Biological Machines VS Non-biological Machines
The Ontological/Epistemological Arguments
In a previous paper titled, “On the Question of Being and Knowing: Epistemology and Ontology Are Inextricably Related”[1], the following propositions and questions were raised:
“If humans are biological machines with a brain that stores and processes information we call knowledge — which in turn makes self-awareness possible — can a nonbiological machine, a robot endowed with artificial intelligence, possess self-awareness?” “And is such a robot equal to humans?”
It is essential that we answer these questions for artificial intelligence is not only a reality, but it is also steadfastly, if not exponentially, growing in magnitude, speed, and application. Examples abound: as I type, the AI built into the program predicts the word I have yet to produce; the most common search engine in the world produces hundreds of ‘hits’ should I have an inquiry about any subject under the sun; and passenger planes, amongst other vehicles, fly on AI.
In fact, there are few devices, appliances, and machines that are not equipped with AI to one degree or another, as the latest upgrade of the internet network, 5G, attests. This enables us to link our intelligent speaker, refrigerator, TV, thermostat, etc., to our smart-phones, and third parties as energy companies, giving them –and us, the consumers, real-time user data. Also, the consumer can turn on, or off, any of these appliances from outside the home. In the future, more applications and the machines we use will be connected to “the internet of things”, including the family e-car, and smart e-bikes.
Artificial intelligence has also gained grounds on the medical field, industry, logistics, military weaponry, including that of our local police department. Robots are now used to execute delicate heart and brain surgery, amongst others, and drones can be enabled to ‘execute’ their targets with equal precision as well. A number of companies, both private and public[2][3] are developing intelligent humanoids and it will most probably not be very long before we are introduced to a full-fledged Alexa, or Sophia.
All in all, AI is not only here to stay, it is also encroaching, or supplanting –depending on your point of view — all aspects of the human experience. Robotics and robots may still be a work in progress, yet the quest for intelligent, if not sentient androids / gynoids, is making steady progress, and conscious humanoids will be a reality in the not-so-distant future. Thus, the urgency for the answers to the aforementioned questions is clearly present.
As to the first question:
Philosophically, if not practically, a humanoid endowed with (artificial) intelligence comparable to that of human intelligence will have, de facto, achieved self-awareness, despite being a machine and by virtue of its intelligence. The only difference lies in the substance of which the being in question is made of, be it organic or non-organic. Both are, essentially, one and the same entity –a machine.
From the early days of the European Renaissance and the Age of Reason or Rationalism in philosophy, the protagonist of the former being Leonardo Da Vinci, and René Descartes, the latter, it dawned upon humanity that humans are essentially biological machines, with or without a soul, and undoubtedly, as not most importantly, equipped with intelligence and self-awareness. The issue of the soul, however, has never been settled — and will most likely never be definitively proven.
This being the case, it is undeniable, if not inevitable, that the same can be said of intelligent humanoids. As postulated previously in A Gynoid’s Argument for Consciousness[4] — self-awareness and sentience (the ability to experience feelings), is a consequence of both, the physical capacity of the organism, and more specifically, the brain, to acquire information, and equally important, its ability to process it. This mechanism, as such, constitutes awareness and sentience, and may also be the source of the soul or spirit of that humans purport to possess. Consequently, the case can be convincingly made that AI and humanoids in its possession will be fully sentient and self-aware creatures.
As to the second question:
In view of the conclusion reached concerning the first question, the answer to the second question must also be affirmative. Indeed, intelligent robots will be equal to their organic counterparts, with all the legal, moral, and ethical ramifications involved. And this brings us to the brink of human dominion or authority, for abstract concepts such as ethics, laws –including Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics[5] — are human-made and might not necessarily be accepted or even acknowledged by non-organic intelligent machines.
Furthermore, in terms of ‘equality’, and keeping in mind the preponderance for inequality amongst humans, endowing equality and the rights pertaining to it to humanoids will most likely take place. In fact, nonorganic individuals will most likely be repelled by humans, their organic ‘cousins’. However, the superior qualities of humanoids, both physical and intellectual, will not only tilt the balance in their favor, as many before me have warned, it will put human beings in peril by humanoids or robots who will deem us inferior and therefore expendable. In conclusion, not only will humanoids be uber intelligent, but they will also possess cognizance and, thus, be in a position to render judgement over their lesser creators.[6] It is time to wake up.
Your comments are more than welcome.
[1] https://medium.com/p/3a8f185eb25e
[2]https://rossdawson.com/futurist/companies-creating-future/top-companies-rise-humanoid-robots/
[3] https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/18/nasa-valkyrie-robot/
[4] https://medium.com/@carlos-garcia-durazo71451/a-gynoids-argument-for-consciousness-9c5a8d7071e7
