[aiethics] Data, Doctor, Borg

[Chris Fahey]

Alicebot AI Ethics Committee - http://www.alicebot.org


One of the interesting things about Commander Data was that he =
represents a
pre-1990s way of thinking about AI. He is an example of a
'hardware-dependent' intelligence. Perhaps a "positronic matrix" is by =
its
very nature impossible to back up. I don't find it impossible to beleive
that a method of storing a program might be physically untransferable. =
No
current technology works this way, but perhaps this won't always be the
case.

It's interesting how the Doctor updated the idea to reflect the emerging
importance of the network as the location of a computer, not a =
particular
bit of hardware or interface. Very 1990s.

Still, the Borg is by far the most prescient and relevent model of how a
powerful futuristic computer intelligence system will work. Many of us =
in
the Alice development community (not so much me, though) consider the
network-ed Alice to be the greatest opportunity for bot development. =
Where
many of us see a superbot that can know anything and be anywhere, I see =
a
dehumanized, unlikable mishmosh of schizomechanical responses. Maybe I'm =
old
fashioned. I will not be assimilated!

-Cf

-Cf


-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Wallace
To: Alicebot AI Ethics Committee
Sent: 6/15/2001 8:34 PM
Subject: Re: [aiethics] Thought experiment: Punishment of robots...

Alicebot AI Ethics Committee - http://www.alicebot.org



> Example: If a shepherd's dog got mad and bit your son, would you say
that
> the whole species should be killed or just that one particular dog?
Sure,
> all shepherd's dogs are equal to some extent and they all COULD bite a
> human, but many of them just don't...
>
That's a false analogy if for no other reason than AIs reproduce by
cloning,
not sexual reproduction.

If I were Commander Data I would backup my positronic brain every day.
You can always order a new android body from Honda.

Rich