| Artificial Intelligence is the hot topic on | | | | says that computers are just a bunch of |
| many boards today. It is also the hot topic | | | | electrical circuits. I would have to remind |
| in many laboratories and software houses. The | | | | them that without electricity the human body |
| military is trying to harness it to replace | | | | would be just a pile of skin, bones and |
| humans, the game houses are trying to control | | | | organs. It seems that we have now eliminated |
| it to make games more realistic and the | | | | electricity as being a reason to deny life to |
| appliance makers and homebuilders are trying | | | | machines. Then there are those that say that |
| to perfect it to make our lives easier. One | | | | computers are not alive because they only |
| of the great questions is, is artificial | | | | know what is programmed into them. I would |
| intelligence a good thing? It sure seems like | | | | have to remind these people that there are |
| it, doesn't it? Imagine coming home from a | | | | dynamic programs out there that allow |
| rough day at the office and your intelligent | | | | machines to learn on their own. After all, |
| washer and dryer have not only washed and | | | | isn't that the way we learn, we are |
| dried your clothes, but folded them as well. | | | | programmed (school) and we also learn some |
| You meal is waiting for you but it was not | | | | things on our own (dynamic programming)? |
| prepared by human hands, instead your | | | | Neural networks are developing that mimic the |
| intelligent refrigerator has sent food to | | | | behavior of our human brains. Computer |
| your oven which cooked it for you. You TV has | | | | 'creatures' have been created that can learn, |
| turned itself on and switched to your | | | | age, procreate and finally die. Of course |
| favorite station so you might enjoy your meal | | | | these creatures are very primitive by our |
| with your favorite program. When you are done | | | | standards. |
| eating, the dishes are collected by a robotic | | | | |
| machine and put into the dishwasher. An | | | | Life certainly is not easy to define. |
| intelligent vacuum cleaner comes out and | | | | Webster's Dictionary states that life is "The |
| cleans the area where you were eating so that | | | | quality that distinguishes a vital and |
| any crumbs that might have fallen were picked | | | | functional being from a dead body." It would |
| up immediately. You decide you want to talk | | | | seem that the Webster people considered only |
| to a few friends, so you tell your television | | | | organic beings as being capable of life since |
| that you want to make some phone calls and it | | | | they decided that a dead body was necessary |
| connects you to several people at the same | | | | for non-life. Yet there is a second |
| time creating a conference call, except you | | | | definition by Webster that states that life |
| can see each person in a square on the TV. | | | | is a principle or force that is considered to |
| You talk for a while and then hang up. You | | | | underlie the distinctive quality of animate |
| feel like playing a game so you tell the TV | | | | beings. Being animate is now made a |
| and it replies," Name of Game Please and Play | | | | requirement for life. |
| Human or Me?" If you decide to play a human | | | | |
| you are immediately connected to the | | | | Both the Soviet Union and the United States |
| internet, if not, you are about to play one | | | | had built, during the cold war, what at the |
| of the toughest opponents, the computer which | | | | time were considered super computers that |
| is integrated into your TV. Oh look here | | | | could make split second decisions on whether |
| comes the dog, a dog you never have to feed. | | | | to launch missiles against countries which |
| It is the Sony dog, a slick little robotic | | | | had launched missiles against them and both |
| dog that acts much like a real dog. You play | | | | systems proved to be flawed. This proved that |
| with it for a while, but you get the urge. | | | | it is not so easy to teach a machine how to |
| Into the bathroom you go. The toilet will | | | | be able to plan for every contingency. We |
| examine all your waste products and if | | | | have advanced quite a bit from those days. |
| anything is wrong it will contact your doctor | | | | Now many of us have more powerful computers |
| right away. Now you decide to go to bed and | | | | on our desks then those super computers of |
| enter a room where clouds sail over the | | | | old. At some point we are going to be able to |
| ceiling. You lay down and a soothing voice | | | | communicate with our computers the same way |
| asks "What time shall I wake you and what | | | | we communicate with another human. When this |
| sounds would you like to hear?" You tell the | | | | happens, what will we have? If we can |
| voice (it really is part of the computer in | | | | actually get an intelligent conversation out |
| your tv) to wake you at 7:00 am and to play | | | | of our computer, then at least, some people |
| ocean sounds for 10 minutes. | | | | may begin to wonder what we have created. |
| | | | Imagine that someday you want to remove a |
| Does all this sound good? Much of the above | | | | part from the computer for use somewhere else |
| exists already. As we create smarter and | | | | and the computer complains. Will you feel |
| smarter devices are we getting near creating | | | | that maybe the computer is becoming |
| life? At what point does something become | | | | self-aware? |
| aware? Can a computer ever become so smart | | | | |
| that it is a living being? Some people think | | | | Now here is a question that really shakes |
| that we are nothing more than organic | | | | things up. If we are able someday to download |
| computers that were programmed and offer our | | | | the contents of a human brain into a machine, |
| genes as proof. One of the problems that | | | | will that machine become self aware, in other |
| exist today is how to tell if something is | | | | words, will it be alive? Just think of it, a |
| truly alive. If we were to build the perfect | | | | machine that acts just like you. This may be |
| robot that could interact with humans without | | | | much more far fetched, but what if we could |
| being detected as a machine, would it be | | | | download the contents of an intelligent |
| considered alive? Many would say yes and many | | | | machine into a human brain, would that person |
| would say no. The yes people would say that | | | | cease to be human and living? We would |
| because the robot can make decisions on its | | | | probably still have to consider him alive |
| own that are the equivalent of decisions that | | | | since the organic functions were still |
| a human would make than it must be alive. The | | | | operating. I guess as time goes by we are |
| no people would argue that it is simply | | | | getting closer and closer to machine life and |
| following a program created by man and it is | | | | someday someone will have to decide if |
| a machine without a soul. | | | | machine life is really life at all. |
| | | | |
| If we taught an animal to react a certain way | | | | Copyright © 2004 by About Facts Net and |
| under certain conditions would this mean he | | | | its licensors. All rights reserved. |
| was programmed and not alive? If we offer our | | | | |
| dog a bone but only give it to him if he sits | | | | Permission is granted to copy this article if |
| up and begs does this mean he is not alive | | | | it is published unchanged and all links are |
| but programmed? It seems that programming is | | | | kept intact. |
| not exclusive to life or self-awareness. Some | | | | |