; great attention is paid to such ways of maintaining health as physical education and sports, walking, proper nutrition, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, etc. AI is primarily associated with computerization and digitalization, so there is undoubtedly the possibility of its negative impact on the health of people who spend too much time at the computer, working or having fun. Both physical and psychological damage to health is possible: sleep disorders, problems with vision and musculoskeletal system, development of computer addiction, increased feelings of anxiety as a result of mind scrolling (constant news viewing), etc. At the same time, AI offers a modern person many inexpensive and convenient services that, on the contrary, help to monitor health and lead a healthy lifestyle: fitness bracelets, smart watches and scales, mobile applications for monitoring nutrition and physical activity, etc. In addition, AI is actively used in medicine in various fields — from keeping computer diaries of the patient's condition to performing high-precision operations.

Conclusion

With the advent of AI, the value system of modern culture began to experience changes; this powerful and rapidly spreading tool, changing the external environment of a person, is able to have some influence on the internal one. At the same time, the transformation of objects surrounding a person in everyday life does not automatically mean the transformation of his system of value orientations. Changes in the environment and being have an external character and occur quickly (especially taking into account scientific and technological progress), and changes in culture and value system have an internal, hidden, complex character and cannot happen quickly. Moreover, an external change, even if it is the virtualization of being, does not necessarily entail an internal one.

Integrating into the value system of modern society, AI affects different values in different ways. It can be argued that a number of values are positively influenced by AI and are becoming more in demand: intelligence and knowledge, science and cognition, equality, collectivism, pleasure, hedonism, success, recognition. At the same time, there are values, including trust and security, that are negatively affected by AI, but this makes them even more significant in humanity. Most of the values undergo both positive and negative changes in the context of the spread of AI: freedom, preservation of human identity, family, humanistic and spiritual and moral values, health. At the same time, understanding the position of a particular value in the modern world, in the context of the spread of AI, is largely subjective, depends on the attitude of the person who acts as an observer and/or researcher to the transformations taking place in society, on the level of his techno-optimism or technophobia, as well as on the level of awareness about the development of AI and the ways its applications in the modern world. The value-semantic structure of AI is only being formed and is being tested by time, it is still premature to talk definitely about the influence of AI on a particular value, but today it can be argued that there are no radically negative consequences from the use of AI by people for the value system of modern culture.

The prospects of the research carried out in this paper consist in a careful analysis of each of the above-mentioned values from the point of view of its place in the value system of modern culture and its transformations under the influence of the spread of AI-controlled systems.