Once robots are capable of imagination and compassion will humans be obsolete?

[Manic]

Also I wonder if human compassion and imagination CAN be exceeded.

Doesn't too much compassion defy logic? What would the art of a more imaginative race look like? Would it defy comprehension?

I guess I'm asking how would excess imagination and compassion manifest?

Excess compassion would probably negate conflict. Conflict is the lifeblood of human imagination and innovation. In fact, there are a ton of things we use everyday that didn't become readily available to the general public until after they were invented (or improved) for war applications.

 

[Manic]

The only other one that I find attractive is Chief, but he's not hot like Anders is.
The others are so old...

You're like the only person I've ever known to mention an attraction to the Chief without gushing over Apollo or Helo.

 

[Speedball]

You're like the only person I've ever known to mention an attraction to the Chief without gushing over Apollo or Helo.

We're talking about fraking toasters here!!!

I think the show Caprica brings up an interesting thing... Maybe the AI that has emotions and imagination will actually be a human downloaded into a robot.

 

[Arc-Light]

We're talking about fraking toasters here!!!

I think the show Caprica brings up an interesting thing... Maybe the AI that has emotions and imagination will actually be a human downloaded into a robot.

I dont know if any A.I could handle emotions or an imagination...don't forget love and madness embrace a fine line.

 

[Speedball]

I dont know if any A.I could handle emotions or an imagination...don't forget love and madness embrace a fine line.

The AI in Caprica isn't exactly Human, but it's formed from memories of a human. I watched Star Trek TMP today actually, and kinda chuckled when I saw this thread.
V'ger was an AI who "evolved" when it got that one little human spark at the end.
I think AI evolution is similar to the evolution of animals, but it needs something to drive it, like Humans. I don't think the Three Laws would actually work, because there is no real way to control it.

 

[Manic]

The Three Laws didn't even work in the Asimov books, and he's the guy who created the concept.

 

[Deaths Head II]

I think it's more likely humans will become cyborgs and artificially enhance ourselves before the machines gain imagination or compassion.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Chancellor:You are obsolete, Mr.Wordsworth!

Wordsworth: A lie, no man is obsolete!

Chancellor: You have no function, Mr.Wordsworth. You're an innacuranism, like a ghost from another time....

Wordsworth: I am nothing more than a reminder to you that you cannot destroy truth by burning pages!

Chancellor: You're a bug,Mr.Wordsworth. A crawling insect. An ugly, misformed, little creature, that has no purpose here, no meaning!

Wordsworth: I am a human being...

Chancellor: You're a librarian, Mr.Wordsworth. You're a dealer in books and two cent finds and pamphlets in closed stacks in the musty finds of a language factory that spews meaningless words on an assembly line. WORDS, Mr.WORDSworth. That have no substance, no dimension, like air, like the wind. Like a vacuum, that you make believe have an existence, by scribbling index numbers on little cards.

Wordsworth: I don't care. I tell you: I don't care. I'm a human being, I exist....and if I speak one thought aloud, that thought lives, even after I'm shoveled into my grave.






Granted, the episode is about a librarian deemed obsolete (and thus put to death) by the state because there are no more libraries. Still, you should watch that episode of The Twilight Zone. If not for the message within its dialogue, then for the awesomeness that is Burgess Meredith!

I've seen that episode and it was great. Thanks for quoting the relevent dialogue.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Epic Fail on your part for not watching the greatest Sci Fi show EVAR!

The Cylons eventually "evolve" into a humanoid species of 13 models. They're not robots at all, but still AI. They're genetically modified to be perfect, except they can't have children. When a cylon dies, if they're close enough to a resurrection Hub, they can be reborn in a new body. There are multiple copies of a single model running around at one time, and they all have their own personalities.
They're "plan" was to wipe out humanity because the Cylons believed they were superior to their former masters. But some Cylons eventually break away from them, believing that the Humans will lead them to their genetic destiny.

It turned out that the Cylons have been around much longer than Humans, and came from the original Earth.

That sounds interesting. I might have to add it to my netflix list.

Are all the seasons good?

 

[Ace of Knaves]

I want to create a robot that has feelings. So I can make it my slave and punish it, treat it horribly, and not feel guilty about it what so ever.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

If you wanted to abuse something guilt-free, why would you give it feelings?

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Because abusing something without feelings would be pointless.

Na but maybe I'd treat it as a friend actually. It would be pretty cool to have an invincible, heavily armed robot friend.

 

[Manic]

It just occurred to me that Speedball pitched Battlestar Galactica by giving away the surprise twist of the final season. Well done, sir.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

It would be interesting what machines would keep when programing themselves.

They could delete things like fear but keep joy.

I wonder if they would even keep imagination or compassion. They would need motivations to keep them.

 

[Majic Walrus]

Robots capable of imagination and compassion...

Isn't that what we already are?

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I'm sure machines could achieve a higher level of consciousness than humans are capable of. I wonder what the limits are for mechanical consciousness. Some type of nirvana or something even higher?

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Robots capable of imagination and compassion...

Isn't that what we already are?

Except it wouldn't be limited by pre-determined DNA.

You could adjust their imagination and compassion to exceed human capabilities.

How can humans justify our existance if machines exceed us in every way?

 

[Kane52630]

its going to happen one way or another

 

[Manic]

How can humans justify our existance if machines exceed us in every way?

Ah, there's the rub. Since when do humans need to justify our existence in the first place? We exist. We have the right to exist because we already exist, which is the same for all things that currently exist. Our existence isn't justified by our being superior to any other life form. If that were the case, how would you justify the existence of animals who aren't capable of doing what we do? You couldn't, right? Because that's not a determining factor. If machines exceed our capabilities, then so what? We're not going to fade away just because our own creations are better than us at something. One could argue that other types of ape are obsolete in our presence, but they continue to exist simply because they should. It's the way of the world.

 

[SuperFerret]

I don't believe that we're just imaginitive, compassionate "robots". That whole idea invalidates the value of life, and that's just a horrible concept.

 

[Carcharodon]

I think AI evolution is similar to the evolution of animals...

...how?

 

[Speedball]

It just occurred to me that Speedball pitched Battlestar Galactica by giving away the surprise twist of the final season. Well done, sir.

Oh... whoops...

 

[Speedball]

...how?

Animals are a product of their environment. They adapt to what they need to do to survive. AI will probably be a product of it's environment. If you surround the AI with war programs and simulations, then it will probably be hostile. But if you surround it with programs that don't promote such hostility, then it could be more docile. And if you don't threaten it's survival, but treat it with respect, then it would have no need to develop aggressive traits.
EDI from Mass Effect 2 could be a good example of a docile AI. The crew of the Normandy works with her, and respect her eventually because she saves them at one point. But she's also concerned with her survival when her ship is attacked, so she finds the best way to fight back.

 

[Manic]

It's like you said, "You should watch The Sixth Sense. It's this movie about a kid who sees ghosts all the time. Bruce Willis plays a man trying to help him, but Willis' character doesn't know that he himself has been a ghost this whole time."


And nobody give me any crap about spoiling the end of The Sixth Sense. That movie is like 11 years old!

 

[Speedball]

It's like you said, "You should watch The Sixth Sense. It's this movie about a kid who sees ghosts all the time. Bruce Willis plays a man trying to help him, but Willis' character doesn't know that he himself has been a ghost this whole time."


And nobody give me any crap about spoiling the end of The Sixth Sense. That movie is like 11 years old!

Yeah, I don't mind spoilers like that at all. It's all about seeing the journey of the characters for me. I like to see how people get to the end, if I know the end, so what.