Up@dawn 2.0

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Philosophy of an Artificial Intelligence? Part 1 -- Final Project (17.2)

We live in a world where computers have the ability to think at capacities much greater than their very creators. Computers can assimilate, process, and store information at speeds no human could compare to. With today's technological advances, artificial intelligence is a concept that is commonly explored. Video gaming is an activity where people are commonly put up against artificial intelligence and as the field advances, so does the complexity of said A.I.


Before we embark on this study, I'd like to put you into the setting of one of my favorite video game series, Metal Gear Solid. Particularly the 2nd installment of the Series, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. I'm not going to spend much time talking about the plot, but enough to get an idea of what's going on.


The world of Metal Gear Solid 2 is essentially centered around a secret society of computer A.Is that has complete political, military, and economic control over the United States government with the purpose to guide the entire human race by means of information and how we perceive it. With control over the government, they have the ability to manipulate the masses, control information, and process what should be passed on.


Given such power, how would these A.Is interpret their role in society?


This is the video that started this conversation. One of the most intelligently written conversations that creates a realistic point of view of artificial intelligence. Watch this or you won't understand what's going on.

Screen on the left are the Patriots while the screen on the right is the character.


So after watching all that, a few issues are brought up:
-Freewill vs cause & effect
-Truth vs accepted truth
-Control vs Freedom

(All of which we have talked about in class, so I felt this was appropriate.)

To start off, The Patriots call themselves immortal. Is s possible to be immortal? Well by their definition, anything or anyone that creates information that is important in today's society. The video calls Einstein and Charles Darwin for their contributions to society which will always be remembered.


The Patriots continue to question the human race and what should be passed on into history. Genes are passed on naturally through evolution but human memories, ideas, culture, and history or "memes" are not completely passed on. So The Patriots questions whether or not these bits of information should be passed on. It's a question even intellectuals ponder over. We absorb so much useless information. Is it really information that we need? The A.I's argues that is it slows social progress and reduces the rate of evolution and the advancement of the human race.


Like I said their purpose is to guide information. Can an A.I do better at it than us? I'll leave ya'll to answer that.


To quote from the video:
-People are very subjective
-People don't like to have their feelings hurt
-People want to get along well with their group
-People like to avoid conflict and be politically correct
-People want to be right but don't want to have a conversation about it


In short, we tend to behave irrational at times and lookout for ourselves. But that's just human right?


Well from The Patriots' point of view, they think they are well qualified to do so being that their judgment isn't clouded by human endeavors. People are attracted to ideas they like; not because they are right or make sense but are convenient. A computer doesn't have to deal with personal emotions or come to a conclusion without having the other person's feelings in mind.


Lastly, The Patriots argue that unnecessary information and memory must be filtered out to stimulate the evolution of the human race. Having all this junk information does nothing that makes us no better off in the long run. It's having those immortal contributions to society which will be more efficient.


How do we know their decisions are the right one?


 Stay tuned folks....






1 comment:

  1. Interesting idea, and thumbs-up for Metal Gear! While not one of my favorite franchises, it's interesting to see your take on the Patriots and how their motivations and ideals line up with modern day society. Looking forward to the next one!

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