LogFAQs > #979646170

To really answer this question, first we have to boil down the true nature of it. Because, more than simply having some kind of awareness, or consciousness, I think what you're all dancing around with essentially is...can AI, a complex computing tool, grow complex enough to become like us? Can AI ever truly be considered human? Because we can talk about sentience and consciousness in mammals and other animals, but absolutely no animals, not apes, or dolphins, or anything, have displayed or matched the characteristics and qualities of a human. Measuring AI to some sort of standard which involves both us and animals would never make sense. So from here on out, we'll ask the question this way:

Can an AI become human?

This obviously begs the question, "What is a human?" This is a question with no straight answer. If you ask a scientist, they'll give you an answer that more or less matches some cold, hard definition that adjl can give you. If you ask the president, he'll tell you it's the American people. If you asked your neighbor down the street, he might say it was his grandfather who recently passed away. Why? Because there is no straight answer. Certainly none that can be given here. Even if we were to write a book about it (and absolutely many people have), all those books and their definitions have come up short. (Except for one, I believe, but that's for another time.) But let's just name some things off in the name of humanity for the hell of it that you're not going to find in your nearest, totally accurate text book.

Humanity is art. Humanity is music. Humanity is doing the most wrong, most irrational thing because they believe it's for the right reason. Humanity is having a favorite flavor of ice cream dependant on the day of the week. Humanity is reading a book to your child for the 1002th time. Humanity is climbing mountains, both figuratively and literally. Humanity is creation. Humanity is dreams.

Humanity is having the means to create and follow a sense of arbitrary rules of grammar used for written communication, and deziding weder ore not ur gunna use dem. (Sorry, I'll stop.) Humanity is something you can see, hear, touch, smell and taste. Humanity is faith. (Unless you stick to the schools of philosphy or religion/anti-religion that don't allow us those options.) Humanity is a walk along the beach. Humanity is storming said beach in u-boats holding rifles. Humanity is giving in to the will to dance. Humanity is love. Humanity is spirit. Humanity is soul. (Something a scientist can never measure nor quantify, yet is incredibly important to conciousness and awareness.) And humanity is the right to have an opinion. Including one which allows you to deride and disregard literally everything I've typed up to this point, if you've even read anything at all.

Could an AI be capable of some of these things, at some point? Or is it possible that they are, even now? Perhaps. But no AI, or any man-made creation ever can be, or will be capable of spontaneously displaying ALL of these, and infinitely more characteristics and qualities by their own choice of free will. It is, after all impossible, and always will be, by fundamental laws of nature. Nothing can ever change that.

Therefore, purely, as matter of fact. AI, and other man-made creations, will never be recognized as fully conscious, aware, alive...or human. To assert otherwise would be akin to addressing my fraking toaster like my best friend, begging him to toast my slice of wheat bread. (See what I did there, BG fans?) In other words, complete foolishness, and something I will never do.