Ethics & Intelligence
We seem to spend a lot of effort these days on computers and creating artificial intelligence despite a lack of apparent full comprehension of what our own intelligence is made of. Would it be unethical to genetically alter lesser animals that they can be as intelligent as us? I think some countries have been given the green light to create half human and mouse hybrids to help bridge the difference when doing medical research, but in the event that they become too sentient they are to be destroyed. But should they? Can we even learn from other animals that we can actually communicate with?
Comments (7)
Your comment, "creating artificial intelligence despite a lack of apparent full comprehension of what our own intelligence is made of" is apropos. How will we know, for instance, that "artificial" intelligence is "real"? Other than being vastly quicker at many kinds of data processing, faster/cheaper/better, I don't know what the advantage of AI would be.
Most vary difficult human problems are insoluble because of human will, wishes, fantasies, obscurantism, stupid ideas, and so forth. We can figure out how to solve all sorts of our problems, but if people don't want to cooperate, then nothing much will get done. The Taliban seems to be stuck in a medieval frame of mind which is pretty much all around bad news. Is AI going to straighten their thinking out? How about people who are certain that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Is AI going to convince them otherwise?
Enhancing intellectual capacity in other animals is unethical, in my opinion. We all evolved intelligence appropriate to our species--except humans, who are at times too smart for their own good. Do you really want your dog to be even more manipulative, clever, bored, destructive, whatever, than she already is? I think rats are smart enough now. Look at squirrels -- they seem like the Einsteins of the rodent world, which makes them both cute, interactive, and a major nuisance. Trippling their intelligence would be a big mistake.
Too smart for our own good? Our reach sometimes exceeds our grasp. A group invented the atomic bomb. It has not been a good thing--reach exceeded grasp.
Perhaps he’s referring to this:
https://futurism.com/scientists-successfully-grow-living-human-ear-rat
"Arificial Intelligence" is a figurative name (like, e.g. "Mechanical translation", "Reverse Engineering", etc.) and in no way refers or is related to human intelligence. You are right saying that we don't really know what our own intelligence. But AI, is a scientific term and field, something very concrete, because it is programming. It is made of well defined terms, rules, methods, etc.
This is what I was referring to. And why not add intelligence to other creatures? We only know how we behave with intelligence. Maybe there are other forms of logic we can benefit from. Currently we have only ego over all other life because of our intelligence whether it was because evolution or more accidental.
Make logic accessible in schools, and actually follow and implement it. Authorities are going backwards in their standard. You and I have less power. Challenge your local educators to find the sense in Cassirer, Gilson, Jevons and share it with the young.
The Frankensteinistic concoction you have almost made me throw up by describing, will be no use because it will be ill.