Re: [GZG] [OFFICIAL] Question: was Re: [SG3]: What if?

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This all comes down to the cost and society's values on human life.  A
Human costs X amount to train.	An AI costs X amount to construct and
outfit.  When you get AIs that can perform at human or beyond human
abilities, humans may very well be the expendible ones.

A human still needs time to learn (barring cybernetic alternatives like
skill wires/chips/programming/etc).  Once you have your AI constructed,
you can theoretically upload and alter skill sets as needed, making the
AI infinitely more versatile (assuming they operate at similar levels to
human intelligence/response) than a human.

This is only one way to look at it, but this of cousr assumes a lot. 
The Tachikomas in GiTS are the sort of AI that would be more expensive
and therefore more valuable than humans.  They think, intuit, function
on every way like human mentally and even emotionally with the added
benefit of operating with mechanical efficiency in its physical
capabilities.  Of course, the Tachikoma exists in a world where the line
between man and machine is very blurry with human formed cyborgs
existing with capabilities that venture into the realm of superhuman.

> Actually, reminds me of a story from "I, Robot", where a robot 
> was meant to test fly a prototype FTL ship, and something went 
> wrong. Humans were sent in to find out the problem, because 
> Susan Calvin doesn't want to risk another robot. 
> (But then Calvin never really liked humans). 
> 
> I'm sure there's lots of examples from SF of humans being considered 
> expendable, and robots kept back for safer duties. 
> 
> -- 
> Be seeing you, http://www.glendale.org.uk 
> Sam. Mail/IM (Jabber): sam@glendale.org.uk 
> 
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