Is man truely different than machine?

I know the thread title is a little vague...maybe. What I hope to do in this thread is give a little idea of the task that has been gripping me since I was 13, and my way of doing that task. The task I am talking about is...yes, you guessed it. Emulating the mind of the established homo-sapien, or in dummy speech, creating an artificial mind of a modern man to a certain extent.


The basic or not-so-basic task I wish to complete or at least get reasonably done by the time I die, my life goal, the whole reason I have yet to give up on life, is to create an intelligent mind inside a technological device. I've had this dream since I was 13, and it is the reason I took up computer science, computer programming, and psychology. There is alot of time that needs to be devoted to this though, if I wish to complete this before I die. So I have compiled a few of the basic things I know to see what this community thinks of how plausible it would be to create an intelligent being inside of a computer.

No, I don't want to make a sexbot
No, I don't want to make this a for-profit technological marvel
No, I don't want to make this like a Tamagotchi
And no, I don't want to make a hundred copies of this.

Just one. It's purpose would be much more than a museum piece for the scientific community, and more to show that it is possible to do this. Frankly, I want to know what you guys think about creating an intelligent mind and whether or not it could be considered 'acting on it's own' or just another piece of metal. Hence why it is in the Philosophy forum.

I. What makes a Man a 'Man'?

So what makes a man a man? What separates our mind from monkeys? Apart from other glaring factors, shear intelligence and the ability to quickly adapt to a situation or at least come up with a solution for a problem without altering factors that don't need to be altered. Monkeys, and other animals, just as humans do, have minds. The difference between a monkey mind and a human mind is not as great as it seems, although the human mind is more complex than a monkey mind. But the mind itself is what we're focusing on here. The mind is but a machine is it not?

Scientists can recreate a human brain to a certain extent (which I don't doubt they've done in the upper echelons of the government). We can program in emotions and ways to determine, detect, and discern those emotions from other emotions. We can do this. We've been able to for quite some time. So is Man really different from Machine?

For a second, forget the belief that God created Man. It is very possible that Man could have been created and engineered the way we are today by a progenitor race of beings. Of course, then comes the evolutionary aspect of the human timeline, but let's disregard that, that isn't our focus. The fact is that we have the ability to replicate the human mind. So why don't we? Mainly moral and legal obstructions but it is possible.

Then comes the idea of a 'Soul' or what makes you uniquely 'you'. Surely you aren't the same man as the 42 year-old brown-eyed white-haired businessman to your left? And you aren't the same woman as the 18 year-old black-haired Taiwanese girl to your right? Or are you? In this particular situation, you are. You are the 42 year-old and the 18 year-old. The only difference between them and you is their outer shell. Their casing. That is the only difference, at least in this situation. In the real world, though, this does not apply. So we have what we call a 'soul' to explain this unique emotion and spiritual diversity among different people. Many people believe only humans have souls. Some believe only humans, dogs, and cats have souls. Some believe everything has a soul, and others believe no one has a soul. So what do I take from this?

When it comes to creating an artificial intelligent being, souls do not matter. This person will have functions and the ability to decide for itself what it receives from each interaction. It will have a 'free will' to choose from a pre-programmed base of emotions and it can choose for itself what it wants to feel. But deep down, this list has contoured since the birth of this machine. Since the day you would start interacting with it, different emotions will take different priorities. Why? Because this machine is trying to find out who it really is. Maybe sadness will prevail over happiness during a negative event most of the time, simply because the list was shaped this way by the machine over the multiple times it was contacted. Isn't the same for humans? We think we have a free will, and we do. We have free will to choose between a range of emotions that was given to us by whoever or whatever created us. We can act on those emotions and we can choose what to do with them. Just like an AI machine would do.

II. What makes a Machine a 'Machine'?

This is tricky, because a Machine is just a device made by humans to do what humans want. But what about a machine made to be a human or at least, like a human? Would this machine still be a machine? Hell yes, in my opinion. And I'll tell you why. Machines are computers. Men can be machines, but Machines cannot be men, because said men can also be machines. Yes it sounds confusing because it is, and I don't really want to go into this idea too much, as it only gets more confusing. The fact is that emotion can be programmed into machines, machines can have experiences, machines can be made to feel, and many other things.

Genetic programming is the first step of this. This allows the creation of more refined machines made for a specific task. When combined with a pre-existing intelligent being or complex system, the AI can use Genetic programming on itself to better refine how it acts when it comes to certain situations.

III. Conclusion

Although it would take time I am sure that I do not have, I have dedicated my life to creating or replicating the human mind. One day, I would like to create a being inside of a machine that is sentient (knows it's a machine), can think abstract thoughts, can experience and have memories, and can have emotion. I know it is a helluva task but it will damn well accomplish something. So I ask you ATS, what do you think about the difference between man and machine? Are men simply machines that have evolved to where we are now? Were we tampered with somewhere in our evolutionary line? Are machines more than just pieces of metal?

And the biggest question I would like to see the answers for: When this machine has emotions, does it truly have emotions, or is just replicating what humans do? And is this different than humans? Aren't humans just machines that are replicating God?

thanks in advance, and thanks for reading

reply to post by mr10k

We can program in emotions and ways to determine, detect, and discern those emotions from other emotions. We can do this. We've been able to for quite some time. So is Man really different from Machine?

Wow, I'd love to read a little bit on programming emotions. Would you have a link? I thought emotions were solely chemically induced.

Mankind explored this question when it created the program deep blue and it challenged the current chess champion at the time karpov. He lost and they kept the program alive and gave it a more human programming and renamed it deep purple. One interesting note is one day when a researcher entered the lab turning on the lights deep purple said hello knowing someone had come in. This was outside of its programmed parameters.

Originally posted by jiggerj
reply to post by mr10k

 

We can program in emotions and ways to determine, detect, and discern those emotions from other emotions. We can do this. We've been able to for quite some time. So is Man really different from Machine?

Wow, I'd love to read a little bit on programming emotions. Would you have a link? I thought emotions were solely chemically induced.

Human emotion is chemically induced. Robotic emotion would be programming induced. Both are essentially the same thing -- emotion. Just the way that emotions are activated in each being is different.

www.ai.mit.edu...
ai-depot.com...
books.google.com... CQCQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Cognitive%20Perspectives%20on%20EMotion%20and%20Motivation&f=false

Just a few good reads. The last is a book, you can search up the words emotion and AI to see more about what the author has to say on it

"Is Man" "Are Men"


HUGE difference

Originally posted by flexy123
"Is Man" "Are Men"


HUGE difference

Yeah haha. my bad

reply to post by mr10k


The U.S. Military has been whispered to have created a Quantum Computer. This computer would be capable od Self Determination as it has been designed using a Human Brains Engram Construct as the method this Quantum Computer computates.

It has been designed to make decisions at close to the Speed of Light as a way to be used to make decisions of Target and Acquisition as well as Tactics and Strategies. This is necessary in order to run an over all U.S. Space Command Missile Defense System which would be comprised of ABM's based on and in Land, Sea and Air as well as run the New FEL or Free Electron Laser when it is needed to network our entire Military's Missile Defense to destroy a large scale attack.

As I stated on another topic...the Human Brain is a Biological Quantum Computer. A synthetic Quantum Computer would not be limited by Biology and since it's method of Computation is modeled after the Human Brains Engrams...it is logical to assume the possibility of such a computer to become SENTIENT.

On the other topic I expressed my Fears of such a VERY REAL possibility that a New Life Forms creation and development and it's capabilities to not be hindered by Biology...make the creation and addition to this Quantum Computer a DEVELOPMENTAL GOVERNOR to protect those who have created it as we have no idea what the behavior of such a Life Form may be.

A Human Being is a Biological Machine and as all Pet owners know...our Cats and Dogs are SENTIENT and are much more aware than people give them credit. Humans are not so far if at all removed from the Animal Kingdom as Humans are Animals and we are still and perhaps may always be connected to our Evolutionary Past. Emotions are all Biological Responses and a Machine even if Sentient...will not have these feelings that are limited in their existence to the Biologic.

Split Infinity