Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!mit-eddie!mit-vax!eagle!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!DRogers@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA From: DRogers@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Newsgroups: net.ai Subject: just a reminder... Message-ID: <13648@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Sun, 13-Nov-83 16:14:06 EST Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.13648 Posted: Sun Nov 13 16:14:06 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 17-Nov-83 02:31:04 EST Lines: 58 From: David Rogers Artificial intelligence promises to alter the world in enormous ways during our lifetime; I believe it's crucial for all of us to look forward to the effects our our work, both individually and collectively, to make sure that it will be to the benefit of all peoples in the world. It seems to be tiresome to people to remind them of the incredible effect that AI will have in our lifetimes, yet the profound mature of the changes to the world made by a small group of researchers makes it crucial that we don't treat our efforts casually. For example, the military applications of AI will dwarf that of the atomic bomb, but even more important is the fact that the atomic bomb is a primarily military device, while AI will impact the world as much (if not more) in non-military domains. Physics in the early part of this century was at the cutting edge of knowledge, similar to the current place of AI. The culmination of their work in the atomic bomb changed their field immensely and irrevocably; even on a personal level, researchers in physics found their lives greatly impacted, often shattered. Many of the top researchers left the field. During our lifetimes I think we will see a similar transformation, with the "fun and games" of these heady years turning into a deadly seriousness, I think we will also see top researchers leaving the field, once we start to see some of our effects on the world. It is imperative for all workers in this field to formulate and share a moral outlook on what we do, and hope to do, to the world. I would suggest we have, at the minimum, a three part responsibility. First, we must make ourselves aware of the human impact of our work, both short and long term. Second, we must use this knowledge to guide the course of our research, both individually and collectively, rather than simply flowing into whatever area the grants are flowing into. Third and most importantly, we must be spokespeople and consciences to the world, forcing others to be informed of what we are doing and its effects. Researches who still cling to "value-free" science should not be working in AI. I will suggest a few areas we should be thinking about: - Use of AI for offensive military use vs. legitimate defense needs. While the line is vague, a good offense is surely not always the best defense. - Will the work cause a centralization of power, or cause a decentralization of power? Building massive centers of power in this age increases the risk of humans dominated by machine. - Is the work offering tools to extend the grasp of humans, or tools to control humans? - Will people have access to the information generated by the work, or will the benefits of information access be restricted to a few? Finally, will the work add insights into ourselves a human beings, or will it simply feed our drives, reflecting our base nature back at ourselves? In the movie "Tron" an actor says "Our spirit remains in each and every program we wrote"; what IS our spirit? David