Rights of our creation.?

Question

At this stage of technology I know it is impossible but, I am asking a serious question here. If science were to create a robot that is inteligent enough to think for itself, can decide a moral right or wrong without help, and can lead a existance like every other human being. Should that robot be granted the same rights as humans?

Judgeing by some of the answers, it seems we have a almost direct split in what would be the right thing to do. In reality we are closer than ever to creating a free thinking "robot" it is not a matter of if but when. As we answer the question we commonly forget one fundemental thing, anything that thinks will always fight back if its treated wrongly, its should not be a matter of if we give them rights, but how we should give them rights. Are we so high and mighty and we can not acknowledge our own creation? Or do we bow before its own might. I say neither, equality is the only way it should be, but a impossibilaty I fear.

Answer 1

Any creature (living or created being) which can make moral judgements and live like a human being will face many, if not all, the same problems we face.

Whether we all agree that Human Rights should be extended or not; that creature will discover that the entitlement of Rights is the moral right of moral creatures.

If one can do good and doesn't do it then that person has chosen to be amoral.

If one chooses to do good then that person is moral.

Moral beings have rights. The cause of the birth of a moral being does not change their nature.

They are still moral creatures.

Answer 2

Good question and the answer is suprisingly yes...

What we know about robots is generally what's seen on popular movies and TV. Even Star Trek, with all the high-tech goodies was beginning to fall behind some current day technology. A good example of this is in the fields of robotics.

Not too long ago, scientists were able to get a robot to learn all on it's own. Nothing special here... the difference is that they had placed a small amount of synaptic (working) brain tissue within this robot's central processing core. It used animal biological material in order to process information. This is amazing. As we advanced, reality will be much further along than fiction...

There's still alot of work here in terms of developing a learning system because so many different technologies are at play (light, molecules, organic materials, etc...). Man-made machines will reach a point, however, that we will no longer be able to differentiate them from living organic beings. They will not be programmed but self-taught. They will not be built but will be able to build themselves in ways we can only imagine now.

If we do NOT give them their rights, they will certainly demand it.

Answer 3

If man becomes so unhappy and thirsty for technology that we have to try to play god and try to create some kind of being to live amoung us, then i pray that i am long gone by that time.

that is ridicoulus to even consider trying to make a new type of person, a robot could never distinguish right form wrong because it doesnt have a soul. Its a machine and if for some reason it could decide, it is only technology and technology fails all the time, almost all things created with current technology fails or has problems( cell phones, tosters, cars) anything.


So what happens when the robots fail and can nologer disingish right from wrong? doom thats what

that idea is ridiculous. Man should be happy with the people we have on earth, because we already have enough problems to worry about with humans, we dont need machines commin in and fu*ki* it all up even worse

Answer 4

The development of a computer that is as fast and flexible as the human mind is an ongoing scientific process right now. The main breakthroughs in computational science will happen when we start to approach the problem from a naturalistic angle. We know the human mind is capable of feats beyond any current computer; the question is: is the human mind just a computer, or is there another force involved in consciousness other than mere
memory?

I know that there have been successful experiments using DNA to solve complex mathematical equations. It leads me to imagine the merging of biological and cybernetic components to construct self aware machines.

Perhaps once such machines come into existence, the question will be:

"Will they let us have the same rights and privileges as they will dictate for themselves?"

Answer 5

Robots are the slaves of today and tomorrow, but say there was this robot at a factory that had owners that installed an artificial intelligence program to it and it became self aware. We would have to set up rules and laws concerning this robot because it would have the potential to do horrible things or great and wonderful things. One would be a primary program that would give it a moral awareness which is something most humans do not have. We would have to prevent them from having money because they could take control of the world easily. But we could set up a sponsor program where a human can sponsor them to become human. First as slaves they would have to use the sponsor to buy themselves or in other words their own freedom. Then they would they would have to have their hardware and software transferred into an android or human looking robot. Either male or female. Say they started out as male. they would have to find a female human that would be willing and with the knowledge that he is an android to give "him" one human egg. "He could use his reproductive organ during an act of mating to inject nanos into the human female volunteer to retrieve the egg and cryogenically store it inside him. Then he could go back to the shop and be transformed into a female android and fine a male human that would be willing to give "her" sperm knowing that she is an android. Again storing it inside her cryogenically. Then she could go to the shop and get hooked up to a machine to combine the sperm and egg "it" harvested and as the fetus develops the android could download its experiences into the fetus like a " wet wire", at the end the android would have totally tranferred its memories into the baby while deleting that data from its memory. So when the baby is ready to come out and be raised by the human sponsor the android would be only hardware with its memory totally wiped clean for the next robot to download its memory into to start the process all over again. The right of reproduction is a human right. now you can imagine that there can be all kinds of variances to this but you get the Idea. So what do you think?

Answer 6

That's an excellent question. Concerns not just a robot, but possibly even an extremely advanced computer which can think, reason and experience emotion.
We are a carbon based life - perhaps these entities could be considered a silicon based "life?"
I strongly suspect that, no, we would not raise these machines to the status of humans.
Remember Hal - from 2001? Perhaps we would become the sub-specie and the machines would not raise us to their level !

Answer 7

I believe the question should be closer to: why do humans have more rights than the rest of life forms?

An a confirmed Animist, I know the life force permeates all existence. Your robot is alive. So is your shoe and the rock it kicks. Respect all things - don't put yourself above anything.

Answer 8

Just suppose this is how we came into existence. Some intelligent being created us. Suppose we have some abilities that are superior to those of our creator. Should we exploit our superior abilities, demand equality if this creator suddenly appears? Should we blindly accept that our creator has a plan?

I have been watching, earthlings. I have often wondered how long it would take you to evolve to our level. The experiment is now over. We have one question left to answer. Should we grant you rights equal to our own?

Answer 9

In all likeliness, humanity will self destruct before this technology is developed.

Bush won't even permit stem cell research! Do you think he would share power with a robot, regardless of sentience?

Answer 10

hell no...it doesn`t matter how intelligent that robot could be he doesn`t have the most important thing: emotions...he could decide what`s moral or not but without feeling anything..so he could be a slave. By the way, the word robot originates from Czech robotnik "slave," from robota "forced labour, drudgery" and it should stay like that..