Philosophy Demystified by Robert Arp & Jamie Carlin Watson

Author:Robert Arp & Jamie Carlin Watson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Published: 2011-06-12T16:00:00+00:00

BOX 7-4 What Lies Ahead

Some people have suggested that one day we will be able to design robots that have sophisticated mental states. Of course, there are numerous examples of this in science fiction novels and films to help us visualize this. For example, in the Star Wars films, droids are depicted as engaging in behaviors expressive of mental states and language. One glaring example has to do with the torturing of a droid in Return of the Jedi in the scene where R2-D2 and C-3PO are being processed by Jabba the Hutt’s manager droid. Recall this scene where the droid’s “feet” are being burned. The little guy appears to know what is going on, anticipates the pain he is going to experience, and screams in pain and terror when the hot iron is lowered onto his upside-down body. Interestingly enough, in that scene you get the sense that the droid who is administering the torture is enjoying what he is doing. Also, in that scene, the manager droid comes across as evincing the human emotions of arrogance, power, and an “I’ll show you a thing or two” mental state when he notes that R2 is a feisty droid, and will be whipped into submission after a few days on Jabba’s sail barge.

What are the prospects of this sort of technology? Unfortunately, not good. Artificial Intelligence programs hit a standstill in the mid to late 1990s. It seems there are some mental states that can’t be replicated even in principle. And even moderately useful, “simple” robots are still too cost prohibitive to produce. Artificial Intelligence research programs have recently begun turning to the prospects of non-intelligent, artificial life. If we obtained our sophisticated mental states through evolution, perhaps we can replicate that.

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