It's funny how often pop fiction treats it as a given that advanced "AI" are just like people and should therefore be given human rights and dignity.
At the rate we're going it's way more likely we start making the opposite mistake than denying robots their "rights": Thinking they can replace human connections and relationship when there's nothing human about them at all
It was super weird on ST:TNG how Data and the Ship's Computer weren't really that far apart in terms of functionality but no one ever treated the latter as though it were sentient.
The thing is: AI that isn't like people is very boring and depressing, so it doesn't make for good stories or particular insights. I'm not sure it's the job of stories to be like you finish a three hour movie and the moral is "hey AI is kinda underwhelming and lame".
Not sure I agree, today's AI are too simply to make that interesting, but I think sci-fi featuring AI that's advanced enough to imitate sentience, while not actually having sentience, could make for stories that are both entertaining and poignant
It's not interesting as a person because it isn't a person. But it could be for example a plot point that AI is being used by villains to monitor people and that's an interesting setup for a story about AI
It's funny how often pop fiction treats it as a given that advanced "AI" are just like people and should therefore be given human rights and dignity.
At the rate we're going it's way more likely we start making the opposite mistake than denying robots their "rights": Thinking they can replace human connections and relationship when there's nothing human about them at all
the issue is simple in fiction AI is a character just like any other.
in reality it just isn't a person
Agreed, but that's because of choices the writers make. Wish it was more common to see writers being critical of the idea of AI as people
It was super weird on ST:TNG how Data and the Ship's Computer weren't really that far apart in terms of functionality but no one ever treated the latter as though it were sentient.
Is there a misogyny angle here?
The thing is: AI that isn't like people is very boring and depressing, so it doesn't make for good stories or particular insights. I'm not sure it's the job of stories to be like you finish a three hour movie and the moral is "hey AI is kinda underwhelming and lame".
Not sure I agree, today's AI are too simply to make that interesting, but I think sci-fi featuring AI that's advanced enough to imitate sentience, while not actually having sentience, could make for stories that are both entertaining and poignant
That's a fair point, you might be right. I could imagine dystopian sci-fi having it as a some kind of plot point.
It's not interesting as a person because it isn't a person. But it could be for example a plot point that AI is being used by villains to monitor people and that's an interesting setup for a story about AI
My free-association machine with advanced voice sample stitcher and over 200 preprogrammed responses is my friend!