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Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

How do you rid yourself of your sentient automaton?

Asked by Hypocrisy_Central (26879points) April 16th, 2014

Taking in another viewing of A.I. Artificial Intelligence, (still one of my all-time favorite movies in spite of its weak box office draw) the thought came to me, in what manner you ordered up the automaton that is the way they will always be. If you ordered a child, he/she will never grow up, though you get much older; same if you ordered a spouse. If you had an automaton child in your 20s and it endured to your 50s, and it could be made to love you, as best as the programing can do it, and you outgrow it, what do you do with it? If the automaton cannot be reprogramed or retaught to love another owner or possessor, but its use for you is outlived, how would you ”divorce” it, for lack of a better word?

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18 Answers

ragingloli's avatar

Because I love them, I would connect them all to a supercomputer and run the ultimate torture program, forever.

Winter_Pariah's avatar

In all honesty, I don’t believe I could outgrow it. I’m too immature and childish and overflowing with pranks and other malicious and devious deeds and ideas.

But if I were to outgrow it, well, I suppose I’d have to kill it. Literally tossing away something that loves you and is incapable of fending for itself is akin to tossing out your old toothless, hip displaced, blind, cancer ridden, dementia suffering dog to fend for itself. So like said dog, put it down. Maybe lie to the child, tell it that programmers found a way to give it a sleep cycle akin to Uncle Winter.

dappled_leaves's avatar

Sentient automatons are not just for Christmas, they’re for life.

zenvelo's avatar

Yank the batteries. Then stick it in a closet.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@Winter_Pariah @zenvelo So like said dog, put it down. Maybe lie to the child, tell it that programmers found a way to give it a sleep cycle akin to Uncle Winter.
Yank the batteries. Then stick it in a closet.
What would you say to those who feel because it can ”love” and knows it does, that powering it down, destroying it, etc. against its will is tantamount to murdering it. To stick it in a closet is to take up room, then what? If the automaton was a full-sized woman or man, what woulkd you say to it, if anything, as to why you no longer wish it in your life?

Winter_Pariah's avatar

It’s not such much what I’d say, but what I’d do. You set up the situation so that we must get rid of it in some manner. So I’d probably give it a day/week/month/year/etc. of fun and activities it enjoys doing. And then lie about the sleeping program. Well, I suppose it’s more of a white lie, but a lie nonetheless. What other options are available to the child? An existence of longing and misery? Killing it would be far more merciful in my opinion. So put it to sleep as I said originally and let it’s parts be recycled because in some twisted sense, that would be giving it new life. Or maybe bury it like a pet or human being.

As for the adult versions, if they’re anything like the pleasure dolls… well, I can’t imagine a situation in which you could make this horndog get rid of it. I mean, it’d practically be the perfect partner anyway, it can’t bear children, I don’t exactly want children and would rather not have to wear a condom.

zenvelo's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central It can’t love, it’s a robot. It can pretend to love, it can seem to love,but it is a robot. And it doesn’t “know” or “feel”, it just has clever programming feedback to alter it’s next response.

I’d stick it in a closet until I had someone to give it to so they could play too.

ragingloli's avatar

@zenvelo
That is just racism.

zenvelo's avatar

@ragingloli human racism. It’s not really racism, it’s anti-machine.

Winter_Pariah's avatar

I just love the excuses and reasoning people give for machines never being more than merely than a machine and constantly change and raise the standard for what is AI and what is not.

Gotta pity DART.

zenvelo's avatar

@Winter_Pariah It’s not an excuse or a reasoning, it’s a statement of fact. AI is not the creation of life; that smacks of hubris.

What is DART?

Winter_Pariah's avatar

I never claimed that AI is the creation of life nor would I ever assume so.

Sentience however, is another matter all together.

DART is a rapid adaptive logistics AI program that was immediately declared not AI despite meeting the general beliefs of what an AI program should be at the time of it’s introduction. Note that sentience and emotions as requirements for something to be AI are fairly new.

ragingloli's avatar

PICARD: Do you like Commander Data?
MADDOX: I don’t know it well enough to like or dislike it.
PICARD: But you do admire him?
MADDOX: Oh, yes it is an extraordinary piece of . .
PICARD: . . of engineering and programming, yes you have said that. You have dedicated your life to the study of cybernetics in general and Data in particular.
MADDOX: Yes.
PICARD: And now you intend to dismantle him.
MADDOX: So I can learn to construct more.
PICARD: How many more.
MADDOX: As many as are needed. Hundreds, thousands if necessary. There is no limit.
PICARD: A single Data, and forgive me Commander, is a curiosity, a wonder even. But thousands of Datas isn’t that becoming a race. And won’t we be judged by how we treat that race? Now tell me Commander, what is Data?
MADDOX: I don’t understand
PICARD: What is he?
MADDOX: A machine.
PICARD: Are you sure
MADDOX: Yes.
PICARD: You see he has met two of your three criteria for sentience. What if he meets the third, consciousness, in even the slightest degree? What is he then? I don’t know. Do you? Do YOU [turning to the judge]? Well that’s the question you have to answer. Your Honor, the courtroom is a crucible. In it we burn away irrelevancies until we are left with a pure product, the truth, for all time. Now sooner or later this man (MADDOX) or others like him will succeed in replicating Commander Data. Your ruling today will determine how we will regard this creation of our genius. It will reveal the kind of people we are, what he is destined to be. It will reach far beyond this courtroom and this one android. It could significantly redefine the boundaries of personal liberty. Expanding them for some, savagely curtailing them for others. Are you prepared to condemn him, and all those who come after him, to servitude and slavery? Your honor, Starfleet was founded to seek out new life—well there it sits. Waiting. You wanted a chance to make law. Well here’s your chance, make it a good one.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@Winter_Pariah You set up the situation so that we must get rid of it in some manner.
Well, of course destruction, or rendering it inactive, de facto killing it by some, would be the low hanging fruit. Since it cannot really be given to another, the only other option that seems to come anywhere close to getting rid of it but not its destruction seems to be some sort of retirement community. That was the only thing I could think of off your answer. Maybe someone else would have a better solution.

As for the adult versions, if they’re anything like the pleasure dolls… well, I can’t imagine a situation in which you could make this horndog get rid of it.
What if it wanted to interact with you in more ways than just sex? What it ”she” wanted to go on picnics, out to the museum, play some tennis etc.? Eventually you would get to old to keep up physically, game wise or for sex. ”She”, on the other hand would still be the same with the same level of physicality and libido. You might grow tired of always having a mate that now looks like your daughter in your older years always wanting to do things your body is telling you ’no way, been there, done that’.

Winter_Pariah's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central Then we have a case of the backhand followed by a bitch, please!

On a more serious note, I’d love to do all those things with her. As for age, that’s a non issue for me. I’m looking at being good as or effectively dead by 40 and “optimistically” dead by 50 (43–45 being the realistic estimate). Pretty sure considering how I maintain my body as of now – which is in a manner I intend to continue, I’d be able to keep up with her up until the chemicals in me finally render me kaput.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

^ As for age, that’s a non issue for me. I’m looking at being good as or effectively dead by 40 and “optimistically” dead by 50 (43–45 being the realistic estimate).
What are you doing, smoking 6 packs a day while washing it down with 4 fifth of whisky topped off with 20 grams of heroin? ~~

Winter_Pariah's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central Chemical spill when I was a child. My brain – physically – right now is akin to that of a 45 year old. Like I said in other threads, I came to terms with my existence at a young age.

And yeah, I’ve taken up smoking. Doesn’t really fucking matter anymore.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@Winter_Pariah Chemical spill when I was a child
Hope your folks got a real prick of a lawyer and you got bank for it.

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