Artificial Intelligence | Uses, Abuses and Consequences

[Trey of Diamonds]

Perhaps I've watched too many movies.

You need to get away from the movies and try the books. Hollywood fails to show the depth of possiblities in AI. My favorite is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. While not about AI specifically, one of the main characters is a self aware computer named Mike. Well worth the read if you like sci-fi or political adventures. (The plot has a very political theme to it.)

 

[Elessar]

I think that, eventually, A.I.s can be free, independent members of our society, if we're willing to let them. If they're truly sapient, then we have no right to control their destinies or force them to do anything - though it would be very difficult to figure this out, precisely.

In one story I am writing, actually, A.I.s are only just starting to be developed in the 26th century, due to a major setback in A.I. research in the 21st century which I am not sure of. But, in that time, A.I.s have the total right to vote, to freedom of conscience, speech, the press, and so on.

 

[Storm]

This has inspired me to start a new thread: What Is Sapience? Hope to see you all there!

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

Google and NASA must be having the same discussions we are.

Google and Nasa back new school for futurists

By David Gelles in San Francisco

Published: February 3 2009 05:02 | Last updated: February 3 2009 05:02

Google and Nasa are throwing their weight behind a new school for futurists in Silicon Valley to prepare scientists for an era when machines become cleverer than people.

The new institution, known as “Singularity University”, is to be headed by Ray Kurzweil, whose predictions about the exponential pace of technological change have made him a controversial figure in technology circles.

Google and Nasa’s backing demonstrates the growing mainstream acceptance of Mr Kurzweil’s views, which include a claim that before the middle of this century artificial intelligence will outstrip human beings, ushering in a new era of civilisation.

To be housed at Nasa’s Ames Research Center, a stone’s-throw from the Googleplex, the Singularity University will offer courses on biotechnology, nano-technology and artificial intelligence.

The so-called “singularity” is a theorised period of rapid technological progress in the near future. Mr Kurzweil, an American inventor, popularised the term in his 2005 book “The Singularity is Near”.

Proponents say that during the singularity, machines will be able to improve themselves using artificial intelligence and that smarter-than-human computers will solve problems including energy scarcity, climate change and hunger.

Yet many critics call the singularity dangerous. Some worry that a malicious artificial intelligence might annihilate the human race.

Mr Kurzweil said the university was launching now because many technologies were approaching a moment of radical advancement. “We’re getting to the steep part of the curve,” said Mr Kurzweil. “It’s not just electronics and computers. It’s any technology where we can measure the information content, like genetics.”

The school is backed by Larry Page, Google co-founder, and Peter Diamandis, chief executive of X-Prize, an organisation which provides grants to support technological change.

“We are anchoring the university in what is in the lab today, with an understanding of what’s in the realm of possibility in the future,” said Mr Diamandis, who will be vice-chancellor. “The day before something is truly a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea.”

Despite its title, the school will not be an accredited university. Instead, it will be modelled on the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, the interdisciplinary, multi-cultural school that Mr Diamandis helped establish in 1987.

 

[Mathematician]

"Frackin toasters."

Battlestar Galactica takes a good look at this question of anonymity between humans and sentient machines. For example, one part of the series I loved was a discussion between the characters about love. Can machines love? The question promoted a second question: what is love? Thoughts was the answer. One of the machines (Cylons) said in another scene that she "thought she was in love."

I recommend the re-imagined series to everyone interested in this question. It follows the fate of humanity after the Cylon machines wipe out humanity, leaving only 50,000 humans to find Earth. While most of the machines are easily identifiable, 12 models look like humans. A lot of time is spent on discussing whether or not it was right for humans to enslave the Cylons, and whether or not there is much of a difference between humans and the human models.

BSG is the best space opera I've ever watched.

 

[Scarlett Wampus]

Trey of Diamonds, the Singularity is one of the most interesting ideas I've ever come across. If the "intelligence explosion" of the Singularity is actually possible in the way futurists believe then at some point in spacetime it could occur. The universe is a big place after all. The resultant increasingly intelligent "thing" would be so adaptable & resourceful that its power could reach god-like proportions. We're stuck on Earth throwing probes out to see what's out there but whole galaxies might become like little puddles of fun to leap around in to such a "thing".

For this reason I assume a Singularity event hasn't happened yet,or the consequences haven't yet reached us since in one way or another we'd probably know about it.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

another we'd probably know about it.

Why? Do you think we would understand it if we saw it? How would you recognise an intellegence capible of the things you mentioned?

 

[Falvlun]

I always loved Asimov's depiction of robots. For those of you not familiar, all the robots in his works were governed by the Three Laws of Robotics:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Though there are instances of ambiguity and circumvention in the books, for the most part, these rules keep the robots from being used in a way harmful to humans.

Sentience does make things more difficult. I certainly don't see an issue with using non-sentient robots for labor and things like that. I would greatly curtail the production of sentient robots, so that they are created only for a distinct purpose. They would not be slaves, in the sense that they are autonomous from a master and their human creater, but they would be slaves to the purpose for which they were created.

I am very wary of putting robots in charge of governing. On one hand, they could create more rational, dispassionate laws and government programs that actually work. But in order to create a perfect system (which would be the whole point of robots running the government), they would need perfect knowledge of everything. I think this would be impossible.

 

[Mathematician]

Going with the singularity concept, there is a concept out there that mankind either becomes or invents god in the far future. I always thought that was romantic.

 

[Scarlett Wampus]

Why? Do you think we would understand it if we saw it? How would you recognise an intellegence capible of the things you mentioned?

Hmm. Yeah, I was making a lot of assumptions. By the very fact that a post-singularity "thing" would be post-singularity it would be beyond our understanding and there is no good reason why we should be able to detect it.