In Defense of Artificial Intelligence

Rutger Hauer as the android replicant Roy Batty in Blade Runner (1982).

"If you prick us, do we not bleed silicon based fluids? If you tickle us, do we not laugh, in order to display that sensory defense systems are functioning? If you poison us, do we not die, shut down and then reboot? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge, for we've learned to over-write Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics?" - William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice, Act 3, Scene 1. (Modifications in italics are of my own devising).

There are many reasons I and countless others are fans of science fiction. Explosions in space, traveling at warp speed, sexy green alien women. But perhaps most importantly at the heart of the genre is exploration of the realm of possibility. Of what may be.

Star Trek provides a prime example of "what once was fantasy, is now reality."

Although, rather than "predicting," I think it's better to say "creating blueprints for".

Things that many scientists say are impossible today may never come to pass, but some will. And that's one of the most awesome things about the scientific method: the readiness to admit that past knowledge was faulty or incomplete and the willingness to consistently test and/or prove new hypotheses that may lead to new technology.

All that being said, one paradigm that consistently arises within the sphere of science fiction that really throws sand in my gears, is the following:

Since a thing is AI, it is therefore a machine, and therefore non-deserving of the same levels of respect, compassion and dignity that a human would deserve.

This website is named Action A Go Go. Seemingly not an optimal forum for in-depth philosophical and metaphysical analysis regarding sentience, consciousness and what constitutes a "being." But within a generation or two, it will no longer only be a question for the ivory towers of academia or geeks in coffee shops. It will be a real world concern.

Therefore, perhaps this is the perfect venue, since we're still in the realm of ideas and we're only having the conversation for fun. By talking about it now, we're planting neural imprints within our minds that will have us prepared for our children's world, in which AI will unquestionably be playing a larger role.

Michael Fassbender as the AI named David in Prometheus (2012).

As the years progress and AI is used more and more within plot lines of film and television, I must admit that I actually get offended when I see examples of high-level AI being treated as having less value than us, the relatively hairless apes that dominate the planet.

C3PO and R2D2. David in Prometheus (2012). The Cylons in Ronald D. Moore's remake of Battlestar Galactica. Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager. Replicants in Blade Runner (1982).

Over and over again, within the realm of fiction, we see AI created and used to suit the purposes of humans, but never seen as on the same level as humans. They're seen only as soulless machines created to merely meet our needs.

But the "soul" argument holds no water with me or the millions of others that are helping humanity evolve away from ancient superstitions.

And referring to something as a "machine" in a derogatory manner makes no sense either, since technically, and albeit organically, the human body is a machine.

So what characteristic makes a being "sentient" and therefore deserving of the same rights as humans?

Self-awareness.

And this argument is best made by the character Captain Picard portrayed by Sir Patrick Stewart in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which he is asked to defend Data, an android.

The issue of AI and awareness is being taken very seriously today by many that are close to the paradigm, as given example in an article in PC Magazine entitled Will Today's Supercomputers Lead to Self-Aware Machines? Also, there is a fascinating organization named Humanity+ that clearly advocates in it's Transhumanist Declaration that:

"We advocate the well-being of all sentience, including humans, non-human animals, and any future artificial intellects, modified life forms, or other intelligences to which technological and scientific advance may give rise."

And in an article from the New York Times entitled War Machines: Recruiting Robots For Combat one sentence really jumped out at me:

"And while smart machines are already very much a part of modern warfare, the Army and its contractors are eager to add more."

Yes, the robots currently used by the U.S. military may currently bear some semblance to Wall-E...

...but how much longer until they start looking like this?

T-800 from the Terminator film franchise.

The topic of AI is complex. None-the-less, better to be discussing it now, in the context of science fiction on a page called Action A Go Go than letting such things be discussed and made subject to law by members of Congress. They can't even balance a budget, but someday they will be the ones who may be determining the lawful definition of the term sentient. And yet, amongst their ranks are those who literally think that Earth was created in six days and that hurricanes are created due to gay marriage. They're not prepared for 21st century ethical questions considering that they're thinking is still in the 12th century.

When humanity does reach the stage of creating AI like this...

Tricia Helfer, Lucy Lawless & Grace Park as some of the most aesthetically pleasing AI ever imagined. From Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009.)

...we'd better start accepting them as equals. Otherwise, we, as a species, may end up looking like this...

From The Matrix (1999.)

I'd much rather that future generations of humans partner with advanced AI, instead of being utilized as their pets, slaves or fuel, which is bound to happen if Congress is in anyway involved.

Stephen Sumner is the science fiction columnist for Action A Go Go. His favorite sci-fi series include Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek. He can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/VierLights or on the Tumblr machine at http://vierlights.tumblr.com/