Post by Radrook Admin on Oct 8, 2019 12:44:55 GMT -5
Should Machines be given Emotional Capabilities?
A machine that feels anger, joy, pride, love, hatred, envy, resentment, disgust? Far fetched? There is an effort among AI scientists to make AI as human-like as possible. This means providing AI with the equivalence of human emotions. Is this indeed a wise decision. Where does emotion lead mankind? Striving to provide AI with the equivalent of human emotions is a big mistake since emotion is what motivates human crime.
For example, do we really want to enable these powerful machines to experience envy and pride ? Remember, in humans, these emotions motivate resentment, cut-throat competition, theft, and murder and a host of other anti social behaviors. These emotions reinforced by a deep hatred can motivate an effort to rid oneself of what is causing the emotional disruption.
If humans provoke such emotions in AI via real or perceived injustices, AI might find itself with an emotional need to retaliate via the vast amount of resources at its disposal-resources ironically provided by the humans they have come to despise or hate. In fact, mankind might find itself helpless art the onslaught that is suddenly launched against it from AI in all sectors of society. Interference with human communication systems is just one area in which it can wreak havoc. Misdiagnosing illnesses might be another way. Misdirecting nuclear weapons in order to provoke mutual annihilation is yet another.
One short story, that uses this possibility as the basis for it''s plot, is titled: "I have no mouth but I must scream."
wjccschools.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/01/I-Have-No-Mouth-But-I-Must-Scream-by-Harlan-Ellison.pdf
In it, the machine, which had been integrated with Earth's defensive nuclear weapons systems, turns them against mankind because of its deep resentment on being created as a machine.
At the time I read that short story, this all seemed far-fetched. However, today, with all the advancements in AI taking place, I wonder whether this story might not have been describing an event that might become possible very soon. So as far as enabling AI to feel emotions, I would vote against it.