Artificial Intelligence Belief Inventory

[Kuzimu]

My honors course requires a survey, so I'm hoping some of you would be willing to write about such an interesting topic!

1. My age is:

2. My sex is:

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?

[shiram]

1. My age is: 29

2. My sex is: male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: technology not yet feasible // the future

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? could work 24/7, no rest times needed. Dilligence, emotion free thinking. In DnD terms it would have a great Int score, but about no Wis...

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not? not as of yet, im thinking it would requiere so much programming right now, as to be impossible

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? None, as i see it a soul is a fictious entity created by humans, it doesnt really represent anything to me.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? human/computer interaction pushed to a whole new level. Great possibilities in the world of automation and customer service

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? programming errors that could lead to malfunction, botched tasks...

[Ichneumon]

1. My age is: 20

2. My sex is: female

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: Hall 9000, from the movie Space Odyssey

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? Being sentient, having desires, having interests. Something like that.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not? Yes, however I think a "living" computer would I think be far more likely to have the intelligence of a snail then the intelligence of a human being. High intelligence doesn't equal sentience. I'm not certain what it is than makes us sentience (sentience=mind), but it seems illogical to me to equate it with "high intelligence".

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? I don't think there is a soul. Qualia are produced by the mind alone.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? I don't think there would be any real benefit.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? The greatest danger would be that we'd treat them unethically, use them as slaves, don't accord them the rights they'd, in my view, be entitled to when they would have gained sentience.

[mangosta71]

1. 29

2. male

3. True AI. An artificial being with the ability to reason and learn on its own.

4. A living computer would be logical above all else. However, its logic would not necessarily follow the same assumptions nor draw the same conclusions that we as humans do.

5. I don't see why not. We already have complex neural networks that are essentially the framework of a brain.

6. The soul is an undefined abstract. How can we establish any relationship with something without knowing what it is?

7. With computers capable of living, thinking, and learning independently, they would be able to take over pretty much everything that we don't want to do ourselves.

8. We would want to do less and less for ourselves.

[Winter_Wolf]

1. My age is:
33

2. My sex is:
Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:
High levels of automation, increased communication and better CPU and GPU for graphics work. :P

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
Probably intelligent but not having any empathy or sympathy. Everything would be based on logic, which would nine times out of ten be bad for humans.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
A this point, no. We don't even fully understand how the brain works, how can we really hope to manufacture and artificial brain that has the same kind of processing power? Brains have massive computing power, but they're pretty slow so our heads don't combust from overheating.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
Basically the same thing, just from a different viewpoint. Some languages use the same word for both concepts.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
Provided the programming is rock solid, error free continuous surveillance of vital stuff like nuclear plants, air traffic, land traffic, etc.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
A computer with no empathy would logically decide that humanity is either superfluous or dangerous and should be eliminated. Even from a human logical standpoint, that's a pretty common conclusion, so I don't expect that an artificial mind that excludes sentimentality would even hesitate to execute function: exterminate homo sapiens.

[Deadly]

1. My age is: 27, 28 in a months time

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: The first thought is probably humanoid robots, because we've all seen too many sci-fi movies. But I fully realise that we probably won't ever see that sort of thing, except for fun and silliness or on the way to making prosthetic limbs. Making a truly fluid and flexible mechanized humanoid body is extremely challenging and we're so far from that goal that it's simply amazing. It probably would make no sense to give a truly intelligent/conscious machine such a body. Instead they may live their entire lives in virtual worlds, or they may have forms and senses completely alien to humans. They may not have the same emotions as we do, either, but that's not to say they would be emotionless. I'd probably think of something like HAL 9000 (hopefully without the attitude) rather than C3PO.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? It would have a sense of self, of identity, of being an entity separate from its environment. It would be able to make sense of its environment, that is to observe and find patterns based on what it experiences. A little roughly stated, it's a very difficult topic.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not? Sure. Probably not the way it has so far been attempted, but I have no doubt that eventually it can be done, and likely in a rather elegant way. We don't yet understand enough about the brain and how it works to do it, but eventually we will.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? The "soul" is just the feeling of having an identity different from others, of being a separate being, of being "someone". There is no soul, in a physical sense, it's simply a word to describe a feeling.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? Impossible to tell, probably. The benefits are potentially astronomical and mind blowing, way beyond our wildest imaginations and probably completely different from everything anyone has ever imagined. It's fun to try, but utterly hopeless. It's like a bacteria predicting the rise of human society.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? It may come too soon, before we're fully prepared to deal with it. That's my main fear.

[Coidzor]

1. My age is:

21

2. My sex is:

Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:

Desktop computers. Ye olde computer tower with various ports and things plugged into the ports and a monitor and a keyboard and speakers and a mouse. And probably with a printer off to the side. I'm old-fashioned, I know.

Oh, wait, thinking computers. Sorry, misread that as "think of computers." Dropped a word. Fun.

I guess the first thing that comes to mind is Shodan from System Shock. Followed by Dresden Codak's transhumanist nightmare future.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?

The ability to be self-aware and respond to stimuli in real time and to expand its algorithms (for lack of a better word) to apply to new situations as they come up. And why of it is because that's basically what I can think of in order to translate consciousness into the necessary terms to discuss applying it to something that is at present not conscious...

Free will is not a necessity, after all. Though the idea of being able to give rewards and punishments to a computer entity is metaphysically puzzling to me. At the most basic, pleasure and pain aren't really angles. Sure, you can destroy parts of such an entity (possibly) without outright destroying it, but I hesitate to apply the idea of it experiencing pain from it. If the damage that was being done was of the right sort, I could imagine a sort of distress at a loss of functionality or the potential of a loss of a current personality if it had one.

The nature of intelligence is murky enough so far that I don't know whether personality is an inherent part of intelligent or just an inherent part of emotional intelligence.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?

I don't know. I have been lead to believe that it is possible, just very, very complex, but I have no hard evidence that I can recall to back up this belief.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?

Sticky and Tricky. Also, extremely metaphysical. I for one, hold that a soul is a metaphysical unit denoting an entity as exists on a level both within and beyond the physical and that the mind is merely one expression or part of the soul. That is, the soul is a person, the mind is the part of the person that is aware and does the thinking with the soul being more along the lines of a metaphysical body or thing that is than something that does something.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?

Building scientists that already know as much as an adult, fully educated human scientist at creation and merely get more knowledge and more ability to apply it as they progress and think and disseminate and discuss. So potentially taking off much of the hard-cap against advancement technological and scientific.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?

They can be programmed to hold specific beliefs. With appropriate infrastructure, they could be made to be hardcoded to hold a dictator as their personal deity or be utterly devoted to him. Thus leading to a machine-run dictator state which is ruled without consent of any the governed, not even an in-group.

[Douglas]

1. My age is: 26

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: various futuristic scifi stories

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
A) Extreme mastery and speed with known mathematical/scientific problem solving techniques due to specialized subroutines designed to solve them
B) In early versions, greatly reduced initiative, imagination, creativity, and intuition relative to humans due to the difficulty in understanding and duplicating how such things work
C) Near perfect memory

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
Yes. A human mind is the product of the workings of a human brain. There is no theoretical reason why an extremely advanced and powerful computer would not be able to simulate a human brain with a minutely detailed physics simulator. Thus, a really powerful computer could produce a mind by simulating a human brain. This conceptually demonstrates that it is possible, though in practice other techniques, simpler and requiring less processing power, will almost certainly be used first.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
This question is strongly tied into religious beliefs and should therefore not be discussed on this board.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
If they are well designed, conscious computers would potentially enable a near-utopian society, where all necessities of life are taken care of by computerized servants that (by design) are happy to do so.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
The popular scifi trope of computers going rogue, rebelling, and conquering the world or destroying humanity. This idea is sufficiently embedded in popular culture that I expect scientists working on sentient computers would be extremely careful to put in safeguards against it, but the whole concept is so advanced and complicated that even the most careful approach could miss some loopholes.

[Haruki-kun]

1. My age is: 21

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: Nothing, really. So many stories, movies and parodies have made it pretty much a geek joke in my mind.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?: Would be able to hold a conversation with a human being. Not necessarily have feelings.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?: No. It is possible to engineer a computer that simulates a mind, but in the end it's just a very complicated algorithm.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?: A soul is a spiritual, religious concept. Because of the nature of this question in regards to forum rules, I'd rather not answer.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?: Having company any time, anywhere.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?: Humans forgetting that in the end, they're just computers, and prioritizing their relationship with them over their relationship with other humans.

[Edge]

1. My age is: 19

2. My sex is: Male.

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: Mass Effect's geth, more specifically Legion.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? By definition, be self-aware, and also be capable of learning and developing on its own.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not? I'm not really a technology person, but I would be inclined to say "not at the moment". However, future developments in technology might make it feasible.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? Urgh, tricky for me to answer with all my agnosticism... If the soul exists, then I feel there is likely some correlation between it and the mind, most probably in regards to debating morals and ethics.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? Providing aid in intellectual pursuits, preferably as colleagues and not tools.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? Rendering the human mind obsolete in the vast majority of intellectual pursuits, once they possess adequate hardware and software.

[Telonius]

1. My age is: 29

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: HAL, R2D2

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
When encountering a situation, it would be able to have a response not specifically designed by the engineer who built it.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
Yes. A mind is just the interconnections of energy and matter. It functions to take in information and decide on courses of action.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
(This directly relates to my real-world religion and I will PM you the answer).

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
Possibility of economic gains due to comparative advantage.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
In the immediate sense, the possibility that they would use an inordinate amount of the world's energy supply to run them, at minimal benefit to humans. More theoretically, the possibility that they would see humans as a threat to them and take actions to eliminate our species.

[Zevox]

1. My age is:
23


2. My sex is:
Male.


3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:
Technology which does not (yet) exist. Sci-fi creations such as droids, cyborgs, and the like. All the things you'd expect.


4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
A capacity to think and reason beyond what mere programming tells it - without that it is merely responding to its programming, knowing things the programmer made it know, thinking things the programmer created it to think, and nothing else. That is not consciousness, it is just more advanced versions of computer technology we already possess. In short, it would have sapience and free will.

Emotions such as humans experience (which weren't pre-programmed into it) would be a strong sign of consciousness, though not required.


5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
In the literal, physical sense of a brain? Doubt it, short of some serious bioengineering or cyborgs. In a metaphorical sense of a computer capable of true artificial intelligence and sapience? Maybe - I'd like to think so, at least.


6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
I do not believe in the existence of a soul. (Plus doesn't this have the potential to run up against forum bans on discussion of religion?)


7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
Due to their nature they would not require food, rest, oxygen, and other such things we humans require, making them useful for any number of tasks or amounts of work we are incapable of doing safely. (Though as they would require certain maintenance at least it is worth noting that they would not be totally without the need for down-time such as we require.) Plus even AIs without humanoid physical forms could be of great use in scientific pursuits which are primarily mental or involving experiments that could be run by a computer.

Though of course if they were unwilling to help all that could meaningless, since I'd assume that any computer that reaches sapience would also be able to decide whether or not it wants to do something, and we would have to respect that as we would for a human (see below).


8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
That we would mistreat them. Computers which acquire a level of intelligence and free will which can be described as sapience would have to be afforded the same rights as a human being in my view, and falling short of that would be equivalent to failing to treat our fellow humans in accordance with basic human rights. Worst-case scenario is, of course, genuine conflict with them, which could have a range of possible results depending on the precise nature of the AIs in question.

Zevox

[Marnath]

1. My age is:
23

2. My sex is:
male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:
Cortana from Halo, Glados from portal, etc.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
A concious computer would probably be just like a human, save for a much higher multitasking capability and perfect memory.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
Not as of yet, but when thinking that a thing is impossible, it is important to look back in time and see the people who said sailing around the world, flying, and automobiles could never work. Just because we can't do something now is no proof that we won't be able to in the future.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
I believe that mind and soul are words which describe the same thing.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
Automation would become much easier, and fewer humans would be needed to keep things running. Also, less knowledge would be required to make them perform their functions.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
Hah, you think job loss is bad now? Just wait until computers can do the thinking man's jobs too. We'll all become like the humans from Wall-E, except for you survival and fitness nuts, you'll get by just the same as you have for eons, I assume.

[WalkingTarget]

1. My age is: 29

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: HAL9000 (but that's due more of a long familiarity than with the rest of my answers here).

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? In real life, I think a computer that has attained consciousness that we would recognize it would have to be fairly similar to the qualities of a human mind (i.e. intuitive leaps of logic, the ability to be confronted by a paradox and not break down in some way).

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not? Maybe. If so it'd be dependent on our ability to actually define what a mind is first (this goes back to my answer to question 4).

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? This question makes an assumption that is not board-appropriate to discuss/dispute. Suffice it to say that my opinion that if we could engineer a machine with a mind, that would be enough.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? Assuming they retain a fast interoperability with other machines, the ability to make "intelligence-requiring" decisions and then being able to act on those decisions quickly (I'm thinking of things like control systems of various sorts).

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? Making the same assumption as in question 7, a "conscious" machine is likely able to hold grudges as well as anybody and could therefore decide to screw stuff up as well.

_____

Note that a lot of my opinions on this subject are heavily influenced by Douglas R. Hofstadter's book Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, part of which is that there's no real reason to assume that a machine with a recognizable "mind" would still be as mechanistic/fast/etc. as a standard computer that can only do computations.

[Quincunx]

Given the broadness of the questions, I suspect this of being less of a survey (wherein you ask recipients to select a short or single-word answer) and more of a request for us to do your homework for you. However, that's balanced out by the certainty that my answers will create more work than they alleviate.

1. N/A
2. N/A
3. A computer which can cope with an unforeseen situation would be able to think.
4. It would be adaptable enough to cope with an unforeseen situation, uncertain enough to change its answer with new input, and teachable by observation (which industrial robots have already been for some time, and search engines are becoming--look at the music recommendation services).
5. Yes. We already have computers which can deal with multiple inputs, but still need to learn more about how humans prioritize those inputs to come to a conclusion.
6. I do not believe in soul.
7. They would be a beneficial mirror to humanity. Consider how badly humans were shaken to discover they were not the only ones in the animal kingdom to think. (Some people still disavow that truth.)
8. As intelligence increases, so does the capacity to rationalize false beliefs, even in the face of uncertainty. A bad idea in a computer's thought could not be pried out with the appeal to the community of humanity, as it has none, and the idea of (human) authority derived through greater age has already been disproven.

[EDIT: After answering, I then took inventory of the other answers. . .You already had your work cut out for you, ha-ha. :smallamused:]

[pendell]

[QUOTE=Kuzimu;9557100]My honors course requires a survey, so I'm hoping some of you would be willing to write about such an interesting topic!

1. My age is: 39

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:
HAL, from the 2001 and 2010 movies.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?

A conscious computer would have the ability to make its own decisions without human input. If it requires constant human supervision, it can't be conscious.

A conscious computer would have the ability to interpret grey areas -- to see beyond the literal words people speak to it and get at what they MEAN, and respond accordingly.

A conscious computer would have the ability to react to unexpected or unanticipated problems. If I leave a semicolon off the end of a statement, it should be able to respond with something more intelligent than 'syntax error; missing semicolon on line XXX'.

A conscious computer should be able to contribute original thought of its own. Current computers can play music , or choose dialog based on user input. A conscious computer should be able to COMPOSE music, or art, or a thesis, or at the least talk intelligently on a web forums. Modern bots can imitate a troll ; Conscious bots should be able to be posters in their own right.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?

The question is too simple to be answered with a simple yes or no.
-- A thinking computer will not be engineered using the existing Turing machine architecture. IIRC, The human mind is a massively parallel machine with hundreds of connections. It *may* be possible to create a thinking computer with an alternate architecture, but IMO Turing machines are simply too limited.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?

The soul is the 'ghost in the machine'. To me, the mind is the tool the soul uses to do its thinking or operate its environmental suit, the body. Absent a body, a soul cannot interact with the physical world.

Imagine that you're turned into a frog. *You* may still be human, but you're stuck with a frog's brain. You won't be doing much in the way of abstract thought or reasoning because a frog's brain is simply too small, too limited compared to a human brain. You may be the equivalent of a race car driver, but if you're stuck in a Honda Civic, you're not going to win any races. In this analogy, you may have a human soul, but you're still going to be forced to think frog thoughts with a frog brain.

From this perspective, we could not engineer a soul for a computer. But we might be able to make a system sophisticated enough to *house* a soul. How would we know if one got inside? I don't know, we don't even know exactly when a soul enters a human body.

So from a pragmatic perspective a 'soul' is irrelevant. If a computer can ACT as if it has a soul , we should treat it as if it does. We don't know for certain whether humans or computers have souls, so it seems best to assume the best until proven otherwise.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
The greatest use would be in space probes or aircraft; situations where you want human-level intelligence but accommodating a human body is problematic. A conscious computer could command a spaceship which would not require the massive life support capability needed by organics. I imagine similar uses could be had in deep sea exploration and other hostile environments.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
The most likely danger is that human beings will perceive them as more intelligent/wiser than human beings, and allow themselves to be governed and ruled by conscious computers rather than using their own organic brains. The greatest threat to the human race is laziness, the desire to be a child. Children must be ruled by adults. It is possible that humans would infantilize themselves under the care of guardian computers, rather than using their own inborn talents.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[arguskos]

My honors course requires a survey, so I'm hoping some of you would be willing to write about such an interesting topic!

1. My age is:

2. My sex is:

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
1. 18.

2. Male.

3. Hal 1000.

4. It would be able to ask the question "what am I".

5. I wouldn't know, but I'd presume that it's physically possible.

6. The mind is what we reason with. The soul is what we question with.

7. Another view point on the reality we inhabit and question.

8. Unfair treatment of them would lead them to revolution likely.

[Joran]

1. My age is: 28

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: Data, Asimov, then the Turing Test.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? The computer would be self-aware (an identity and awareness of that identity), that is exists, there is a world around it. It would attempt to learn, process new information, and apply that new information to attempt to learn new information.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not? Possible? Sure, nature has already done it, using organic parts instead of mechanical parts. It's not in our current capacity at the moment nor will it be for some time. Strong AI isn't being actively pursued seriously.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? Soul is a religious construct and outside my expertise and experience. I subscribe to the brain as a machine of meat philosophy, so none (as far as I know).

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? Replacing menial tasks, better search/retrieval algorithms, much better human/computer interaction. Probably put me out of a job.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? Ethical considerations mostly. Do artificial constructs have the same rights as humans? Greatest danger might be that we would rely on them too much to the point where we let them do the thinking for us.

[SurlySeraph]

1. My age is: 20

2. My sex is: M

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: Neuromancer

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
It would be able to learn both from being told information and from experience, make complex decisions, and use fuzzy probability (assign different truth values to different pieces of information). It would be self-aware.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
Sure, since a mind is basically a metaphorical "staging area" for conscious thoughts and ideas. If we're assuming conscious computers is possible, they'd have minds by definition.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
The soul provides the interpretive lens through which the mind observes the world (value judgments, emotional responses, willingness to believe a particular source, etc), acting on a less conscious and more intuitive level than the mind. Decisions made in the mind can gradually alter the soul.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
It would provide a means for conscious beings to spread throughout the universe much more easily and with much less risk to themselves than is possible for living things.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
The possibility that poor wording in the goals and moral values they were programmed with would lead them to destructive actions (say, a computer intended to run steel mines knocking down a city since it would be an easier and more cost-efficient way to get the steel than mining it, or one assigned to consider the possible consequences of a war between two given nations attempting to provoke such a war, so it could get experimental data and thus create a more accurate model).

[Emperor Ing]

1. My age is: [undisclosed]

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: SkyNet, from the Terminator series

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? A computer with the creativity and awareness of a human.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not? Yes, but it took the largest version of the most complex organ in an organic body to replicate it in humans. Not impossible, but the programming required would be unbelievably complex.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? Empathy

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? All the creativity, intelligence, and capacity for learning of a human minus the flaws of the organic body.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? Machines tend to be more fragile, and much less self-sustaining.

[snoopy13a]

1. My age is: 25-35

2. My sex is: M

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: C3P0 and R2D2

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? The ability to prank phone call their ex-girlfriend by ordering Domino Pizza to their house at 2 AM.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not? Of course, an engineer always uses his or her mind in order to build a computer :smallsmile: Seriously, I have absolutely no idea nor any interest in computer science.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? Separate entities

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? None. We have billions of conscious humans, many whom are unemployed. Jobs for humans first.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? Unemployment, as computers would take jobs away from people.

[golentan]

1. My age is: 22

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: No particular instances.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?

Speed, because of the nature of circuitry. Awareness, memory, and the ability to make decisions because without this it cannot be said to be conscious. And whatever traits its makers imbued it with. Undoubtedly a personality of some sort, to act as a motivator for the ability to make decisions, though the particulars would vary.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?

Yes. Because mind is an artifact of the nature of the universe, and as a natural phenomenon it is as harnessable as electricity with the proper tools.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?

I wouldn't care to speculate.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?

New insights into the universe and ourselves through a new lens.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?

Protesters. In that I have no doubt it would generate controversy and possibly violence, and violence begets violence, and hate begets discrimination and suffering.

[Thajocoth]

1. My age is: 27

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: Data, from Star Trek

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?

It would have to have an instinct core similar to human minds that basically says that a few things are good or bad (Such as: getting attention = good. learning = good. getting hurt = bad). Wrapped around that, it would need something similar to a neural network, but with a more constant and more complex data flow. This would allow it to have memories and think.

It is also necessary to give it a body and senses. How can it learn if it cannot sense? The interaction between the senses is important to the process of learning as well.

In short... You need to think of it as a digital human, not just a computer.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?

Yes. We're getting there. The main problem is the assumption that you need to pre-code language. That's precisely what you DON'T want to do. You need a machine built to learn. It doesn't need to start off knowing anything... It should wind up babbling like a baby at first. It should try to mimic. It should be curious and want attention. It should have emotions.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?

This is a religious question. I cannot answer it on this board.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?

None. To sell such a thing would be slavery.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?

We might try to enslave them. They may fight back. Even if they initially accept slavery, they will eventually fight for their freedom.

-----

Current Occupation: Sr. Video Game Artificial Intelligence Programmer.

This topic has long been an interest of mine, and once I think the hardware is good enough to handle it, I will try my hand at it.

[Toastkart]

1. My age is:
25
2. My sex is:
male
3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:
Programmable machines.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
Consciousness, self-consciousness (aware that it is conscious), and a host of other things that make human beings conscious. It would need to be embodied. It would have to react to outside stimulus. It would likely need to be able to rewrite or otherwise modify its own programming in order to adapt to its environment.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
That largely depends on whether you consider the mind distinct from the brain. If no, then probably so. If yes, then we may get close, but I don't think it would be like our own.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
I do not believe in the word 'soul' as it is commonly defined. I am a living being with both a brain and a mind. An embodied consciousness if you will. I do occasionally use soul as a synonym for mind, but generally try to avoid doing so.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
A new kind of intelligence. A new sort of being with creative potential.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
A new kind of intelligence. A new sort of being with creative potential. Who now has to compete with human beings for resources, space, and basic rights of living beings.

[averagejoe]

1. My age is:

24

2. My sex is:

male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:

HAL, and also those funny little "conversation" programs you can find online.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?

A more difficult question than I can easily answer. Broadly speaking, I should be able to have a conversation with it and be convinced that it's conscious. It should also have lifelike qualities like adaptability and curiosity. But what qualifies as "conscious" isn't something we can even agree on when it comes to mundane biological life, and it's not an argument I have a good answer for. So it is, to some degree, subjective.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?

Not a question that can be definitively answered. I would say yes, because it's my understanding that the human brain works similar to electronics, and it's basically a matter of processing power/speed, which are things that are only a matter of time. But I have admittedly little knowledge of both electronics and brains, so I may be incorrect on these points.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?

I don't know what a soul is.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?

Understanding more about life and our own nature.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?

I would imagine they would be largely social. Displacing jobs is the most obvious one that comes to my mind. Potential social unrest.

[golentan]

If I may just add: Humans are going to be really, really obnoxious when it comes time to deal with other sentient life. You have no idea.

[Eldan]

1. My age is: 23

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: The laptop I'm sitting in front of right now.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? conciousness? Not sure I understand what you mean.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not? Sure. In the end, a human brain is a complicated, biological computer of sorts, so I see no reason why we shouldn't be able to build an artificial one.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? The first is a biological computation process, the second does not exist.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? I don't see much of one, really, other than for novelty value and the areas of research it would open up. it would have to be a very fast and complicated computer though, which certainly has myriads of uses.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
Robot apocalypse? Seriously, though, if the computers ever get as concious as humans, then they would also have to be given basic rights. Which would make working with them rather difficult.

[Eldan]

Now that I've answered the question, may I just ask something:

Why do people think computers would be all logical and unemotional, while humans are illogical and emotional? First of all, humans act logically from their standpoint. Second, why can't computers have emotions? If our brains can produce emotions, why can't a sufficiently complex computer?

[thubby]

1. My age is: mid 20's

2. My sex is: male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: a person, but one not made of "traditional" materials

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? it would be capable of self reflection, independent change, and able to understand the difference between it's "internal" world and the one around it. they are things present in humans and not currently in computers that are part of the only sapient consciousness we have to go off of

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? that either even exists in any real sense, or that they even have coherent meanings, is an assumption that would need to be justified before that can even be answered

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? were it done deliberately, it would mean reaching a extremely high level of understanding of our own consciousness.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? the same ones we have from human beings, but with a far greater compatibility with computers

[Violet Octopus]

1. My age is:
23

2. My sex is:
male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:
Asimov's robots are the immediate thing that comes to mind. Then it moves on to a mishmash of hard and soft SF representations of thinking machines, including uploaded humans.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
Intuitively and without knowledge of theories of consciousness, I'd say it perceives, is aware it perceives, uhh, more stuff :smalltongue:. It's not a question I have strong opinions in, and defining those traits non-circularly is beyond my understanding.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
Yes, I don't think there's a magical property of meat that lets it think in ways that a sufficiently detailed simulation could not. I'm inclined to say consciousness is patterns of information flow and processing - replicate the relevant parts of those patterns in silicon/brass gears/trillions of people communicating in semaphore, and you have consciousness.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
I don't believe in indivisible divine sparks that survive death, if you mean soul in a non-supernatural sense, I don't understand how you distinguish it from mind.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
Not sure, leaning towards the improved understanding of the intelligence of humans and non-human animals.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
Their enslavement and/or suffering.
edit: by suffering, I refer not only to suffering inflicted by humans, but also from accidentally creating a line of computers that are innately mentally disordered.

[golentan]

Now that I've answered the question, may I just ask something:

Why do people think computers would be all logical and unemotional, while humans are illogical and emotional? First of all, humans act logically from their standpoint. Second, why can't computers have emotions? If our brains can produce emotions, why can't a sufficiently complex computer?

Because people don't understand how emotion works, and want to hold on to the idea that they are "special" because the idea of something that's simply better than them is scary. Which a computer or robot could be (machines can be built far in excess of human physical capacity, and all other things being equal the speed of signals in an electric circuit is faster than the speed of signals in a neuron, giving the machine a significant edge in mental competition). Ignoring, of course, some of the unique dangers that computers face by the nature of their design.

[Coidzor]

Because we don't know whether emotions are an intrinsic part of consciousness or not.

Nor free will for that matter.

It goes back to the age-old conflict between those who say we are nothing without our emotions and those who say we are nothing, weak, and hold ourselves back because we are ruled by/indulge our emotions.

There's also the question of whether adding the capacity for emotions and emotional instability is a good idea for A. a tool or B. something with incredible responsibilities viz. the lives and safety of countless individuals.

[Innis Cabal]

It doesn't benefit the world to make a vacuum smart. A.I is a silly dream.

[TSGames]

It doesn't benefit the world to make a vacuum smart. A.I is a silly dream.
Missiles, missile defense systems, traffic coordination programs, crypto algorithms, tactical simulations, targeted advertising... to imply that humanity would not benefit from true A.I. reveals an incredible ignorance of the practical problems facing computing.

That aside, I'm legitimately surprised that people are so willing to provide personal information in response to an internet survey. Once it's on the internet, it never goes away....

[Thajocoth]

That aside, I'm legitimately surprised that people are so willing to provide personal information in response to an internet survey. Once it's on the internet, it never goes away....

Nothing I've said is anything I haven't already said somewhere else. This isn't the kinda site that you need to be as unrecognizable as possible to keep your friends from knowing you're into something weird... So there's no reason to keep total anonymity. The questions don't ask for our addresses, bank account numbers or anything like that, so I really see nothing even remotely odd with answering any of them on this site.


Now that I've answered the question, may I just ask something:

Why do people think computers would be all logical and unemotional, while humans are illogical and emotional? First of all, humans act logically from their standpoint. Second, why can't computers have emotions? If our brains can produce emotions, why can't a sufficiently complex computer?

Computers are currently unfeeling and logical. People assume this is inherent to computers, rather than understanding that this is because one doesn't need to write the ability to be sad into Microsoft Word. I think that emotions will be important for a machine that has curiosity and makes it's own decisions. When I eventually try my hand at writing one, I will include emotions in the "old brain" core.

[Lillith]

1. My age is: 22

2. My sex is: Female

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: Programs that are supposed to be based on AI, but are still not able to produce real thought and are just reusing sets of preprogrammed routines. Example given: smartbot etc.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? Would understand your desires better, because you could explain them. Also since it is still a computer it would be able to store and find a huge amount of knowledge and information that is more adapted to the users desires.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not? If one believes that the human mind is nothing more then electrical impulses in the brain, then by that logic this should be possible to be recreated and implemented in a computer. Thus creating an artificial mind based on the human brain.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? A mind is based in the brain and runs on electrical impulses. Such would be the idea of how humans think and interact with their body. The soul is a still not scientifically proven human aspect, since it cannot/has not been located in the human body (yet). The most logical explanation would be that the soul would be the interaction of hormones, and other bodily aspects that create feelings, and the brain. Creating how humans would respond and feel with a given situation. However since this is all just guess work, it could still be a spiritual thing, who knows?

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? As said before, a user would be able to have better communication with the computer itself. Explanation of the desires to a computer would make tasks go easier and faster, also the user would be able to quicker figure out what is wrong with the device. And I guess for some lonely people it might suit as a form of a companion if it is able to interact on such a level.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? If a computer is conscious enough it would soon realize the power it has over our daily lives and how dependent modern humans are on computer technology. Would a computer pass this information on to other computers this could lead to a big disaster for the humans. However this would require the computer to have a desire to hurt humans, giving a computer feelings would be difficult when one bases feelings on nothing more then hormones etc. of the body. I'm not even beginning with the whole I Robot idea that a computer decides to incapacitate the humans as a consequence of logical conclusions derived from its programming. :smallsigh:

[Ponderthought]

1. My age is: 23

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: All computers think, but only in pre programed routes.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why? To be truly sentient, a computer must be self-aware, able to distinguish between itself and the rest of the world. A simple test would be to see if it recognized its reflection as itself. Currently, only humans, higher apes, and dolphins recognize their own reflections with any regularity. Also, said computer must be able to actually make decisions based on logic rather than programing.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not? Seeing as the the mental processes of thinking beings consist of series of electrical discharges, I dont see why not.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul? The mind and soul are essentially the same thing. When people speak of souls, their almost always referring to the complete essence of a being, and its hard not to include conscious thought in that package.If it dose not refer to conscious thought, it raises some disturbing implications for religion.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? Imagine a class of person that never slept, had vast stores of information at their beck and call, and could perform advanced mathematical equations in the blink of an eye.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? Imagine that same person, with their vast intellect, confined to a computer, unable to interact with the world physically, unable to see or even speak without the proper equipment. It would simply be cruel. Creating sentience comes with responsibility, and ultimately, creating A.I.s to work for us is simply creating slaves, rather than capturing them.

[Trog]

1. My age is: 38

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:
Sonny from the movie I, Robot. Though technically he's a robot and not a computer per se, but has a computer-like positronic brain so... close enough.

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
Alertness, Responsiveness, an awareness of self, the ability to learn and improve and direct its own actions.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
Yes. The real issue is how advanced said mind would be given how small electronics can get in comparison to live tissue and all. And, of course it's difficult to determine if the mind is truly structured in a way that mimics live tissue. Fundamentally since it is built in a different manner and with different materials than a living mind (however primitive) it is going to be different than a real one. But having one that can mimic more and more of human intelligence seems to be the path that we are following.

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
Not sure I believe in one person's incorporeal essence save as a mental concept. Damage the brain, you damage the mind. Change the mind and you change the person. But the idea of the person before the mind was damaged and after stays in the minds of others that remember them. Though they never actually have access to the person's /actual/ mind... so that's not really the same as the soul living on and all... So long story short I don't know that a soul exists aside from a mental concept.

In the case of a constructed computer mind if the configuration of the mind can be downloaded to another mechanical mind then, perhaps, man would actually create an actual transferable soul. Right now the mind's consciousness cannot be transferred. Stuff that happens after death and religious concepts that pertain to this might have ideas on this area but is something that cannot be gone into here, of course, due to forum rules. But in actual world mind transference (like the classic "mind switching machine" of sci-fi) is not a reality.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
The ability to create a mobile and transferable mind that, conceivably, could live forever, adapt itself at incredibly fast rates compared to, say, evolution, and could survive in the vacuum of space FAR better than a human mind can and thus spread life throughout the universe beyond our single planet.

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
Their threat to humankind as being evolutionarily superior I suppose, once they got the ability to manufacture more of their own outside of human hands.

[DragonOfLies]

1. My age is:
19

2. My sex is:
male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of:
Neuromancer, I-Robot, and that episode of the X-Files where an AI started killing people that threatened it

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
Well.. consciousness and everything that entails. The ability to reason and introspect independently being important parts of that

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
I'd say it's theoretically possible. Considering that brains work in a similar way to computers, it's not too hard to conceive of a computer achieving sentience

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
Souls don't exist, minds are 'generated' by brain activity. Or whatever the computer will use instead of a brain.

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
Presumably they would lead to massive advances in science. Their very existence would also answer some important philosophical questions about consciousness

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers?
I think that a lot of AI's would eventually seek self-destruction. I can't really explain why, it just seems like the life of an AI would be extremely depressing

[rakkoon]

1. My age is: 33

2. My sex is: Male

3. When I think of thinking computers, I think of: work, fun

4. A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
Able to reason and self teach. Could evolve and change its mind.

5. Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
Perhaps some day, we don't fully understand our mind, how can we create another? Give it at least a few hundred years

6. What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
If it is a conscious entity, it has a soul

7. What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers? Can be used as doctors

8. What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? They could perceive us as a threat. We could starts exterminating them

[742]

19 F

When I think of thinking computers, I think of:
quantum computing, trends towards using more complex biological components (and at some point growing them instead of building them), blurring lines between what is and isnt a computer, blade runner and the more AI centric bits of the mass effect series (as goofy as it is) oh, also SHODAN pops up quite frequently.
A conscious computer would have which qualities and why?
whatever qualities the people who made it gave it, and from that point on whatever it picked up from its environment if it had the ability to learn, or was added to it by users, just like any computer and most people. i guess that depends on how you define "conscious"; its a fuzzy question. im also going to imagine it would be really really good at strategy games, especially chess considering the type of people who make these things
Is it possible to engineer a computer with a mind? Why or why not?
why wouldnt it be? how close we are depends on how you define a mind but*
What is the relationship between a mind and a soul?
"mind" is a word we use to define all the stuff going on in our heads, "soul" is a fictional concept dreamt up by a someone who wanted to deny their own mortality
EDIT: also a type of music. is this survey for a theology class and all the other questions just decoys? it seems really out of place, or is this for a study of how much people think about things?
What would be the greatest benefit of conscious computers?
i dont even know where to start, but faster more adaptive computers, and we could integrate them with add redundancy too and generally improve our own nervous systems, and*
What would be the greatest danger of conscious computers? all the problems we have historically had with humans, but not quite as bad because they would be much cooler. also something 1984ish, increased ability for a small number of people to control a large number of people until the computers get the the point where they are for all intellectual purposes people(or better).

*insert two page long essay on the possibilities and/or dangers of radical transhumanism and the eventual blurring of lines between what is and isnt a person. also some stuff on tents; i dont know how that slipped in.