Ok I see the point of the argument. But I cannot say I agree with it. Since it presupposes that if humanity is no longer forced to do everything then humanity as a whole will regress. Now I agree that there will be a sub population that would choose if allowed to let the machines do everything. But I believe people end up like that when there upbringing doesn't train them to do something with their life or they are emotionally stunted. Even then some people allowed to do anything they want eventually find something that they like doing. The worst case scenario that could potentially evolve from my perspective is a reduction beyond some critical point where we can no longer operate the technology that gave us such wide ranging control. But I personally feel that can only happen if humanity as a whole decides to stop exploring the unfathomably large universe laid out before us. So in a way space exploration is our salvation.williatw wrote:
I get it...as H.G. Wells might have said the Eloi and the Morlocks. We (or future we) are the Eloi...”r” selected (or maybe at some point deliberately engineered) toward physical (& mental) helpless docility. The "Morlocks" our robotic/cyborg "servants" increasingly doing more and more serving us; and as a result pushing us toward complete imbecilic dependency. At first our wealthy elites would probably approve as most of us the unwashed masses procreation dwindled. Only unlike the Well's Morlocks the robots wouldn't ultimately need us even as food or anything else...our numbers gradually dwindling even as advanced tech causes our life expectancies to increase; pushing toward racial extinction. And that doesn't even require that they (the machines) actively do us in; the end result about the same.djolds1 wrote:No. That painting is from before the Butlerian Jihad. Those are the computers and robots that were turning humans into animals. That is a depiction of the Pre-Jihad lotus-eater utopia that the Bene Gesserit overthrew.
Also, the event depicted can only occur if Sentient Strong AI is created. Now we may end up with the ability to create a Sentient Strong AI, and do limited deployments of it. But implementing Sentient Strong AI for every task that a Weak AI robot is used for I do not believe is a forgone conclusion. Think of all the dangerous and perverse tasks humanity will make robots take part in, without any consideration or thanks. It is going to take a very very very long time for us to be comfortable with making our tools sentient, mainly because the user/tool relationship does not lend itself to the tool having a mind of its own. Personally I think if Sentient Strong AI is developed the best case would be for them to be granted person-hood. Which would entitle them to the same rights and motivations as the rest of humanity; think Data. Which means they would be leveraging the tools we created instead of being pushed into an eternity of servitude. Now that carries with it some interesting repercussions, as humanity has never known what it is like to live with its creator. So granting person-hood to a Sentient AI would force us to deal with something for which we have no experience. On its face it would be an exciting prospect and definitely something I would hope humanity would strive to figure out. But I am also aware that their will be many missteps along that path.
Edit:
The most recent sci-fi to attempt to tackle this idea is called Almost Human. It aired on fox for one truncated season before it was cancelled, like all good sci-fi. In the show there are two types of androids the MX, which are purely logic based, and are made to avoid all the unwanted qualities you get from a Sentient android being used as a tool. Then there are the DRN's; which were made to be Sentient, unfortunately like all sentient beings they have their quirks like suffering from effectively PTSD from their time dealing with crime as detectives in a post-apocalyptic city. As you have probably guessed in the timeline of the show the DRN's were made first but shelved in favor of the MX's. Though the MX's are technically a downgrade as they cannot really be detectives more like bodyguards for human detectives and replacement/filler for beat cops.