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A Bill of Rights for the Age of Artificial Intelligence

  
Via:  Nerm_L  •  5 years ago  •  3 comments


A Bill of Rights for the Age of Artificial Intelligence
We should be concerned about the rights of all sentients as an unprecedented diversity of minds emerges

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The seeded article is a thought piece published by the Medium.  In my opinion, the author regurgitates insipid philosophical pablum to gloss over faulty assumptions and avoid the relevant issues that need to be confronted.  Sentience (even if artificial) provides the means for autonomy.  Is achieving autonomy sufficient for comparison to humans?  I think not. 

The seed invokes the concept of equality ( see link ); going so far as to call upon the sentimental appeal of Thomas Jefferson.  The egalitarian ideal is that all persons have equal moral/legal status regardless of irrelevant or superficial traits.  The modern view of equality has expanded to include an ethical/moral imperative to redress unequal outcomes resulting from natural or social disadvantages. Of course the emotive appeal of equality has been raised to place an artificial sentience on the same level as people.  However, that argument completely ignores that the concept of equality imposes ethical/moral criteria and standards upon autonomy. 

The seed includes the morass of philosophic debate over the concept of Free Will ( see link ) which has been a (favorite?) topic of contention among philosophers for centuries. What is Free Will?  Does Free Will exist at all?  The question of Free Will arises from the ability to independently make decisions and choose a course of action (which represents autonomy).  Of course that fits well with the designed performance of an artificial sentience.  However, that ignores that the concept of Free Will is more than just autonomy.  If Free Will were the equivalent of autonomy there wouldn’t be a need for the concept of Free Will.  Free Will is about unrelated factors (often including ethical/moral considerations) regulating and restraining autonomy.

A Bill of Rights is a social contract premised upon ethical/moral criteria that applies to both society and individuals. Establishing that social contract must consider the implications of an artificial sentience being able to exercise its autonomy in an ethical/moral manner.  Artificial intelligence raises ethical/moral questions that cannot be glossed over and ignored.  That’s the relevant issue that must be confronted before a Bill of Rights can be considered.  Without adequately answering the ethical/moral questions, the machines cannot be allowed to exercise autonomy without close supervision.  Until design criteria for ethics/morality are developed and incorporated into an artificial sentience, then that artificial sentience will always be a machine without rights.


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Nerm_L
Professor Expert
1  seeder  Nerm_L    5 years ago

Sentimental mumbo jumbo and catchy labels like “transhuman” won’t avoid the need to confront the ethical/moral implications of artificial intelligence before a Bill of Rights can be considered.

 
 
 
DRHunk
Freshman Silent
2  DRHunk    5 years ago

Self Awareness i would think is the line to be crossed before an AI machine could or should fall under any protections.

 
 
 
Nerm_L
Professor Expert
2.1  seeder  Nerm_L  replied to  DRHunk @2    5 years ago

I don't think self awareness is enough.  Being self aware provides an incentive to pursue self benefit without regard for others.  Allowing machines to operate within society without close supervision will require that the machine be aware of others. 

 
 

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