The theme of the COSM Technology Summit—in Scottsdale, Arizona, November 18–20 this year—is Reality Check.

You’ve probably noticed the recent headlines about the AI Doomsday that will kill us all. Or maybe the tech moguls’ demand that the White House get involved in the uproar.

So maybe a reality check is long overdue. For some down in the Valley, maybe it’s even time for a wellness check.

Dr. Marks—who made his name in computer engineering at Baylor University—is a very good man to talk to at this point. He’ll be on COSM’s 9:00 am panel on Friday, November 20, asking “Is Human Creativity Irreplaceable?” Fellow panelists include Jay Richards, VP of Social and Domestic Policy at the Heritage Foundation.

Why Marks still doubts that human creativity is replaceable

His book Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will (2022) pointed out that creativity (creating new ideas) is a specialty of the human mind.

Published by Discovery Institute Press in 2022.

But what about the new chatbots (LLMs), that some users believe are people. They even want to marry (or divorce) them? Do such new models from Anthropic and OpenAI test Marks’s thesis?

We asked him. And it turns out, he is writing a new book to address that very question:

Mind Matters News: Has anything changed since Non-Computable You came out?

Robert J. Marks: Yes. My book came out before LLMs and agentic AI became so popular. The examples that I give in the book, based on the AI at the time, are not wrong, but they are outdated.  

The fundamental principles and limitations of artificial intelligence outlined in the book remain.

Specifically, AI may simulate—but will never experience—human emotions like (take a breath) joy, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust, love, gratitude, pride, shame, guilt, envy, jealousy, hope, anxiety, excitement, loneliness, relief, compassion, and contentment. AI will never be spiritual.

Less obvious: AI will never be creative, experience sentience, nor understand what it does.

Mind Matters News: You wouldn’t, by any chance, be thinking of writing another book?

Robert J. Marks: Yes. My new book’s working title is Mind Over Machine. My goal is to make its content evergreen, so its ideas remain relevant and compelling, as AI continues to be applied.

Overall, AI—properly handled—will be positive for humanity

Mind Matters News: Is there a particular idea you are bringing to COSM or hope will be discussed there?

Robert J. Marks: AI is doing incredible things. But many people today are afraid of AI. The majority of these concerns are not grounded in reality. But some are. We need to dispel the myths fueled by Big AI and the clickbait media and focus on true concerns. We also need to celebrate of what AI does and how it’s going to make our lives better.  

Mind Matters News: So did you help to come up with the conference’s subtitle, “Reality Check”?

Robert J. Marks: I had nothing to do with the title—but I like it.

The White House’s new Superintelligence Accord?

Mind Matters News: Here, we’ve been looking with interest at the recent claims for a Superintelligence Accord. Your take?

Robert J. Marks II, image courtesy of Discovery Institute.

Robert J. Marks: Like many things, it all boils down to the definition you give to the term superintelligence. If by superintelligence you mean a toddler with 50 PhDs, I agree. But if you are talking about duplication of true human exceptionalism, AI falls short.

Mind Matters News: Many sources are skeptical. Some think the Accord has the shelf life of an egg sandwich in an unplugged fridge… And many are skeptical of the AI Doomers in general. Your take?

Robert J. Marks: Generative models and agentic AI are powerful tools that can cause harm through misuse, errors, and inadequate safeguards. Addressing these risks, however, does not require assuming that AI will decide to go off the rails on its own, become conscious, or, like the smart member of Pinky & the Brain, develop a desire to take over the world. 

And one more thing… Artificial intelligence has been dubbed superintelligence by a recent Donald Trump executive order. But the definition of superintelligence given in the executive order is now exactly the same as the old definition of artificial intelligence in section 9401(3) of title 15 in the United States Code. The name has changed. The definition has not.

If you want to find out where AI is really going…

Reality Check November 18–20 at Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale is surely your best bet for that. Register here to get the Early Adopter Rate , $1250, but only until October 9. If you have been to COSM before, you can take an additional $200 off too, but hurry. You won’t get a better price.

Why you should come: COSM is unlike any other technology conference. It brings together innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists, investors, and technology pioneers who challenge conventional thinking and explore the ideas shaping the future. In a world captivated by increasingly powerful machines, COSM celebrates something even more remarkable: the extraordinary capacity of the human mind to imagine, discover, create, and innovate.