Blog 7 - OMG, Hal is real (or will be)
I have been focusing on the line that defines self awareness in machines/computer programming. I had no idea it was so fuzzy!
Right now, artificial intelligence is divided into four main types, only one of which is actually self aware.
1. Reactive: these are purely reactive machines. They do not remember the past and do not have the ability to use past experiences to help the present.
2. Limited memory: a type of AI that can use information that they have recently learned; an example would be a self-driving car, which monitors the speed and direction of cars over time.
3. Theory of mind: a type of machine that can make decisions as well as a human. We have not quite reached this stage yet; this is also the stage in which a robot may be mistaken for being self-aware when it is not.
4. Self-awareness: these are systems that can form representations of themselves. These would be machines that are ‘aware’ of themselves and know their internal states.
from: https://meaxr.medium.com/self-awareness-in-ai-97a6a31c9a9e
Bottom line is that they have not drawn a line in the sand yet to separate humans from self aware machines / programming. They have developed a "consciousness test", but no computer has passed it yet. But they expect to clear that bar by 2030 (which I find terrifying!) https://www.breakoutofthebox.com/how-to-teach-an-ai-self-awareness/
For the youngest among you, that is Hal, the self aware computer from the movie, 2001, A Space Odyssey. Truly a frightening computer. For the sake of the movie, they were able to shut him down. An option that might not exist for us given the extreme interconnectivity of our systems.
Ok, enough of the fear porn. What I found is yes, programmers are absolutely working towards creating self aware computer programs. I also learned that cell phones are a particular focus. What this means for my story is I can go as far as I want with Lizzy (my AI computer character). Given the strides made, the sky is the limit! She will be able to move smoothly between phones, TVs, autos, and pretty much anything else plugged into an electrical system or on the internet. And there would be no way to prevent it. (Thank goodness I am not writing a horror story! )
My story focuses more on ethics and control. If computers become self-aware, how does our interaction with them change? The line is already blurry. In my last research post, I noted that Sophia had been given citizen status in Saudi Arabia in 2017. Officially, she was not self-aware. But, remember, they "killed" her with no explanation - and apparently no consequences for killing a Saudi "citizen".
It raises a lot of questions about ethics. At least it does for me.
