Are Robots Becoming Human Are Human Beings Machines

Are Robots Becoming Human? Are Human Beings Machines? Peter Ross Professor, Philosophy Cal Poly Pomona November 21, 2011

Overview • I’ll introduce a familiar story line that leads to the question: – What seems to distinguish us from “intelligent” robots? Common suggestions: • Consciousness • Free will • I’ll continue the familiar story line, which, on reflection perhaps strangely, leads to the question: – Might the development of “intelligent” robots lead to our own demise?

A familiar story line • Greedy corporate heads have robots developed to replace an expensive human workforce. – Distinguish industrial manipulators from “intelligent” robots; corporate heads want “intelligent” robots because they are more productive. • Which leads to the question:

What seems to distinguish us from “intelligent” robots? – Consciousness • Phenomenal consciousness • Emotion • Self consciousness • Purpose – Free will • Call these “the distinguishing characteristics”

Rodney Brooks interview on BBC’s Hardtalk • Brooks, inspired by ethology, was a leader in the development of the reactive paradigm in robotics. He was Director of MIT AI Lab 19972007 and is a robotics entrepreneur. This interview is from 2002, but its themes are still very relevant: http: //news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/programmes/hard talk/2202825. stm

Continuation of the familiar story line • Due to mistreatment, the intelligent robots turn against their human creators • Which leads to the question:

Might the development of intelligent robots lead to our own demise? – In addition to creating the conditions for our own destruction (a common human worry), what other ironic twist is involved?

But how far can we take this? • At least one idea seems to be that intelligent robots would be more evil than we are, becoming the “further perfection of extreme evil” (Bill Joy, quoted in Hardtalk interview). This is a perversely attractive hypothesis, but is it realistic? Why would having more processing capability than we have make intelligent robots more evil than we are? • Back to Brooks interview: http: //news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/programmes/hardtalk/220 2825. stm

Why would robots be more evil than we are? • Ultra evil robots would be like us in having the distinguishing characteristics: – Have phenomenal consciousness – Are self conscious – Are purposeful – Have at least some emotions • This is clear for some evil robots, for example, HAL, who in his death scene says he is afraid. Also, there’s empirical evidence supporting the idea that practical intelligence requires emotion.

Why more evil? (Cont. ) • If a robot has the distinguishing characteristics, then it is as capable of evil as we are; why think it would be more evil? – More capable of carrying out evil? – Built ‘warped’ so as to have only negative emotions? – ? ? ?