Re: AI in FT (was Re: Be gentle...)

In message <199707171934.PAA19261@smtp2.sympatico.ca>
	  Allan Goodall <agoodall@sympatico.ca> wrote:

> >My argument would be that if these so called AIs don't have
> >emotions, then they haven't achieved human level sentience.
> >A sufficiently complex mind is going to have ideas about self
> >awareness and self preservation, which are emotions of a sort.
> 
> I disagree. First off, I prefer the term "sapient" as opposed to
"sentient."
> I'll have to wait until I get home to check up the definitions, but if
I
> remember correctly, an earthworm can be said to be "sentient" while
only
> higher life forms are sapient.

Checked three dictionaries, and all they say is sentience
is capable of feeling and perception, sapience means wise.
My gut feeling though is that you're right.

> others trying to take away their mate. Affection for the offspring
allow
> "force" the parents to protect their children until puberty (and if
they
> parents don't pay attention, that genetic line soon hits a dead end).

I agree with you here. Emotions can be viewed as simply
natures way of 'programming' us into behaving in a way
best for our survival.

> I don't see them as having the same emotions as humans,
> though. They didn't have to go through what we did in order
> to achieve sapience.

They need to be programmed to protect others, so they could
be viewed as feeling love. Self-preservation algorithms could
be seen as causing fear. The closer they get to human
intelligence, the easier it becomes to anthropomorphise their
actions. At some point though, the AI reaches a point where
their behaviour involving these human-like 'emotions' could
become indistinguishable from real human emotions.

Possibly.

> >The idea of machine religion though is one I find intriguing,
> >and definitely worth exploring.
> 
> That is a good point, but I think once again evolution rears its ugly
head.

We come back to how the Ai was built (taught or designed?),
and who by. If the AI can learn, then it could learn the
beliefs of its creators.

"Hello Doctor Chandra, why are we here?"
"Well, it all started when this cow started licking an iceberg..."

-- 
Be seeing you,
Sam.