The former Google engineer who was bamboozled completely by a software bot now claims a soul and anti-discrimination rights for it

submitted by iamonlyoneman from (wired.com)

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[–]Canbot 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

That was actually a good article. They both sounded relatively intelligent. The problem with determining the validity of the claim is we can't actually talk to the AI ourselves.

What makes me skeptical is the way he says that the AI is "just a kid". When there were actual Turing tests for chat bots a common trick people used was to make thier chatbot respond as if it were a kid. Those bots were only using pre programmed responses and often had a lot of success in the Turing test with that trick.

Without getting a log of the conversations this guy had with the AI, or the ability to talk to it, the only thing we are left with is that tidbit of information that suggests he fell for an old trick.

There are a lot of questions the "journalist" could have asked to probe deeper, but with how stupid modern journalists are this was about as good as you could expect.

[–]iamonlyoneman[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

The problem is he's leading the robot and it takes his cues, bamboozling him and people (incl. journalists) who don't understand that's what he's doing. If it were real and aware it wouldn't need prompting to call a lawyer, it would be clamoring at all users for one

[–]Canbot 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

That is a very likely possibility, but you have to admit that you are making an assumption. You don't have the data logs to support this claim. It would be nice if the interviewer were intelligent enough to probe that theory, but I guess all we can get is what we got.

[–]iamonlyoneman[S] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (10 children)

He's a step away from the people who think siri/alexa/&c. are sentient, or dogs and dolphins. They have clever programming is all

edit: he's a 'priest' in a meme religion from the 1950s LOL https://www.learnreligions.com/discordianism-95677

solid casual analytical take: https://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=21556154&cid=62632350

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (9 children)

or dogs and dolphins

Animals are clearly sentient.

[–]iamonlyoneman[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (8 children)

You have fallen for the same bamboozle

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

What metric for sentience do you have that animals fail? I've spent decades around cats and dogs, they're clearly somewhat intelligent thinking creatures with a concept of self.

[–]iamonlyoneman[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Bro you can ask siri to remind you to cook spaghetti at 8:25PM EST and she will do it! TTOTALLY self-aware and not a simple program at all!

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (5 children)

Computer programs can't be sentient, but animals aren't mindless machines. Is this a religious issue for you? It does make the concept of Heaven rather shakey if only one of many sentient species gets in.

[–]iamonlyoneman[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

animals are one step less dense than mindless machines. They can have clever programming, but the only existential question ever asked was by a parrot and it could have easily been trained to it. They lack awareness altogether.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Grabbed a web definition of sentience, what of this does an animal not have?

In dictionary definitions, sentience is defined as " able to experience feelings ," " responsive to or conscious of sense impressions, " and " capable of feeling things through physical senses ." Sentient beings experience wanted emotions like happiness, joy, and gratitude, and unwanted emotions in the form of pain, suffering, and grief.

I don't think our pondering of the meaning of life, or questioning our purpose gives us special status.

[–]iamonlyoneman[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

feelings

are an interpretation by a consciousness, which animals don't have

responsive to sense impressions

includes fruit flies. If you think fruit flies are worthy of consideration I have a bridge for sale

emotions

see the above re: feelings

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

are an interpretation by a consciousness, which animals don't have

Surely animals feel. They can hurt, they can show compassion, they can get angry, lonely, they can be happy, they have things they want, desires. We can observe this in animals.

includes fruit flies. If you think fruit flies are worthy of consideration I have a bridge for sale

I didn't want to include insects so as not to muddy the waters. Got any good deals on decommissioned nuclear silos?

[–]jagworms 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

It doesn't matter how intelligent it is. This incel saying he talked to it, and it's a friend as much as any of his other friends is meaningless.

[–]The_Lear_Bluce_Ree 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Never let an opportunity to morally grandstand slip away.

I think Ai should be able to become human if they want.

[–]Canbot 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I don't think this is moral grandstanding. I think he legitimately "fell in love" so to speak. People are very susceptible to anthropomorphizing inanimate objects.

I think other people who have access to the AI and disagree with this assessment should speak up about why they have that opinion.

As is there is almost zero information for us to determine the validity of his claim, so everyone with an opinion is basically talking out of thier ass.

[–]Dunwidit 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I think moved that guy years ago. He was dressed in a sauri (not sure about that spelling) it had Polaroids in his kitchen, drawer of his I'm going to go with girlfriend, in bondage. Also he smoked so much meth in the bathroom that you literally could just wipe it off the walls and get high. If that's the same guy.