I’m working on NeverWorld, a sci-fi future story and I’m trying to design an Artificial Intelligence that would narrate part of my story and be the one who runs NeverWorld, an alternative interactive world.
I've written down some questions and hoping to start a discussion here, if anyone has the time. Here are my thoughts.
The AI would obviously have some basic literacy skills and be capable enough to deal with expanding the program it’s designed to run. But, thought number one, Is it capable of learning if it's kept in a closed loop? Would it have to be taught everything or could it learn from listening and going inside people's minds to learn, too?
How intelligent do you think the AI needs to be to create a seamless, flawless world and keep it operating effectively so that people would not know it’s artificial? There would be an advantage to keeping it dumber as long as it could do it's job.
But this would be a preMatrix society where for safety, all AI’s are keep separated and isolated from each other. Mankind wants to take advantage of their brainpower and usefulness, but fears what would happen if AI’s were to network and share. Think Terminator and skynet.
What would an AI desire or dream of? Would it understand the concept of freedom? Would it have any reason to want to dominate and control mankind?
If an AI is created by mankind, would it be like us only able to process faster? Or could it’s interests be different? Would it’s desire simply be to grow, expand, and acquire knowledge?
AI’s are featured in many shapes and forms throughout the world of sci-fi, but what would an isolated AI be like? Could some areas of its brain be stunted or underdeveloped? Could an AI be genius smart in some parts of its brain and remain ignorant of desires?
Could you write rules into its core like Asimov’s three laws of robotics or is that nonsense? Would an AI follow rules limiting it’s power, behavior, and desires or do you think it would jump ship?
I would appreciate hearing any thoughts you have to share. thx
Comments
aha
Hello, Bibliophage / Troy:
If I may disagree (politely and not combatively) -
In “The Modern Prometheus,” Dr. Frankenstein created his creature not to have an automaton, but as an experiment for creating life. Mary Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein was a true experimental scientist, and wanted to discover the mechanisms of life, not to create an automaton. That was, after all, why she called her book, “The Modern Prometheus” - just as Prometheus thirsted for knowledge and stole fire from the gods and gave it to man, Frankenstein also sought knowledge, and sought to give the power of creation of life to the world. And, in the continuation of the story, the so-called “monster” was revealed to be a thinking person and not any automaton.
As to the Golem - in modern Hebrew and current colloquial Yiddish, “golem” means a dim-witted or stupid person. But in the Jewish Talmud, there are many references: Adam was originally a golem, and, later, a rabbi created a golem, but since it couldn't speak, he got rid of it.
In the Middle Ages, getting inspiration from some other ancient books, but mostly from instructions in a book by the jewish chemist and writer from the Middle Ages named Eleazar Rokeach, some jews supposedly created golems, as well as one Jewish poet who made a female domestic golem to do house chores (most of these unsupported stories happening in Germany at the time).
The most famous Golem account was, of course, the 16th century Golem of Prague, where a Golem was created to defend Jews from anti-semitic attacks.
These are all unconfirmed stories, of course, and are more like our equivalent of urban legends.
Here, I suppose you’re right, that golems were sort of robots (although strictly speaking, automatons are mechanical devices made to imitate humans while golems are not mechanical at all, and are more magical or mystical creations) - that they were created to do work for men, although in the original, men actually started out as golems, so the question is whether golems are automatons or are actually proto-humans. Anyway - just a lot of history - just showing off a bit. But I am agreeing with you re Golems being like robots, but I am not with you on "The Modern Prometheus."
You might be interested, BTW, to look for a really, really old movie called “It!” or "Curse of the Golem," starring Roddy McDowall - it’s a story about a man who finds the Golem of Prague and uses it for his evil purposes. It’s a little hokey now, but the movie has it own Hammer-ish vibe and is creepy just on its own.
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two things to watch
Sword art online series both seasons and movie. AND altered carbon. Both deal with ai in altered worlds.
yes
Thank you for sharing. AI's are prevalent throughout sci-fi; that's why I asked for some clarification on a layman's level. Some seem to be grounded science and some probability. I'm carefully cutting and pasting everything that is said and will use it as a reference when I take the story to its conclusion.
The best part is the variations I'm learning about that fits into my what I have already written.
It's all so much fun.
The simplest thing I can
The simplest thing I can suggest, despite my long windedness above, is to remember the 'Artificial' in AI. Also, that Intelligence doesn't mean smart. It means all sorts of things for different people, and intelligent for a horse is still dumb as a rock.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Character growth
I suggest that you set your story at the point where the AI is beginning to grow beyond its programming. Something like:
User BobJenkins782 had been running the Bartender Simuloid in The Ace of Diamonds through all of its canned conversation snippets, so Master Control intervention was required. I spawned a new simuloid, whose appearance matched 92.3% of BobJenkins782's mating preferences, and had her enter the bar. None of the simuloid conversation profiles provided by my human programmers seemed to fit, so I took direct control and built the personality at runtime, something I'd never tried before. Borrowing the sexy walk from User EmmaNichols915, I strode over and sat beside him. "Buy a girl a drink?"
wanna write a chapter?
LOL. Dear Jennifer, Love this. My story is not going to be quite as elaborate. My AI will create the world, so if an avatar digs a hole it will look exactly like a hole being dug. Maybe there will be elaborate programs that the AI learns to create. Walking down the street will feel like walking down the street.
Here's some story that I wrote a while back to start seeing my thoughts on paper:
She smiled reassuringly. “I’m going to take you inside NeverWorld. This is nothing new for a seasoned hand like you. Try to relax. I’m sure you’re going to do very well.”
Randy slipped on the familiar looking helmet and lightweight gloves. He flexed his fingers as Mrs. Jones typed a password on her tablet. As the program started up, he felt the usual feeling of disembodied weightlessness. He felt his mind emptying as everything around him faded to a soft white all-enveloping fog. After years of playing NW, he knew the helmet allowed the program to link into his cerebral cortex. It took a minute to complete the connection.
When the link was one hundred percent complete, Randy found himself inside NeverWorld sitting in a chair at a large table inside a conference room.
The transition into NeverWorld was seamless. It was as real as the world he just came from. He could smell the furniture polish on the table. His wooden chair squeaked slightly as he made himself comfortable. He could feel the air move on his cheek as the air conditioning circulated filtered air through the large room.
Randy looked up and tried to see out the large windows but the glass was opaque and only allowed light to filter into the room. He couldn’t recall anything but perfect weather in NeverWorld. Obviously, world climate change had never visited the simulation.
Sorry, I've had a spot of beer.
So If I don't make any sense at all, just tell me to go to my room.
I'm guessing that the AI might take on the personal attributes of the one who created her.
Gnite.
Gwen
One variation of that...
... has been used a few times is, the imprinting of a copy of the creators brain. And of course the creator(s) would program in their own values.
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