consciousness – CHARLES GILLINGHAM

Characters

can a computer have a “mind” in exactly the same sense that we have “minds”? Maybe the mind and the self are a kind of system of information or a pattern, analogous to the software and structured data in a computer. It’s not physical, it’s an arrangement of a set physical things that represents anContinue reading “Characters”

The Stepford Scenario

Three children sitting on a wooden porch step outside a house, with a girl on the left in a green sweater, a boy in the middle in a striped shirt, and a younger boy in an orange shirt reaching towards the camera

could you love a machine the same way you love your children? Consider this thought experiment, which is a variation on the 1972 movie “Stepford Wives”. (This version works better for parents.) If this was a movie, we would expect you to fight to death to get your children back. That’s the only way thisContinue reading “The Stepford Scenario”

The Paradox of Mary and Mark

Young boy and girl smiling, girl wearing smart glasses with cameras

What is “consciousness”? (part 2) This is a variation on Frank Jackson’s thought experiment “Mary’s Room” (1982). This much of the argument should convince you that you believe subjective consciousness is real. There is nothing confusing or mysterious about the concept. You know exactly what I mean when I say “there is a difference betweenContinue reading “The Paradox of Mary and Mark”

Ghosts and Other Invisible Stuff

what do you mean by “consciousness”? (part 1) The characters in Ghost in the Shell struggle to understand their “ghost” — their actual self, the real person beneath all the cybernetic enhancements in their bodies, brains and bloodstream. Major Motoko Kusanagi: Maybe all full-replacement cyborgs like me start wondering this. That perhaps the real meContinue reading “Ghosts and Other Invisible Stuff”

The Sixth Day

on the moment when AI comes alive Here’s a couple of examples of a common trope in science fiction. Terminator II: Judgement Day (1991): The Terminator: “… [Skynet] goes online on August, 4th 1997. Human decisions are removed from Strategic Defense. Skynet begins learning at geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. eastern timeContinue reading “The Sixth Day”

Considering Samantha

on the movie “Her” Let’s talk about the movie Her — a work of genius that goes right to the heart of a number of issues in the philosophy of artificial intelligence. The prediction at the center of the film — that a human simulation would become the world’s most popular program and people wouldContinue reading “Considering Samantha”

The Human Essence Assumption

This is an assumptions that are almost always made in science fiction, and often made in non-fiction writing about AI. I am interested in the straightforward way we understand and accept this assumption, before we have had a chance to examine it or question it, as we do when we are casually watching science fictionContinue reading “The Human Essence Assumption”

Four Assumptions About the Future of Artificial Intelligence

These four assumptions are almost always made in science fiction and popular commentary on AI or alien life. They are often made by the leaders of AI research and industry, as well as by academic futurists and professional scientists (who should know better). The Human Essence Assumption In science fiction, the essential property is calledContinue reading “Four Assumptions About the Future of Artificial Intelligence”