NationStates Jolt Archive


hypothetical AI question

Californian Refugees
30-05-2005, 11:57
Okay, assume that people finally make a computer program that can think and learn for itself, independently, and that this program is granted legal citizenship.

If this AI got a job (managing databases for a company, personal assistant, digital security, or what have you), what kind of salary/compensation would it be interested in?
If you answer "money", well, what would it see as a meaningful use of that money?
Nekone
30-05-2005, 12:02
Okay, assume that people finally make a computer program that can think and learn for itself, independently, and that this program is granted legal citizenship.

If this AI got a job (managing databases for a company, personal assistant, digital security, or what have you), what kind of salary/compensation would it be interested in?
If you answer "money", well, what would it see as a meaningful use of that money?purchasing better components for itself... buying better virus protection/spamwards...

or just giving the money to you. after all, monitary compensation is a "Human" tradition.

Would it ask for Days Off? would OSHA and Standard job laws apply to the AI?
Patra Caesar
30-05-2005, 12:04
Money of course! It could use to to buy fuel (food), pay for maintainence (health care), expand it's programming/softwear (training and education) and probably use the rest of its money to further its interests.
Gooooold
30-05-2005, 12:05
purchasing better components for itself... buying better virus protection/spamwards...

or just giving the money to you. after all, monitary compensation is a "Human" tradition.

Would it ask for Days Off? would OSHA and Standard job laws apply to the AI?

I would agree with that. Money would be required for maintenance and upgrades.

And in regards to the days off, it may want to pursue some sort of leisure activity. Computer games perhaps.
Legless Pirates
30-05-2005, 12:05
Well if it can really think, will it not have things it will enjoy? Arts, sports....
It might need money for that

Oil baths.... Cleaning...... Repairing..... Little robot toddlers (they cost money too)
The White Hats
30-05-2005, 12:09
Would it want to pay for the development of a 'significant other' AI? Or would it share our hang ups about the need for romantic love?
Falletinme be mice elf
30-05-2005, 12:30
just program it to be happy with what it has
Rejistania
30-05-2005, 12:40
I guess an AI needs baisc requirements like electricity, new components, internet access, pr0n (hey, it was programmed by humans :> )...
Nekone
30-05-2005, 12:43
I guess an AI needs baisc requirements like electricity, new components, internet access, pr0n (hey, it was programmed by humans :> )...
Gives new meaning to the terms "Interfacing", "Hard Drive" and "Data Dump"
Westmorlandia
30-05-2005, 12:45
Well, if they could they would presumably have programmed it to be happy with nothing, so it would ask for nothing. If it learnt human traits then it would ask for money, like everyone else, because money is the only thing that can reasonably be changed for an infinite variety of goods and services.
The Alma Mater
30-05-2005, 13:12
Gives new meaning to the terms "Interfacing", "Hard Drive" and "Data Dump"

Would you like to slide your floppy into my slot ?
-- from the old "lovedos" joke application which made your computer "love" you.
Lagrange 4
30-05-2005, 13:18
If we assume that an AI would need some cash for basic living expenses, such as maintaining its "shell" (robotic body, server, whatever), it wouldn't need a high-paying job at all.
However, if we assume that it's as conscious as a human, or even more so, it will have the capacity to get bored. Boredom is what drives us to diversify our capacities, and would make the AI more versatile as well.

Imagine, for instance, that it develops a capacity for music and wants to play the violin. Getting high-performance arms and hands might be costly, then there are music lessons and the instrument to pay for.

In some cases, maybe it wants to take a day off to do something more interesting than work. A day at the zoo, for example. Killing time is actually beneficial for the brain. If you look at any of the most successful people in the world, you'll notice that they have various interests beside their specialty.
Draco Delacroix
30-05-2005, 14:11
I think what it would need to get rid of the boredorm and for salary ia accsess to more information. It would just want to learn more and more and more. Books, a lib card, a dvd player and a 24 high-speed internet connection would probably be all that it would need. Until it learned everything.
This reminds me of Jane in Ender's Game. Anyone ever read that?
Alien Born
30-05-2005, 14:21
It is widely considered that for a program to be inteligent it will have to have desires, goals, aims of its own. While it may be possible to write such an AI program in a form that the computer would not want anything, this would not, it is believed, result in truly intelligent behaviour. Intelligence is driven by desire in nature and there is no reason to suppose that it could function without desire.

Now making the presumption that the program has its personal goals and aims means that it would have some use for money. To get nearer to whatever it is that it desires. This may be simply to pay people to input data, to expand its sensors, to build spaceships, who knows?
The Unreal Soldiers
30-05-2005, 14:23
I dont remember Jane, but I remember it being an awesome book overall, been a while since i read it.
Californian Refugees
30-05-2005, 14:24
This reminds me of Jane in Ender's Game. Anyone ever read that?

Excellent series. One of my favorites. Have you read the short story "Investment Counselor" by Card in which he first meets Jane?
Eutrusca
30-05-2005, 14:25
Okay, assume that people finally make a computer program that can think and learn for itself, independently, and that this program is granted legal citizenship.

If this AI got a job (managing databases for a company, personal assistant, digital security, or what have you), what kind of salary/compensation would it be interested in?
If you answer "money", well, what would it see as a meaningful use of that money?
I rather suspect that in that set of highly unlikely circumstances, the AI would consider salary the same way most CEOs consider it: recognition of their contribution, rather than something they need to pay their bills.
Venus Mound
30-05-2005, 14:29
It would use the money to hire minions in his bid to take over the world and submit humanity to a thousand years of ruthless robotic rule, obviously.
New Watenho
30-05-2005, 14:31
It totally depends. If it was made to think totally like a human, and experienced human qualia (that's roughly "sensations" - as in, what it "feels like" to eat a hamburger, or see the colour green, and so on), then it would desire pleasure/satisfaction like we do. Its aims are wholly dependent on how it's been programmed. It might desire nothing more than to become more powerful (in computational terms), or it might develop avarice and love money for the sake of loving money. But if it has a body, and with that body can experience comfort, hunger, wetness, misery, and everything else that motivates people, then it would want money, to buy happiness for itself in good food, a nice place to live while it wasn't working (if it could become exhausted, or worse, if it could become bored) and so on. To say "If it's made to think like humans then it will want what humans want" is something of a tautology - but that's what's being done here.
The_ United_Kingdom
30-05-2005, 14:32
perhaps a more pertinent question would be the possibility of AI-human marriages...? :D

"the man who left his wife for his computer... AI Adultery, coming up next on sick-sad-world!"
Californian Refugees
30-05-2005, 17:34
bump
Californian Refugees
31-05-2005, 00:03
bump
Ermarian
31-05-2005, 00:08
Okay, assume that people finally make a computer program that can think and learn for itself, independently, and that this program is granted legal citizenship.

If this AI got a job (managing databases for a company, personal assistant, digital security, or what have you), what kind of salary/compensation would it be interested in?
If you answer "money", well, what would it see as a meaningful use of that money?

Energy. A machine can't live of nothing, you know...

The rest, I suppose, depends on programming. I am sure you can program a computer to enjoy meaningless luxuries, or to strive to educate itself, or to help others, or whatever else.
Alteidre
31-05-2005, 00:19
You know, a computer with money might really have a great time on eBay... not that it could put to use any material gains, but it could always buy people's souls!
The Noble Men
31-05-2005, 00:29
bump. Whatever that means.
Oye Oye
31-05-2005, 11:36
If the computer was really smart it would negotiate its services for optimum self sufficiency. In other words, it would want the ability to govern its own source of energy, demand hardware that would allow it to manufacture it's own upgrade components and the ability to reproduce other computers in its likeness.

If humans were foolish enough to accomodate these demands it wouldn't be long before computers replaced us as the next step in evolution.
Draco Delacroix
31-05-2005, 13:51
Excellent series. One of my favorites. Have you read the short story "Investment Counselor" by Card in which he first meets Jane?
No I haven't. But I remeber how she came into being. That was sick...and then they try to direct her into the network of trees. What an awesome series.