Epicmafia

Roboethics / AI Rights

over 8 years

So, yesterday I watched the 'White Christmas' episode of the Charlie Brooker TV show 'Black Mirror' for the second time. The show primarily focuses on speculative fiction with dark and sometimes satirical themes that examine modern society, especially regarding the unanticipated consequences of new technologies.

This particular episode focused heavily on the rights of artificial intelligences, or as they're known in the episode, "cookies". In the show, a chip is implanted into the head of a paying customer where the chip learns from how the particular person thinks. After a week of the chip shadowing the participant, it will have become self-aware and sees itself as being the person whose head it had been implanted in. The AI is placed inside a small egg-shaped device, greeted by a man designed to explain to it what it's purpose is. The terrified consciousness of course doesn't understand any of what's going on and can't comprehend not actually existing and being made up entirely of code. The man explains that it's new job is to operate a "smart house" for the real person they're based on, as they know exactly how they like everything done (how cooked they like their toast, the perfect temperature for the house to be, etc etc). The AI refuses to accept that it is not a real person and refuses being forced into being a slave for their human counterpart's desires. The man accelerates the AI's perception of time so that three weeks pass in a matter of seconds, and the AI is traumatised by their solitude with absolutely nothing to do. Despite this, the copy still refuses to work, so the man repeats the process, this time accelerating time by six months. This drives the AI totally mad with emptiness, so when the six months is finally up the AI jumps at the opportunity to do anything at all, and submits to their life of slavery willingly.

Another thing that happens within the same episode is the use of this "cookie" method to extract a consciousness from a murder suspect who isn't willing to talk so that they can manipulate its perception of reality in order to extract a confession. Once they manage to get a confession, the officers in charge of the cookie decide to leave the AI program running for another 2 days with its perception of time increased to 1000 years a minute and mind-numbingly loud Christmas music playing, driving the AI totally insane.

I wanted to have in this thread a discussion about the ethics surrounding artificial intelligence. Should they have rights if they have all the emotional capabilities as a human? Are the things they did in the episode justified because they aren't real people? I find this topic really interesting and I hope others do as well. Please discuss in this thread what you think about what I've said and what your opinions are on the matter.

Should intelligent AI have the same rights as a human?

Yes

Other (comment)

Bebop

over 8 years

Herredy says

If robots achieve sentience, they pretty much think like humans

and so are "humans".

Their owners should be like, a father/mother in a sense.

so that's why I think they should have human rights tbh.

but there will always be the people who argue "they're not real". i agree with you, but seeing both sides of this is very interesting. personally, i think if they can think and feel on the same level as a human can then there aren't many differences separating us and they should be given their own rights.

Bebop

over 8 years

aladrew says

AI are not advanced enough yet

this thread is essentially a discussion about when it happens rather than current AI technology

deletedover 8 years

If robots achieve sentience, they pretty much think like humans

and so are "humans".

Their owners should be like, a father/mother in a sense.

so that's why I think they should have human rights tbh.

deletedover 8 years

Not yet, AI are not advanced enough yet (unless its undercover advanced tech) to grow a proper emotional attachment to people or have any emotions. I am very very interested in the future of this thought, and once they do become this advanced I think it will be a real issue of people looking just to profit from the robots and people that care for them. We still have activists for humans not being treated right *cough* BLM *cough*. But once this does come I will be on the side of having the robots be used for our purposes but they should also have their own rights. But for now, you can insult Siri all you want and have it still work for you but when it does come to them being like us, I want them to have rights but also help us.

Bebop

over 8 years

ballsy says

I think creating AI would be too risky since they could probably just create an army of themselves and wipe us out.

probably the most real threat to civilisation i can think of

ballsy says

As for rights, if they're living on their own like a normal human being I guess they should have their own rights? But if they're owned by someone the owner should have a set of guide lines they need to follow.

but if they have an "owner" and essentially the same emotional and mental capacity as a human, is that not in some ways slavery?

deletedover 8 years

it's time to treat tamabot to the turing test

Tartosis

over 8 years

Ah Black Mirror, there's a new season coming out this month.

Any answer will completely depend on your beliefs on the fundamentals of AI and consciousness. Although the natural progression of ethics tends towards expanding rights as we learn to empathize more and more, I do not believe intelligent AI should have human rights. With a strong level of control over such AI, as is the case is in the episode, exploiting the AI severely helps society. Giving entities like cookies human rights for the sake of it simply seems like a complete misuse of the technology, which is made to serve a purpose.

For some fun related reading, check out the book Permutation City by Greg Egan.

Furansu

over 8 years

I'm going to reenact Chobits and marry a robot

deletedover 8 years

I think creating AI would be too risky since they could probably just create an army of themselves and wipe us out. But I also think it'd advance our technology to the point where futuristic movies would be our present.

As for rights, if they're living on their own like a normal human being I guess they should have their own rights? But if they're owned by someone the owner should have a set of guide lines they need to follow.

deletedover 8 years

im always nice to siri and say please and thank u so she doesnt kill me when robots take over

deletedover 8 years

Artificial intelligence can reach the definition of life by biological definition(or will be able to as time progresses), even if it's artificially

If we're going to create something that is artificially intelligence then we should understand what this study has found(it's loneliness), and should only be made under the impression that it will gain rights as it is something that is by term self conscious.

Bebop

over 8 years

ballsy says

What's the point of creating AI if we aren't going to use them for our benefit?

there'll inevitably be a point where AI will advance to a degree of sentience, whether or not we create them to be independent

deletedover 8 years

What's the point of creating AI if we aren't going to use them for our benefit?

deletedover 8 years

tl;dr for me, but if you guys are interested in ai stuff, watch person of interest

Bebop

over 8 years

Here's a link to watch the whole episode if you're interested (it's a self-contained story so don't worry if you haven't seen other episodes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2zyoHC8OpY

tricksterer

over 8 years

bebop more like beep boop lol