Throughout human history, all new technology has been met with surprise, anxiety, panic, and – eventually – prudent adoption of certain aspects of specific technological advances. This pattern is evident in the histories of most technologies, ranging from steam power in the nineteenth century, to television in the twentieth century, and – now – ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI) in the twenty-first century. Each generation believes that the technological advances of its era are quantitatively and qualitatively different to those of previous generations, but the underlying phenomenon is the same: the shock of the new, followed by more gradual adjustment to (and of) new technology. These concerns are apparent today in relation to AI, which reflects interesting but incremental advances on existing technologies, rather than stand-alone developments. The usual concerns with all technologies (e.g., that they will replace certain aspects of human function) are, perhaps, more concerning in fields such as mental capacity law, which often applies to people with impaired decision-making capacity who might be especially vulnerable to technologies which appear capable of encroaching disproportionately on decision-making or other areas of core human function. This paper approaches this topic from an historical standpoint, noting both previous technological panics in the past and the possibilities offered by AI today, provided it is approached in a proportionate, prudent, and person-centered way, underpinned by appropriate ethical guidance and active ethical awareness in clinical and legal practice.

中文翻译：

---

新技术、精神病学和法律：恐慌、谨慎、可能性

纵观人类历史，所有新技术都会遇到惊讶、焦虑、恐慌，并最终谨慎地采用特定技术进步的某些方面。这种模式在大多数技术的历史中都很明显，从十九世纪的蒸汽动力到二十世纪的电视，再到现在二十一世纪的“人工智能”(AI)。每一代人都认为，本时代的技术进步在数量和质量上与前几代人不同，但潜在的现象是相同的：新事物的冲击，随之而来的是对新技术的更加渐进的调整。如今，这些担忧在人工智能方面尤为明显，它反映了现有技术的有趣但渐进的进步，而不是独立的发展。对所有技术的通常担忧（例如，它们将取代人类功能的某些方面）也许更令人担忧的是心理能力法等领域，该法通常适用于决策能力受损的人，他们可能特别容易受到影响技术似乎能够过度侵入决策或人类核心功能的其他领域。本文从历史的角度探讨了这一主题，指出了过去的技术恐慌和人工智能今天提供的可能性，前提是以适当的伦理指导和积极的伦理指导为基础，以适当、审慎和以人为本的方式处理人工智能。临床和法律实践中的意识。