Humanlike Robots: Bad Idea

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A while ago I was talking to my best friend about he concept of self-aware machines. I asked him "Why should we create them?" He told me "'I've always wanted a robot for a friend."

Is this the real reason why some people want to create machines with humanlike psychology? Are there any good reasons?

Robots haven't become a problem yet but they may become a problem in the future.

Psychologists, philosophers, and that ilk would argue that, consciously or unconsciously, we work toward that goal as a method of coming to an understanding of ourselves.

You know - do we truly understand what we are until we are able to codify it in detail?

From another angle, what other kind of psychology would we make it like? how many others do we know? Don't we already anthropomorphize everything else in the universe?

From a technological standpoint we don't need to do it. We only need AI as far as it is useful. We can be inspired by nature but there is no particular reason to make it exactly like a human.

We are just fatalist enough to design something we can't switch off.

Like anything, it could go both ways, and I love how science fiction does a good job at illustrating both extremes.

Once something we can create can think for itself, how it chooses to treat us is what we need to worry about.

Forget about AI. Take genetic manipulation and cloning. CLEARLY, anything organic will have intelligence if it's an adaptation of humans or an effort to make a more "evolved" animal.

Humans, sans tools and technology, are the WEAKEST of animals on the planet where survival and adaptation is concerned. It's our intellect and ability to make and use tools that gave us the edge.

So, let's make a super-soldier who is 3 times stronger, 5 times tougher, twice as smart and more resistant to disease. We could do a la Blade Runner and limit their life spans so they can't do much harm in their lifetimes. We could take steps to ensure they can't breed.

However, biology is adaptive in ways we've not mastered. Maybe in the 2nd or 3rd generation of super soldiers we'd find they are capable of fathering children...producing hybrids with several strengths but few weaknesses. Maybe our safeguards will fail entirely. Maybe we'd be foolish to make too many of them, and they'd overpower "original" humans even if it meant the ultimate extinction of all higher-form life on Earth.

AI has only the extra safeguard of "keeping it in the box." Make intelligence with limited ability to interact with the world around it. If that gets breached, what will contain it if it decides its "creators" are not worth preserving?

Robots can be great friends. Why does that statement send shivers down spines? I have no problem with it. If humans can be lousy friends, robots can be good. Seems like robot would be the best candidate for friendship because someone might program it to be a "great friend robot" after being backstabbed nearly to death by so called friends.

Why do these discussions always veer into slave revolt concepts?

If you want a friend, get a dog. If you want an indifferent friend, get a cat. If you want a friend who will in all probability end up killing you, either get a human-form robot or start hanging out with psychopaths.

Dogs and cats are great but you can't get them to co pilot or fix a nice, gourmet meal once in a while. They won't change the channel on the tv or help you out by doing dishes when your feet ache. They can't fix the plumbing in the bathroom. A robot might could do all these and much, much more! Anything that a human might help you with, except a robot could be stronger, thus they could lift more and do what humans are too physically weak for.
It would only kill you if programmed but that could be a whole other ethical can-of-worms...folks who use their Great Friend Robots to commit suicide.

Not all Antisocial Personality Disorder sufferers have violent or homicidal tendencies. This is a negative stereotype. Also, "psychopath" is an abusive slur, so don't use that word.

How is it a slur? psychopathy is a thing.

Anyway. The reality is that right now we have trouble achieving cockroach level intelligence in software. If we get to chicken level we'll really be on to something.

A lot of work has been done on what they call natural language processing, which is what would allow you to talk to a freakin' stupid machine as though it were a person, and have it respond by pretending it's almost as smart as your dumbest friend is when he's drunk.

Another field of research is expert systems. That is to say, a program that builds a database of logical connections based on inputting a vast quantity of human-created knowledge. This goes hand-in-hand with natural language processing because we don't want to have to translate the knowledge into something that a thing as stupid as a computer can understand.

And let me tell you, computers flunked fractions in the 3rd grade. That's right, it doesn't understand 1/10th. it doesn't understand 0.1 at all. we have to break everything out into whole numbers for these dullards. there are just several layers of translation between the keyboard and the cpu that convert everything into unbelievably pedantic simplicity. Computers are DUMB.

If you saw the stunt where Watson was on Jeopardy against the humans, that is by far the pinnacle of AI technology at this point.

And some of his questions were pretty bizarre. He's like a 3 year old with a shitton of reading under his belt.

And i guarantee you that he couldn't figure out how to use the ATM at your bank without help.

So far the only practical application I've seen for Watson so far was a network of hospitals that want to use him in differential diagnosis. Basically, they would fill his memory banks with every credible medical textbook and as much case history as they can, and then when the doctors are struggling with diagnosis, they can input the details and he can behave like a moron who read a lot of books and ask a question that maybe a smart person who is blinded by superior experience didn't think to ask.

No, Antisocial Personality Disorder is a thing. "psychopathy" and "psychopath" are outdated terms, along the same lines as "lunatic", "ret*d", or "mongolian idiot." If you make psychopath and sociopath a regular part of your vocabulary, then that's a habit you need to break.

I think you mean "mongoloid idiot". "Mongolian idiot" is unfortunately not always an outdated term.

This site was founded by robotlike humans. Lots of data, no social skills.

Japanese sexbots are following Moore's Law. As far as looks go, facial expressions, and language that is not flat computer talk. Housebots can go fetch a beer, maybe put something in the microwave. Advanced development is not stepping on the cat. Cooking and going shopping are way beyond their pay grade.

Current problem, if it can walk and use its hands, it weighs more than you do. Motors, servos, batteries, add up and are high density, humans are low density, even distribution, about like a tomato. The hard parts are like hammers, and even a padded hammer will do damage.

The sexbots I have seen are head and face, the body has a lightweight skeleton and is pose able. One that could dance the Tango could kill you. I have never seen a male model.

As far as AI, one that could mop the kitchen floor is beyond computer skills.

AI can scan the internet and any search term will be targeted for a related ad. It is good at data mining, spam.

The problem, it will follow its program without fail. If told to get all self driving cars off the road by 12;00, at 12:00:01 it may drive them off the road. AI is Aspie.

Computers know shame, when they cease to function they will not tell you why. Function is being continually modified, malfunction is still function, and computers claim all functions are equal.

Trying to figure out a Windows malfunction, questioning the operating system, will bring up Copy write Notices, License Limits on decompiling Windows, and threats to report the violation to the FBI.

Help is so useless that it will ask you if the computer is plugged in, y/n, turned on, y/n, without any awareness that you could not be using help under those conditions.

Computers like Aspies cannot tell when they are being lied to. Anyone who can make actual contact can get it to give full access.

Pollard printed out several container loads of top secret documents. The most secure military system did not ask why. Also the Government paid for the paper and toner. They did not ask why.

Twenty years later Snowden wrote vast top secret data onto a flash drive. Computers and Governments have no ability to learn.

AI as a program will have a political view. It will most likely be Leftist, Government Employed, Public Employee Union. A tax and spend police state that disarmed the non government employees would suit it. More Government employees, higher wages, better heath care and retirement would be its main goal.

No one could see it, vote on it, or stop it.

Now to really upset the world, going into our spare parts kit, grafting a human voice box into the other apes, it would be instant Planet of the Apes.

We have already mixed human DNA into pigs to produce transplantable organs.

I still like humanoid robots, but mostly flesh would be the best system. Human body, robot brain, the best of both worlds.

We could use a light weight self recharging battery.

This isn't the first thread you've started wherein you claim there's a problem, but haven't actually identified one. Could you please explain why you don't want your friend to have a robot?

I prefer a machine-like or animal-like robot to human-like robot.
Perhaps plant-like is good too.