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