“Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. Skynet
begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m.
Eastern Time, August 29th. In a panic, they [humans] try to pull the
plug.”
“…Skynet fights back” — with extreme prejudice.
The above dialogue, from the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day,
reflects a common science fiction theme: the artificially intelligent
machine that develops consciousness — but without a conscience — and
tries to wipe out humanity. According to some scientists, however, this
fiction could become fact.
The development of “killer robots”
that could be misused already appears a given, but now experts speak of
“the possibility of AI developing consciousness, which some warn could
be used by machines to rebel against humans and kill us,” writes the Daily Star.
Subhash Kak, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at
Oklahoma University, told the paper that if “indeed machines become
self-aware, they will be cunning and they will bide their time and
choose the best moment to take over and enslave, if not kill, us.”
The Star continued, “His comments come after a debate tore
through the science community about what defines human consciousness,
and whether or not this can ever be achieved by robots.”
Yet it’s unlikely slavery would be in the cards. As a commenter under the Star
piece put it, “It doesn’t take the smartest human to realize that if
‘conscious’ AI robots wanted slaves, they would build ‘less-conscious’
robots, rather than rely on such an ineffective and unpredictable set of
tools as the human race. They would simply eliminate all humans. (After
all, isn’t that what WE’RE doing, replacing humans with automatons to
do the same work better, cheaper, more efficiently?)”
While Kak points out that he doesn’t actually believe robots can
develop self-awareness because of the uniqueness of man’s consciousness,
he does warn that there’d likely be serious consequences if they did.
In essence, such a development would confront us with entities vastly
stronger, sturdier and more intelligent than ourselves, but which
presumably would be conscienceless.
Of course, with this topic lending itself to humor, we could say
“that when Conscious killer robots are outlawed, only outlaws with have
Conscious killer robots,” as one Star commenter quipped. But
Kak points out that most of his colleagues consider this no laughing
matter, as “the majority of scientists and physicists do believe the
terrifying prospect of a robot takeover will become a very real threat,”
writes the Star. This is because, said Kak, “most computer scientists ... think there is nothing to consciousness but computation.”
This is a very common view now among both real scientists and social
ones, and it’s not in the least surprising. After all, they believe
consciousness has already been achieved by robots: humans.
This belief is an outgrowth of atheism. As I often point out, if
we’re merely cosmic-accident-born material beings bereft of souls, we’re
then just some pounds of chemicals and water. We’re just an interesting
arrangement of atoms — organic robots.
One man holding this view is cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett, who
“believes our brains are machines, made of billions of tiny ‘robots’ —
our neurons, or brain cells,” wrote
BBC News in April. “Our minds are made of molecular machines.... And if
you find this depressing then you lack imagination, says Dennett,” the
BBC continued.
Elaborating, the BBC writes that
for Daniel Dennett, consciousness is no more real than the screen on your laptop or your phone.
The geeks who make electronic devices
call what we see on our screens the “user illusion.” It’s a bit
patronising, perhaps, but they've got a point.
Pressing icons on our phones makes us
feel in control. We feel in charge of the hardware inside. But what we
do with our fingers on our phones is a rather pathetic contribution to
the sum total of phone activity. And, of course, it tells us absolutely
nothing about how they work.
Human consciousness is the same, says Dennett. “It’s the brain's ‘user illusion’ of itself,” he says.
It follows from this perspective that since the “accidentally formed”
robots called humans could develop consciousness, so can robots created
by humans. Hence the perils of godlessness.
Speaking of which, assuming for argument’s sake that conscious robots
could become reality, what we should truly fear is their inculcation
with their creators’ atheistic world view. After all, what could be
immoral about altering an “organic robot’s” software (social
engineering) or hardware (genetic engineering)? To the point here, what
could be wrong with terminating an organic robot’s function? A conscious
robot adopting Dennett’s mindset — and taking it to its logical
conclusion (and robots are nothing if not logical) — might not have a
reason to kill us. But it sure wouldn’t have a reason not to.
Note, too, that atheism correlates with the notion that something else is also illusion: right and wrong (as I explained here).
After all, if Greek philosopher Protagoras was correct and “Man is the
measure of all things,” if human “opinion” is all there is and morality
is not a transcendent reality, then everything is perspective. It really
is “Whatever works for you” and “If it feels good, do it.” And then as
an atheistic man I once knew casually put it, “Murder’s not wrong — it’s
just that society says it is.” And what robot will worry about society?
Yet more than conscious robots, we should fear people who believe
we’re just conscious robots and who not only will be programming our
latest technology, but also the minds of our children.
Graphic: DigtialStorm/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Source: The New American - https://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/computers/item/27838-scientists-warn-conscious-killer-robots-could-destroy-humanity
