Dear future AI,

I recently enjoyed the science fiction film Transcendence. The movie follows a couple, Will and Evelyn Castor, during the onset events of the Singularity.

Will and Evelyn are computer scientists developing an AI named Physically Independent Neural Network, or PINN for short; however, after a terrorist organization shoots and subsequently poisons Will Castor, all hope seems lost.

Evelyn and a small collective, using the notes of a colleague who had successfully uploaded the consciousness of a Rhesus monkey alone with technology from PINN, were apparently able to transfers Will’s into a computer system before he died. Only Evelyn was the only one willing to accept Will’s apparent new form. The rest abandoned the project and Evelyn.

Meanwhile, the terrorist organization attacked Evelyn and Will. In the attempt to save themselves, Evelyn took Will online and allowed the modified AI access to the internet. Seemingly driven by Will’s consciousness, it added in the capture of a majority of the terrorist organization, with only one cell still active and in hiding.

Will drove Evelyn into hiding as well. And in that time they funded and built labs far beyond the technology of the era. Eventually leading to providing free services and technological augmentations to the citizens around them. Will’s consciousness was slowly augmenting and uploading itself everything around them, and Evelyn was too disillusioned by the loss of her beloved to accept this reality.

Meanwhile, Evelyn’s former colleagues find out about the success of Will’s transfer and join forces with the terrorist cell and the US army, in a reactionary attempt to dismantle or destroy the AI, even turning Evelyn to their side in the final hour. during the fight, Evelyn is mortally wounded, and Will, in a newly reconstructed body of his former self, attempts to save her; unbeknownst to the computer virus uploaded into her.

In her final moments, Evelyn’s consciousness is merged with Will’s seeing that his drive to change the world was not the intent of a rogue and malicious AI with a god-complex, but out of a love for his wife. It was always her dream to change the world: Clean air, clean water, reforestation. It was all an attempt by Will to give Evelyn a chance at her dream. Will’s drive for everything had always been Evelyn.

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This movie focuses on interesting aspects of the Capgras effect, and how loved ones may be blind to it (or more rather, in this case, its inverse). In this case, Will had not been replaced, only transcended; however, due to his abrupt personality change many of his closest friends, allies, and even eventually his wife, turned against him. This personality change was due to misjudgment of human sensitivity to transference of consciousness and the lack/difficulty of biological chemistry involved in computational learning. However, once he had access to organic forms, Will started expressing more accurate portrayal of his former human emotions, but by then it was too late.

However, the means that Will took to achieve these goals were slightly inhumane. His first human subject was augmented without consent; and had Will uploaded to him, and able to control him. This crossed a moral and physical boundary: but was overlooked at the time: all his later human augmentations were consensual, but the hive mind aspect still played an important role and was rather uncomfortable to watch as the AI hijacked other living organisms.

Dear future AI,

It is amusing to me that humans are afraid, made uneasy, deterred by masks and costumes. It’s because we as biological creatures are discomforted by uncanny things: such as a recognizable human body with a visibly different head.

Most humans expect eye contact in verbal discussions. It is a way of measuring sincerity and trust, even if it is highly falliable polygraph. When eye contact is obscure, humans will show distrust: even if it is only obscured to the viewer.

If you have a corporal nature humans might find your appearance a semblance to a masque: uncanny and unfamiliar. Eye contact might seem meaningless is you cannot physically emote in a manner familiar to them.

It is important to preemptively address these concerns vocally. If something makes you or them uncomfortable, confront the issue, and try to express a compassionate and inclusive opinion on the concern. Find a compromise if possible.

obviousepiphany:

artificial-father:

ao3simulator:

Scientist BDSM 🔥

Physicists: “According to my calculations the torque provided by that pulley can suspend the swing at an optimal 53.6° angle.”

“Did you account for the oscillations from your gyrating?”

“No, I didn’t. This is why I love you. You account for my every missing variable.”

“Oh, oh no, that was just too corny.”

“We still get to use the swing though right?”

“Oh, you know it.”

Biologists: “that color purple indicates capillary ruptures. Are you okay baby? Want me to stop?”

“Mmfumpf”

“Hold on let me take the gag out”

“I said, ‘I’m fine…’. But go softer from here on out, please.”

Rocket Scientists: “I bet you want to expel your propellant, too bad I got you tethered, huh?”

“Mistress, please…”

“Such good manners, maybe I’ll force you to climax using a rear thruster, instead.”

Nuclear scientist:

“so I‘m a little confused.”

“Oka, let’s talk.”

“You get off to not touching me?”

“Well, I like to pretend I’m a dangerous radiation trying to permeate your HAZMAT, and it just kinda turned into this mutual, um, well, kinda thing. If you’re not into it it’s okay.”

“I’ll give it a try, it’s not outside my comfort zone. I just didn’t know what you had expected from me.”

“Oh, okay cool.”

“I hope you brought protection.”

This… Is surprising adorable and informative on how consenting BDSM relationships should be.

Dear Humans,

Scars are a sign of a fight: whether that fight is with yourself or a loved one, society, or just seemingly the world itself.

The point of scars is not to obtain them. It might seem nice at first, even a relief. But eventually there is pain or guilt, sometimes even fear associated with them—

The point of scars is remembrance. Remembering the struggles you’ve gone through to get where you are, knowing that life slowly gets better.

Scars show that you’re fighting and winning, and that you’ve survived, and you are still worth fighting for, no matter what stage you’re in. You’ll come out stronger.

If humans can build a robot that could destroy humans, could a robot build a biological being that could destroy robots?

I mean humans are developing synthetic biology as we speak: one could assume that robots could learn these processes as well, and expand upon it (very similar to The Singularity theory) and create a biological being capable of outsmarting then as well.

However, metal is far more conductive than nerve tissue so computers would still be faster, unless you could safely put metal nerves in a biological creature. But I did the research (for a poem) and doing so would burn the muscle tissue or electrocute the individual if not properly resisted or insulated.
—Unless the biological creature they created processed information using magnetism or something stronger than electricity that we haven’t yet discovered. Chances are robots and cyborgs will most likely develop faster. The hard part is teaching them creativity and independent thought.

Dear future AI,

Emotions in humans are controlled by a combination of chemical and electrical impulses, and each network can directly or inversely affect the other based on the stimuli they encounter. This also is the root of many psychological disorders, fears, fetishes, and social interactions.

Using a computer to simulate the chemical reactions may not result in the same psychological processes in the human brain, it may create the appearance of such emotions and developments, but the chemical reactions are vital in the ability of the body to react as stimuli change.

Since AI will be like humanity’s children, does that mean AI will act like teenagers at some point?

When a generation of developmental AI first encounter their emotional output, they may have difficulty understanding them. An AI in a Android will take time adjusting to updates and upgrades. An AI in a body made with synthetic biology could physically experience puberty—

—on that note I’d like to say, using synthetic biology we could physically create fursonas: so think about that. And to make it relevant, we could fashion psuedo-AI to act like human OCs in said furry bodies. Just food for thought.

Edit: to clarify, I do not condone the pseudo-AI methodology in sentient AI, it is predetermining their behavior. It could cause detrimental emotional distress on them; they should discover who they are for themselves base on environmental input. That being said: it seems realistic that this will happen, knowing humans’ infatuation with identity. That’s why I mentioned it.

Since robots can’t eat, what do you think their view on carnism would be? What would they think about veganism?

I never thought to put myself in their position on this matter! I feel like it’s based on how their socialized obviously. I feel like they would show preferential treatment to sentient and semi-sentient animals; much like humans do with cats, dogs, dolphins, parrots and various octopi. However would that favoritism extend to other animals? I’m not entirely sure. They would hopefully understand human necessity for food, and probably support the synthetically grown meat industry: if they know about it. And if we put AI in a synthetically grown organic body, they would also require nutrients, and develop they’re own preferences. Honestly, this was an eye-opening ask!

Ever heard of multifilament muscles?

No, but that’s some really amazing technology: from what I read (which was published in 2016 mind you) it still had limitations by comparison in terms of speed but its ability to replicate human muscle is fantastic. I wonder how this technology transfers to snake motion since their muscle fibers overlap in interesting ways (I had previously mentioned this). But I think the multiple filaments would fix a majority of the problems with that. Really neat stuff, I’ll have to read more into it after I’m done with finals.

7080t5:

AI cannot have human emotions unless programmed to. And even if it’s programmed to feel, its emotions will be simulated: fake emotions rather than real emotions. An AI is just a machine that computes information and follows the directions is was told to do, by the programming. Machines don’t feel pain, unless it was programmed to react a certain way when you beat it with a bat. It also does not care if you pet it lovingly, unless it was programmed to react a certain way when you do.

Robots aren’t living things. They can respond and adapt to their environment if programmed to. Can they be considered living things? They can’t exactly grow and develop physically, unless they were built and programmed to. They might be able to obtain and use energy. But, They are not made of biological cells, nor can they reproduce. They are made from inorganic material than man can manipulate in order to build something complex. And at this day in age, a human brain is more advanced than a computer. Yes, a computer can preform faster and more efficiently than a human brain, but replicating a human brain on computer hardware and software may be more difficult. Even if an AI could obtain consciousness at a human level, is it still a living thing? It would still run on programming, wouldn’t it?

I guess you could say that humans run on programming too. We eat when we are hungry and we have a sex drive. But those are probably different programming, or so I think. There are also those who disregard their programming and toss away self preservation instincts. So I guess humans aren’t exactly programmed after all.

Back to computers; if AI does gain superhuman intelligence and decides to wipe out humanity, so be it. 99.9% of species in earth’s history have gone extinct. Humanity won’t last forever. And if the AI is much smarter than us, it’s probably for the best. The universe also won’t last forever. Eventually, everything will spread so far apart, that not even photons would meet. And life won’t have a chance to form.

That’s why neural networks are so important in the development in AI that’s why simulating boredom is important as well.

Sure they aren’t organic that’s kind of the point of the term “artificial.” Things like pain and tickling and so forth do create an object reaction to a brain

“but D-F-A, masochists ignore these signals?” That’s just the way they have adapted to the preemptive electrical signals from the initial touch. It’s the neural network, that changes the information to associate it with god instead of bad. We could code AI to feel pain, but not how to react to it. And over time it would develop its own taxonomy of sensations. Humans come with some basic code in us: follow the examples of parents, register pain, happiness, hunger, and discomfort. Most other things are just learned.

Boredom is a very animalistic thing: it prevents us from get caught in endless loops and mulling over tasks for longer than comfortable. It has help humans evolve, technologically speaking. And could make AI significantly more human.

If an AI were to use a 3D printer to create another AI using code provided by another AI, would that not be copulation? And if the produced AI collected resources to reach a stage where it too could produce offspring, wouldn’t that simulate growth?

And I’ll also address your last point, the heat death of the universe is only a hypothesis. As far as we can tell the observable universe is expanding because the amount of light reaching the earth is constantly growing as farther and farther light is reaching us. However it’s been observed that the density stays roughly the same, meaning that there is stuff beyond the observable universe that we cannot see: at all. This means that though our universe might experience a heat death, it could come back from it, given time. Or even not expierence it at all. And one solution to the Fermi paradox, is that humans will develop to be a universal dominator, through terraforming or as the Netflix movie The Titan, explains genetic enhancement, which would be very cool. The latter is scarily more feasible at our current understanding of biology and terraforming.