This entry is based on two books I have read, namely Seeds of Earth and The Orphaned Worlds which are the first two books in the science fiction trilogy Humanity’s Fire written by the Scottish author Michael Cobley.
The story takes place far into the future. In the prologue we are told that Earth has been attacked by an alien race and in one last, desperate attempt to save humanity three colonization ships were sent out into space in order to ensure our continued existence. The actual story is about one of these knew colonies and how the survivors tries to rebuild their society. The survivors aren’t alone on this new world and one of the things they will encounter is sentient machines, i.e. true artificial intelligence.
Research in artificial intelligence is quite common today and we try to build more and more advanced robots. Although it’s a long way yet to the point where robots can be considered self conscious, I think we should ask us what we will do if we ever reach that point. Do we really want to share our planet with another intelligent species?
Humanity’s Fire gives many examples of how different races have tackled this problem. One race shares their world with sentient machines by having a ‘chip’ inserted into their brain containing an artificial intelligence. In this way they get a mind brother or sister (they are aliens so they aren’t really divided into two different sexes) which they can communicate directly with via their thoughts. Another race has created sentient machines that are independent of their creators and are treated as just another race of intelligent beings.
I think that someday we will construct some sort of thinking computer. It’ll probably not think in the same way as we do or have the same views of things, but it’ll still make its own decisions and learn from experience. Some people think that AI research should be abandoned and Hollywood have made many movies, like Terminator, Matrix and I, Robot, with the theme of machines taking control over humans. I’m too a bit uneasy with the idea of thinking machines. Especially when almost all things, from nuclear power plants and missile guiding systems to washing machines and cars are controlled by some kind of computer. But on the other hand artificial intelligence may help us solve problems we can’t by thinking in whole new ways and space travel would probably fit robots much better than it does humans. Robots wouldn’t need air, water, food, warmth or protection from radiation and wouldn’t mind spending fifty years or so in a spaceship.
Today’s most intelligent robots have intelligence at the same level as a fly and are easily outmaneuvered by a cockroach when it comes to navigating through a room. But even if artificial intelligence is many years in the future some questions are worth considering today.
Some of the facts for this entry are taken from:
Physics of the Impossible. Kaku, M. New York 2008.
More about ethical behavior in robotics can be found in:
Robot be Good. Anderson M. and Anderson S. L. Scientific American, Vol. 303, No. 4, pages 54-59; October 2010.
