Artificial Intelligence...?

Question

I was thinking of HAL 9000 the other day as 'he' just had his fictional birthday so I re-read 2001 by Arther C. Clark. I had these thoughts:

Assumptions for the debate:

1.) There is no way to PROVE that the human mind is indeed conscious. Only to test if if appears that way.

2.) Human beings indeed have a soul or spirit.

3.) A computer like HAL 9000 could be built.

Since HAL would easily pass any consciousness test such as Alan Turing's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test)

Please answer the following:

1.) Would a computer like HAL actually be conscious or just convincing enough (like humans) to seem that way?

2.) If HAL is not conscious, does that mean that humans might not be conscious but instead are (biological) machines so complex we fool ourselves and others into believing we are conscious (like HAL)?

3.) If HAL is conscious, does HAL have a soul?

4.) If HAL has a soul, where did it come from? God, his programmers, elsewhere?

Oh, last thing - emotions and artistic creation are irrelevant for the sake of argument.

Oh, the self awareness question I think doesn't matter - clearly according to the book and movie, HAL is indeed self aware - he defends himself from perceived threats to his existence.

Emotions and the offshoot - artistic potential are also irrelevant for arguments sake.

I'm trying to concentrate on the similarities rather than the differences between a computer like HAL and human beings.

Oh, last thing - emotions and artistic creation are irrelevant for the sake of argument.

16 minutes ago
Oh, the self awareness question I think doesn't matter - clearly according to the book and movie, HAL is indeed self aware - he defends himself from perceived threats to his existence.

Emotions and the offshoot - artistic potential are also irrelevant for arguments sake.

I'm trying to concentrate on the similarities rather than the differences between a computer like HAL and human beings.

I realize the assumptions I asking you to work with may be a stretch, but its a thought experiment right?

Crap, I keep repeating myself in the additional details - my apologizes - I thought they were re-written each time.

Answer 1

I would argue the point that a computer like HAL actually has consciousness. Sorry but I dont believe we have souls persay but we have something more then a rock or a fish or so it seems. I would say that the energy that makes up HALs being came from the universe/God and that the same is true for humans. IF humans have a soul I guess I would be hard pressed to argue that something that has a better understanding of its world then us doesnt have one also. What happens to our minds after we die is unknown so I couldnt tell you what would happen if you were to shut HAL down. Its totaly possible that a man made device could come to have a better understanding of the world then we currently do ourselfs. Does that mean the machien we built is better then us? I would say no I dont think it would be better then us just as I am not any better then a rock we all have our own meanings to life and live it the way we best see fit. The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son.

Answer 2

i experience in what ever comes. I enojy a good communicate on A.I, i imagine that is an truly exciting subject matter, one which needs interest. i respect videos like the Terminator, The Matrix, 2001 area Odyssey, Animatrix. They manage A.I and extra precisely the relationship between A.I and human beings. i imagine that the destiny is collectively your suitable dream,and your worst nightmare. i experience we are able to save advancing. i experience robots may have extra responcibility and performance in our society. in case you do not imagine that, then you actual compromise, that it replaced right into a dumb theory that bill Gates replaced into dreaming about at the same time as he predicted a peculiar metallic container in each living house that ought to do the kind of large quantity of issues. i experience we are able to create sturdy A.I, smart A.I, because continuously the added we advance the added issues we are dealing with. Thats the way it truly is. A.i could help us. As to what occurs after that, it could be anyones guess. many anybody is declaring that we are going to create A.I so sensible that it will finally say, "Why?" "Who am I?" "Why am I?" "Why do I hear? Do I actual ought to? could I?" At that think about destiny, we are able to wish to compromise, because it is going to develop into now impossible to grant A.I extra intelligence without giving it the skill to ask those sorts of questions.

Answer 3

Put the coffee down.