Human Control of Technology (67)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 7 min
- The Verge
- 2019
Reliance on “emotion recognition” algorithms, which use facial analysis to infer feelings. Credibility of the results in question based on inability of machines to recognize abstract nuances.
- The Verge
- 2019
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- 7 min
- The Verge
- 2019
AI ‘Emotion Recognition’ Can’t Be Trusted
Reliance on “emotion recognition” algorithms, which use facial analysis to infer feelings. Credibility of the results in question based on inability of machines to recognize abstract nuances.
Can digital artifacts potentially detect human emotions correctly? Should our emotions be read by machines? Are emotions too complex for machines to understand? How is human agency impacted by discrete AI categories for emotions?
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- 7 min
- Kinolab
- 2017
In his hunt for a missing android child, the robot police officer K visits Dr. Ana Stelline to determine if a memory of his own from his childhood is real or fabricated. Dr. Stelline is in the business of creating false memories to implant into robot’s heads in order to make them seem more believably human. She argues that having memories to lean on as one experiences the world is a cornerstone of the human experience.
- Kinolab
- 2017
Fabricated Memories and Believability
In his hunt for a missing android child, the robot police officer K visits Dr. Ana Stelline to determine if a memory of his own from his childhood is real or fabricated. Dr. Stelline is in the business of creating false memories to implant into robot’s heads in order to make them seem more believably human. She argues that having memories to lean on as one experiences the world is a cornerstone of the human experience.
Do you agree with Dr. Stelline’s assessment in this narrative? Does achieving singularity through fabricated memories truly make AI any more human, or would they still be nothing more than replicants? Conversely, what are the issues raised by uploading authentic human memories into a robot? How does that affect agency and identity of real humans, on small and large scales? What makes us human, if not our memories and consciousness, and if AI have that as well, do they achieve personhood? How do digital technologies already abstract the concept of memory, and can that be extended any further or not?
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- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 2001
David and Joe, two humanoid androids known as “Mechas,” are captured to be featured in the “Flesh Fair.” In this horrifying attraction, ringmaster Lord Johnson-Johnson destroys Mechas in front of an enthusiastic crowd using brutal and painful torture methods. However, as David begs for his own life, the crowd hesitates.
- Kinolab
- 2001
Robots and Humankind Purists
David and Joe, two humanoid androids known as “Mechas,” are captured to be featured in the “Flesh Fair.” In this horrifying attraction, ringmaster Lord Johnson-Johnson destroys Mechas in front of an enthusiastic crowd using brutal and painful torture methods. However, as David begs for his own life, the crowd hesitates.
How can it be ensured that robots which very closely resemble humans do not face unjust punishment or torture solely on the basis of being robots? How likely is humankind to be totally tolerant of androids like the Mechas? Who can properly advocate for AI rights? Would there need to be AI in government for this to be effective?
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- 12 min
- Kinolab
- 1982
In dystopian 2019 Los Angeles, humanoid robots known as “replicants” are on the loose, and must be tracked down and killed by bounty hunters. The normal role for replicants is to serve as laborers in space colonies; they previously were not meant to incorporate into human society. The first two clips demonstrate the Voigt-Kampff test, this universe’s Turing Test to determine if someone is a replicant or a human. While the android Leon is discovered and retaliates quickly, Rachel, a more advanced model of android, is able to hide her status as an android for longer because she herself believes she is human due to implanted memories. When this secret is revealed to Rachel, she becomes quite upset.
- Kinolab
- 1982
Distinguishing Between Robots and Humans
In dystopian 2019 Los Angeles, humanoid robots known as “replicants” are on the loose, and must be tracked down and killed by bounty hunters. The normal role for replicants is to serve as laborers in space colonies; they previously were not meant to incorporate into human society. The first two clips demonstrate the Voigt-Kampff test, this universe’s Turing Test to determine if someone is a replicant or a human. While the android Leon is discovered and retaliates quickly, Rachel, a more advanced model of android, is able to hide her status as an android for longer because she herself believes she is human due to implanted memories. When this secret is revealed to Rachel, she becomes quite upset.
Will “Turing Tests” such as the one shown here become more common practice if AI become seemingly indistinguishable from humans? In this universe, the principal criteria for discovering an android is seeing if they display empathy toward animals. Is this a fair criterion to judge a machine? Do all humans show empathy toward animals? If AI can replicate humans, do they need to disclose their status as an android? Why? What makes Rachel’s life less “real” than any other humans? What are the dangers of giving away human memories to AI?
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- 11 min
- Kinolab
- 1982
Roy Batty is a rogue humanoid android, known as a “replicant,” who escaped his position as an unpaid laborer in a space colony and now lives among humans on Earth. After discovering that he only has a lifespan of four years, Roy breaks into the penthouse of his creator Eldon Tyrell and implores him to find a way to prolong his life. After Tyrell refuses and lauds Roy’s advanced design, Roy kills Tyrell, despite seeing him as a sort of father figure. After fleeing from the penthouse, he is found by android bounty hunter Rick Deckard, who proceeds to chase him across the rooftops. After a short confrontation with Deckard, Roy delivers a monologue explaining his sorry state of affairs.
- Kinolab
- 1982
Meaning and Duration of Android Lives
Roy Batty is a rogue humanoid android, known as a “replicant,” who escaped his position as an unpaid laborer in a space colony and now lives among humans on Earth. After discovering that he only has a lifespan of four years, Roy breaks into the penthouse of his creator Eldon Tyrell and implores him to find a way to prolong his life. After Tyrell refuses and lauds Roy’s advanced design, Roy kills Tyrell, despite seeing him as a sort of father figure. After fleeing from the penthouse, he is found by android bounty hunter Rick Deckard, who proceeds to chase him across the rooftops. After a short confrontation with Deckard, Roy delivers a monologue explaining his sorry state of affairs.
Should robots who are modeled to act like real humans be given a predetermined, short lifespan? Should robots who are modeled to act like real humans ever be expected to complete uncompensated work? How should creators of robots give their creations the opportunity to make meaning of their lives? Who is ultimately responsible to “parent” a sentient AI?
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- 14 min
- Kinolab
- 2014
In the midst of World War II, mathematics prodigy Alan Turing is hired by the British government to help decode Enigma, the code used by Germans in their encrypted messages. Turing builds an expensive machine meant to help decipher the code in a mathematical manner, but the lack of speedy results incites the anger of his fellow coders and the British government. After later being arrested for public indecency, Turing discusses with the officer the basis for the modern “Turing Test,” or how to tell if one is interacting with a human or a machine. Turing argues that although machines think differently than humans, it should still be considered a form of thinking. His work displayed in this film became a basis of the modern computer.
- Kinolab
- 2014
Decryption and Machine Thinking
In the midst of World War II, mathematics prodigy Alan Turing is hired by the British government to help decode Enigma, the code used by Germans in their encrypted messages. Turing builds an expensive machine meant to help decipher the code in a mathematical manner, but the lack of speedy results incites the anger of his fellow coders and the British government. After later being arrested for public indecency, Turing discusses with the officer the basis for the modern “Turing Test,” or how to tell if one is interacting with a human or a machine. Turing argues that although machines think differently than humans, it should still be considered a form of thinking. His work displayed in this film became a basis of the modern computer.
How did codebreaking help launch computers? What was Alan Turing’s impact on computing, and on the outcome of WW2? How can digital technologies be used to turn the tides for the better in a war? Are computers in our age too advanced for codes to be secret for long, and is this a positive or a negative? How do machines think? Should a machines intelligence be judged by the same standards as human intelligence?